Had 2 MTX 12” 7000 sent them in 3-4 times because the smoke kept escaping from them and after that happened they quit working some kind of special smoke or something. Then one day my MTX TH2300 must have thought it was to cold in the blazer and started a fire she got warm pretty quickly I still have that amp believe it or not but they covered that under warranty I still have it and it still works and I have one working 12” 7000 the costumer service back then was killer. Now I’m playing around with a Tezla TZ4KD and there TZ350.4 never played with this much power before have times changed from mid 90s to 2021
Here is a tip: To set mid/high gain Play The Sun - Extended Mix by Neelix at your normal listening Level, and fast forward to around 30 sec, then turn the gain up untill you hear it distort. It has some really high "bell" sounds thats easy to detect distortion while playing. I have around 1500 songs in my library and that's one of the songs with the highest sounds so to speak. Then i know the speakers won't distort when playing any of the other songs, and every other song still sounds really loud and clear without any distortion what so ever :)
Another good way to set amp gains by ear play a 40 hz test tone from Sheffield and raise the gains until it starts to sound 8 bit then back off to set your gains for your subwoofer amp.
Finally someone that I consider my equal in tuning a car audio system! Like you, I've been doing my own work in car audio for well over 20 years and I developed my hearing to recognize what sounds good and what doesn't. Almost every person that hears my work says I have the best sounding vehicle they've ever heard; not the loudest, but best sounding. If people would take your advice and trust their ears, they can do amazing things with their system! My advice for anyone getting into this hobby: don't worry about what others are doing to theirs, make your sound system YOUR sound system and make it sound the way you want it to sound. With some work and patience, it can be something you're truly proud of.
Thank you very much for the explanation! Most other videos show graphs, devices, formulas, calculations which might be fine for a professional, but not for somebody who just wants some base and has already fried one subwoofer because he didn't know what dials he was turning. You explained it very well!
Thank you!!!!!!!!!! I really dont have the money to take my car to a shop to have it tuned up. I did exactly what you explained & now my bass is hitting just as hard as my highs. Thank you!!!!
Old-ish video i know, probably the only video/tutorial that speaks in layman's terms, no BS about you HAVE to use oscilloscopes, or to use the SMD device. The biggest thing you actually cover the headunit settings, whether to leave the settings at off/0 or set prior to setting the Amps, as i'm older fella doing car audio from back in the early 90s things have changed a fair amount so dusting off the brain cells. Majority of people putting out videos on ICE nowadays have forgotten the roots how it used to be with quick and dirty installs tuning by ear, now for me that's the kicker as i suffer from Tinnitus now so how my brain interprets the audio is hit and miss, still it's was a good refresher to watch. Views and likes well deserved
Very well done and appreciated, man. Very simply and well put. Just the right amount of information, without the technical confusion. Thanks for taking the time for these tuning videos.
@@NextLevelCarAudio sadly this is way always done it EXACTLY like you said for 20 years. I just recently downsized the a Kicker Q Class 8 and a Kicker 1200.1 amp. Running 4 ohms at 600rms set with a multimeter for the first time. And … Blah !!!! Nothing I did works had to go back to the old Method and the sun came alive!!! Still lost on what happened and why there was no true volume?!!
Nice. I'm a professional live production audio guy thinking about doing some car audio projects. I can confirm this guy knows his trade ! Great video !
Thank you so much I'm 16 years old and I bought an amplifier for my bass and mids speakers, but I didn't know how to tune it. Thanks to you I learnt lots of things from this video. Thanks again. 💯
I have done the same thing for 15 yrs. Tune by ear. And I'm pretty damn good at it. But I've heard you can still clip, just maybe not as drastically. I've never tested the theory. Never checked mine on a smd. But I've also never fried an amp. Or burnt a coil. So I dig ur channel man. You just got a new subscriber.
Thanks man. appreciate it! i guess it is more of an art than a science. lol. I do have a cheap O-scope and have used it to verify my gains many times... pretty darn close ;) if you live around the PNW id be more than happy to meet up with my O-scope to test your ear accuracy and swap demos :P
I pushed my set-up to the max without clipping but the reality in audio is that there'll always be 1 or 2 hiphop song's that are powerful and wanna distort but that's nothing major, I just turn my head unit 1 or 2 db lower and I'm fine, I won't ruin my amp settings in that case 😂
@@NextLevelCarAudio I agree that it's def more of an art than a science, tuning by ear. I bought a cheap graphical multimeter off amazon and while its def not as detailed as an o-scope, it gives me a really good idea of where I'm at. I recently installed an amp in my car, tried tuning it by ear and I was WAY off!
Thank you NextlevelHummer I have a pioneer head unit with alot of bass boost settings and lound settings and my stereo system sound like crap. So I did what you said and turned all the bass boosts an loud settings off and used the amp settings Now my stereo sounds really loud crisp and clear Thank you for your help😄✌️👍
Great advice. I just had a system installed today. I ran out of time and the shop didn't have time to tune the amp. I'll go back in the morning to have them finish the job, just because I want my money's worth. This information is very useful.
I have played music for years I figured its was simple to hook a sub woofer to your car the bass varies from car player to player and song to song your video saved me alot of money I was going to buy an amp I did not need (old 900 watt pioneer amp still works great for rock ) all because of the gain settings ,, well done !!!!!
Just wanted to say thank you for making these videos! I’ve been researching how to set up amps and woofers and I found your videos to be the most useful. The turn up the bass edit is also hilarious 😂
I have a follow up question if you can help. The sub I have is single voice coil. The mono amp I have has two sets of terminals. So can I wire another sub to its separate terminal? That way the subs can be in separate boxes with the final impedance being 2ohm?
best explanation so far out of countless youtube vids and web pages. dont know why this is not included in the basic instruction manual that came with my sub amp combo. They describe things as if you know what they are talking about.
maybe because the manual is not made for a clueless audio guy it is made for someone who actually know wtf. they are doing. humanity is so freaking dumb.
Dude… Sweet!!! Thanks for your videos. I been messing with car audio for like 20 years. I would always set and it would sound alright and my buddy would always give it a few more tweaks to get it a little better. After watching a couple of your videos my truck sounds pristine!!!!
Hi bro pls I have MTX subwoofer self amplified 8 inch. Before setting the gain do I need to also increase my LPF all the way to maximum? I have 50hz-200hz?? Waiting for your response!
Hadn't had subs and amp since I was 24 and I'm 38.lol. i appreciate it. Bought a sequoia from my brother n law and he upgraded all the speakers and everything but took the amp and sub. Just put mine in ( two 12s and 1000w amp) nothing special but sounds great. The gain is still down so definitely fine tuning everything when I wake up. Thank you!
What do I do if I checked my amp with the o scope and it says it's clipping even when the gain is basically all they way off and barely any base? Factory head unit is still installed . Could the head unit be sending a clipping single ? And how would I remedy this ??
Just replaced my stock speakers to complete my build with 2 rockford fosgate p10's and a rockford r2 amp spent like 1.5 hours at Walmart yesterday tuning it, that amp clip light is super helpful, I listen to metal so I have the gain pretty high around 9.5 with my volume range around 15 to 22 depending on the song, and if I wana bump louder I just turn the knob down.
Great info! I'm no audiophile but I love music and its safe to say I've had my gear in my car all wrong! I will give your tips a shot and see what happens. I have mid level stuff nothing to crazy but I know it can sound better... sad I waited this long to educate myself.
@@NextLevelCarAudio Agreed but I wouldn't say electronics are my specialty lol Anyway I set my gains and already sound much better. The mids still seem off but it could be my stock head unit. I have replaced all the speakers and added an amp and powered sub. Thanks for the info you have a new follower!
Been doing this for 30 plus years you know your shit to be blunt ears are the greatest asset to a true car audio sound addict ! you know who you are!!! Thanks for your time and commitment to the cause! MJA
I did everything you said besides one thing. Let's just say the cops paid a visit to my laneway. Lol... and I also made a new friend. My neighbor 😁. I deserve it for not being considerate while tuning my amplifier.
After watching this video it has gave me more knowledge about how an amplifier works or what to do and not to do when messing with my head unit and amplifier. Thank you for this kind of video.
Love the information you give all of us to maximize our audio experience! I recently got an 8" Solo Baric L7T preloaded in a truck box that was tuned for 45hz from Kicker. I am at 37 hrs of break in period and just about ready to set my gain. Should I set the gain using 45 Hz test tone since that is what the box is tuned for to maximize the subwoofer? Thank you for your time!!
I appreciate this video man. I've recently just got back into having a system after a few years and I've been trying to refresh my memories on info that is needed to help out. You explained this very well.
Installing my first system in my boat and this was the best video explaining in very simple terms how to tune amp gain. I'm subscribed! Gonna dig through your video's and see if I can find a video explaining how to set crossover HPF and LPF. Great job!
Yea man. I hear ya!! always set my gains by ear. and never had an issue either. Had a old timer teach me the art back in mind 90s. Ppl dont believe me till I show them then humm is what i get
You can also build a very cheap and easy clip detector for your low ends with a high rang speaker and a capacitor inline. With the proper sized capacitor the small speaker won’t get your low end signals but as soon as you start to clip it allows high frequencies to go thru and you can hear them in the speaker.
Damn I hosed myself with the backflashes to that guying blowing his sound!! Thanks so much for this man, it has never been so carefully explained to me like that before and I really appreciate it. I have some work to do this weekend ;)
Thank you so much for your video because one day I got greedy and oh boy did I pay the price I did exactly what you said not to do now I know not to do it ever again thanks again your video really help me out
6:20 he is 100% right about that one. I not only clipped and blew my sub by doing that, somehow it caught fire behind my seat in my pick up truck and burned my truck down to the ground. I'm an amatuer with very minimal knowledge so I initially set up my gain level perfect then I wanted more base so I started turning up the base on the head unit the bass boost level the subwoofer gain level on head unit to max and clipped and set fire. My system played nice and safely wen I tuned it right and left everything as is. Lasted 5 days to the point wen I messed things up. Mind u I paid 400 for my head unit and my sub and amp was bought that 5 days prior. I also had all 4 new door speakers I bought a few weeks prior also. I not only lost only lost my new system but got no pay out for my car bcuz I only had liability
This was exactly what I needed. So many questions I had were answered. Rocking new double din head unit and 2 jbl door speakers 2 Harmon and kardon door speakers and a 2000 watt skar amp with a punisher 10d2
I am about to do mine soon, I am at the stage of sound deadening the floor and the rest of the car. Waiting for my JL Audio XD400 to arrive. Will do front installation only with Focal PS 165 component speakers. Oh I forgot to mention this is going to a smart 451 ;-) I will have fun adjusting the gains I think, but I will use the vault meter after I will calculate correct voltage. Thanks for tips!
I have a kenwood excelon 5v preouts. I'm running door speakers off the deck for now. I turn volume to 27 without hearing distortion. Then I use a 50htz test tone till I hear distortion then back off a tad. My lpf is around 80htz and subsonic is around d 30. My gain after this is a tad before halfway. Great video man
I was always wondering about turning everything off on head unit before setting the gains, it didn't make sense to me cause once everything is set and I turn the settings back on the signal was gonna be different
@@NextLevelCarAudio About tuning amp and then not messing with the factory head unit after gains on the amp are set.... I tuned my amp/gains with my factory oem settings at flat for treble, mid and bass (right in the middle of -5 to +5 range, is there any harm with going lower on treble so that I can emphasize mids and bass more in the car, does that risk producing a clipped signal from oem to amp and then amp to speakers?
You know after watching this video I have a better understanding of how to tune my amps and I now know what happened to my Skar 12s I have 14-8in mids and 8-3in tweeters and I clipped my 12s and killed them I still have them thinking about reconning them also a friend said that he was tuning it few days ago and he told me turn bass knob halfway smh I can't wait to go somewhere and try it myself thanks for the video and u got my sub for sure
If I have someone install everything for me, are they leaving it up to me to figure out how much gain I need in comparison to my stock car audio and sub?
If you have a profesional (credible) shop install your amps they will dial them in for you so no need to worry. If you have brother bob do it with no training/experience id be worried lol
I'm putting 4 12 inch subs in an econoline. 2 single box sony xplodes in the center and 2 duals in a double box in the back.... gonna be wild.. I appreciate your help man I have little knowledge of these knobs. I do it by ear just how your saying. Turn it to a casual level, adjust the knobs. Turn it louder and adjust. Louder and adjust. Then when I lower the volume it sounds wonderful.. Those clips of the exploding car are hilarious..
Love the video man. First time watcher-I have a Kicker Solobaric L7S 12” in a ported 33hz OEM (Kicker) enclosure. Then I have a cheapie amp Power Acoustic 2500w class D 650rms amp (Walmart) and a 1.0 Farad Cap. I had systems back then but was the turn right guy lol never broke anything luckily but glad I came across your video to tune properly. Thank you 🙏
If you are only using 28 out of 42, your gains are set way too high and your amp is overworking to compensate. You should at least be able to go to 35 on most decent aftermarket receivers and some even have distortion free signal at full volume.
Thank you for the information. I just got a Sony XM GS4 to amplify the front/rear speakers in my truck and I'm trying to figure out how to tune it. I think I have heard the clipping you spoke of but don't know much about the settings. Low Boost(40Hz), Level, subsonic filter, Filter(don't plan to use LP/HP, so it'll be off). But I want good clear sound with some good bass.
great video. The acoustics of each car and each box will also influence the overall quality with the exact "determination of ruining" as the potential clipping electronic wave
Old school bass head.. My son got into car audio a couple years ago and bought the expensive audio meters.. When we talked about how I tuned a system, I told him that i used the most sensitive equipment there was, my ears. He completely disagreed. After he spent many hours trying to tune his truck to sound how he wanted with the expensive meters., he came in the house defeated. He said, he didnt think he had the right equipment or something. I offered to tune it for him, he declined stating that the meters are showing his equipment is an issue. After sending his head unit back in for a refund and purchasing a new one, he had the same outcome. Again, I offered to tune it for him..Instead of admitting defeat, he said "technology has changed dad, you cant just tune by ear anymore". To which I said, son, yes, tech has changed but sound wave have and always be sound waves and the human ear still works the same way it has since the first human was born... About 15 minutes with his system.. tuning by ear.. he fought the ear to ear grin when he heard what my ears did for his system. You can totally hear distortion if you know what you are listening for. Clipped sound waves have a crude top or bottom end to them. You can totally practice listening for clipped sound and you should if your going to try to get the best out of your system.. Another piece of advice.. Spend the money on the system you will listen to the most, for most it is the home audio and not the car. If you can afford both, do it, your ears will thank you.
I'm going to unhook the sub and start over. I wasbso depressed about my music. I had to take the subwoofer out to get my car worked on. So I played with the settings and when I put the sub in last night it was pure garbage. So thanks for your help. I'll try again music gives makes me happy 😊
If you’re buying a taramps amp it has a meter that tells you when it’s clipping or protection mode that you can put in the dash and just turn it down when the clip light sounds.
Normally I set the bass know half way when I set my gain because I'm keeping in mind all that older hip hop and RnB from back in the day they may not hit as hard ..I'm leaving a little room to use that space when need...but I do understand his.point...I may set the knob at 3/4 on this next set up
Took me forever to have someone explain it without getting all of these damn meters and stuff I don’t know how to use hahahaha. Thanks a lot man, can’t wait to watch for of your vids for whatever I need 💪🏼
I agree. You don’t need all that gain measuring meters and stuff like that. I’ve been in car audio for 30 years and always uses my ears. I’ve never blown anything personally myself. I did have some cars come back playing the radio at full tilt causing so much distortion it blew stuff. People just can’t play stuff on 10 and expect it to sound right.
The size of the vehicle also determines the usable volume in which sound can be dispersed, correct? I.e: Subcompact vehicle has less volume than an SUV, therefore, even clean sound in a front stage can get muddy in the subcompact because the sound waves have less space to travel in. Asking because this is how I've always tuned my systems and I've never had issues. The only "issue" I have now is with my current system. There is no clipping or harshness from the speaker itself, though, the sound begins to unevenly blend as the front stages "max" is reached. I appreciate any input and I found your explanation detailed as well as easy to follow.
Yes, that is absolutely true. That is why creating a proper sound stage with sufficient distancing of the speakers is important. Tough to do in a smart car, but eat in a big sedan or suv.
I really appreciate your time to explain and share very important and valuable information, I will definitely put it to practice this week with my RF t2500 bdcp and RF T2S113 SUB stock bimmer sound system. . Thanks you .the trunk exploiting car it’s a nice touch to the vid tho .
I’ve always replaced all the speakers and head units in my cars except for my current one. Right now I’m just running an amp for the subs and a bass knob. I have 2 questions for you. 1) What should I set my subwoofer setting on the head unit at? 2) Do you do your settings with the windows up or down? ( not sure if it matters but I’m running 2 JL 12W6’s and a PPI A600 art series amp.
On headunit I turn my sub level all the way up. That way I get maximum preamp output voltage going into my amp which means I don’t have to turn my gain as high to match the signal. Lower gain, cleaner signal.
Not gone lie I subbed cause I’m new and I Radio was hella adjusting my settings in my STOCK bass mid and treble and my speakers went to sleep. To be detailed it’s almost like I can hear a switch to more sound in the cabin then more bass from the subs so I keep my volume like 15-25 out of 35 I have 10 in mag sub
I have a mechman alternator and need help finding a 12v constant power source? Can you give me all ideas of where I can possibly connect it to a 2009 Cadillac Escalade 6.2L
I like this guy best of the videos I've seen. I have a new aftermarket sound system ready, i hope to set gains on both amps. The issue I'm having is; i lose track of the steps to do it while listening to the lengthy oration. Do I set the eq. On the head unit for my (very poor) hearing, or the highest i believe it would get. Do i isolate the treble from base, and do them one at a time. Is it imperative to keep treble, and/or base above flat on the eq. I feel like too little time was given to setting gains on new head unit. Do we do the head unit amp before the sub amp?
Luckily, I always knew that the gain is not volume 🤣. Ive seen a lot of guys spend big money back in the day to try and keep up. Some thought they got ripped off by the audio store because their gain was only half way, and the same people didnt listen until they smelled it, then guys like me say " I told you, but you didn't listen". Great Video!
Always good to learn a bit, been doin so much wrong for so long but now I'm getting educated by people who really know their business. Many thanks bro.
First of all ThanQ for the knowledge you can't get in College 👊🏾. Question: So I have no bass knob, do I use the "subwoofer volume" on the deck?? & Set All the way up before I set gain?
I appreciate the knowledge ive been watching videos for weeks n u finally put them all together 4 me. Only thing i cant figure out is there any way to counter act the bass rolloff on my OEM HU without getting an aftermarket HU.
If your talking about how the bass is reduced as you turn up the volume.... I can’t tell ya. That is built in to the circuitry of the head unit unless there are actual settings to turn it off. Sorry
You need to get a ACTIVE LOC LIKE Audio controls llc2. I had that issue on 2009 Nissan Maxima which has the Bose premium system and does that but not anymore with this equipment
You do a good job educating on car audio. Appreciate what you are doing. Plan on hooking up my Kenwood Class D Mono Amp to my Kicker Comp r12. Just need to purchase a couple of things but I'm doing some research.
Ah the good old days in high school turning all the knobs to the right. 🍻😂
lol.....yep. just trying to get loud and nothing else matters hahaha
😂
Yep and the hpf all way left
Had 2 MTX 12” 7000 sent them in 3-4 times because the smoke kept escaping from them and after that happened they quit working some kind of special smoke or something. Then one day my MTX TH2300 must have thought it was to cold in the blazer and started a fire she got warm pretty quickly I still have that amp believe it or not but they covered that under warranty I still have it and it still works and I have one working 12” 7000 the costumer service back then was killer. Now I’m playing around with a Tezla TZ4KD and there TZ350.4 never played with this much power before have times changed from mid 90s to 2021
That’s the truth 😂
Here is a tip:
To set mid/high gain
Play The Sun - Extended Mix by Neelix at your normal listening Level, and fast forward to around 30 sec, then turn the gain up untill you hear it distort. It has some really high "bell" sounds thats easy to detect distortion while playing. I have around 1500 songs in my library and that's one of the songs with the highest sounds so to speak. Then i know the speakers won't distort when playing any of the other songs, and every other song still sounds really loud and clear without any distortion what so ever :)
That was actually a helpful RUclips comment. Thanks
Africa by Toto is used by a lot of sound company’s to test systems
Time-pink Floyd also easy to hear distortion with
Another good way to set amp gains by ear play a 40 hz test tone from Sheffield and raise the gains until it starts to sound 8 bit then back off to set your gains for your subwoofer amp.
Or just use a signal generator
Finally someone that I consider my equal in tuning a car audio system! Like you, I've been doing my own work in car audio for well over 20 years and I developed my hearing to recognize what sounds good and what doesn't. Almost every person that hears my work says I have the best sounding vehicle they've ever heard; not the loudest, but best sounding. If people would take your advice and trust their ears, they can do amazing things with their system! My advice for anyone getting into this hobby: don't worry about what others are doing to theirs, make your sound system YOUR sound system and make it sound the way you want it to sound. With some work and patience, it can be something you're truly proud of.
Very well said! Thanks for the feedback man!
Beautiful 💯
Thank you very much for the explanation! Most other videos show graphs, devices, formulas, calculations which might be fine for a professional, but not for somebody who just wants some base and has already fried one subwoofer because he didn't know what dials he was turning. You explained it very well!
Thanks, appreciate the feedback
Thank you!!!!!!!!!! I really dont have the money to take my car to a shop to have it tuned up. I did exactly what you explained & now my bass is hitting just as hard as my highs. Thank you!!!!
Thanks for the feedback, thats awesome!
Old-ish video i know, probably the only video/tutorial that speaks in layman's terms, no BS about you HAVE to use oscilloscopes, or to use the SMD device. The biggest thing you actually cover the headunit settings, whether to leave the settings at off/0 or set prior to setting the Amps, as i'm older fella doing car audio from back in the early 90s things have changed a fair amount so dusting off the brain cells.
Majority of people putting out videos on ICE nowadays have forgotten the roots how it used to be with quick and dirty installs tuning by ear, now for me that's the kicker as i suffer from Tinnitus now so how my brain interprets the audio is hit and miss, still it's was a good refresher to watch. Views and likes well deserved
Very well done and appreciated, man. Very simply and well put. Just the right amount of information, without the technical confusion. Thanks for taking the time for these tuning videos.
Thanks for the feedback and support. 😎
@@NextLevelCarAudio sadly this is way always done it EXACTLY like you said for 20 years. I just recently downsized the a Kicker Q Class 8 and a Kicker 1200.1 amp. Running 4 ohms at 600rms set with a multimeter for the first time. And … Blah !!!! Nothing I did works had to go back to the old Method and the sun came alive!!! Still lost on what happened and why there was no true volume?!!
That’s interesting…. Hmmm.
Exactly how I have tuned my systems for decades... You just said it better than I could
Thanks. Appreciate it :)
Thats how i been doing it since the 90s
Another old school loyalist. Hell yeah
Rule one...do not turn all knobs to the right 😂
lol.....yep
that's like saying... do not be an idiot.
Knobs all the way right!!
Its not an option.....its a way of life
Lol
What happens if u do?!?
Nice. I'm a professional live production audio guy thinking about doing some car audio projects. I can confirm this guy knows his trade ! Great video !
Thanks for the feedback man
Thank you so much I'm 16 years old and I bought an amplifier for my bass and mids speakers, but I didn't know how to tune it.
Thanks to you I learnt lots of things from this video.
Thanks again. 💯
Sure thing man!
I have done the same thing for 15 yrs. Tune by ear. And I'm pretty damn good at it. But I've heard you can still clip, just maybe not as drastically. I've never tested the theory. Never checked mine on a smd. But I've also never fried an amp. Or burnt a coil. So I dig ur channel man. You just got a new subscriber.
Thanks man. appreciate it! i guess it is more of an art than a science. lol. I do have a cheap O-scope and have used it to verify my gains many times... pretty darn close ;) if you live around the PNW id be more than happy to meet up with my O-scope to test your ear accuracy and swap demos :P
@@NextLevelCarAudio I live in Ohio, but that'd make for some good RUclips content!
I pushed my set-up to the max without clipping but the reality in audio is that there'll always be 1 or 2 hiphop song's that are powerful and wanna distort but that's nothing major, I just turn my head unit 1 or 2 db lower and I'm fine, I won't ruin my amp settings in that case 😂
@@briankgopane7629 true story!
@@NextLevelCarAudio I agree that it's def more of an art than a science, tuning by ear. I bought a cheap graphical multimeter off amazon and while its def not as detailed as an o-scope, it gives me a really good idea of where I'm at. I recently installed an amp in my car, tried tuning it by ear and I was WAY off!
Thank you NextlevelHummer I have a pioneer head unit with alot of bass boost settings and lound settings and my stereo system sound like crap. So I did what you said and turned all the bass boosts an loud settings off and used the amp settings Now my stereo sounds really loud crisp and clear Thank you for your help😄✌️👍
Awesome man! really appreciate the feedback! thanks for the support of my channel
Great advice. I just had a system installed today. I ran out of time and the shop didn't have time to tune the amp. I'll go back in the morning to have them finish the job, just because I want my money's worth. This information is very useful.
Thanks man, appreciate it! rock on
True man😂😂😂 you remind me of guys that install from so and so audio specialists then come to me to fine tune it
You're straight to the point, understandable knowledge, giving people who don't know confidence. Great stuff
Thanks man. Much appreciated
@iMaPound420 To each his own. The benefit of RUclips is you get multiple perspectives and teaching styles for different types of learners and needs.
I can't believe i spent two days figuring how to do this. Thank you for explaining it in a way i could understand.
Love the way you explain things, and reference both OEM and aftermarket setups. Great info to work with along side working things with my multimeter.
Thanks for the feedback man
I have played music for years I figured its was simple to hook a sub woofer to your car the bass varies from car player to player and song to song your video saved me alot of money I was going to buy an amp I did not need (old 900 watt pioneer amp still works great for rock ) all because of the gain settings ,, well done !!!!!
Just wanted to say thank you for making these videos! I’ve been researching how to set up amps and woofers and I found your videos to be the most useful. The turn up the bass edit is also hilarious 😂
Thanks man
I have a follow up question if you can help. The sub I have is single voice coil. The mono amp I have has two sets of terminals. So can I wire another sub to its separate terminal? That way the subs can be in separate boxes with the final impedance being 2ohm?
Yes, that is totally fine. As long as it is the same sub. Not 2 different types.
This is by far the best most coherent explanation on youtube on this subject, no calculator multi formula expensive bs
best explanation so far out of countless youtube vids and web pages. dont know why this is not included in the basic instruction manual that came with my sub amp combo. They describe things as if you know what they are talking about.
Thanks for the feedback man. Much appreciated!
maybe because the manual is not made for a clueless audio guy it is made for someone who actually know wtf. they are doing. humanity is so freaking dumb.
Dude… Sweet!!! Thanks for your videos. I been messing with car audio for like 20 years. I would always set and it would sound alright and my buddy would always give it a few more tweaks to get it a little better. After watching a couple of your videos my truck sounds pristine!!!!
Great informative video, also love how it keeps cutting to that car blowing up 🤣
Thanks man. appreciate it! lol
Hi bro pls I have MTX subwoofer self amplified 8 inch. Before setting the gain do I need to also increase my LPF all the way to maximum? I have 50hz-200hz?? Waiting for your response!
That car blowing up never got old for me, couldn’t help laughing every time 😂
🤣🤣
Thanks for your help your awesome ##
Hadn't had subs and amp since I was 24 and I'm 38.lol. i appreciate it. Bought a sequoia from my brother n law and he upgraded all the speakers and everything but took the amp and sub. Just put mine in ( two 12s and 1000w amp) nothing special but sounds great. The gain is still down so definitely fine tuning everything when I wake up. Thank you!
Awesome!
SMD HIGH ASS PRICES BROUGHT ME HERE
Lol. Yep
Same
Lol
I'm telling Steve meade
@WeAreWatching Yu it was a joke
I tuned my amplifier this way and then checked with a oscilloscope and it was spot on wow I was so amazed by that so this method definitely works
That’s awesome! Good stuff ;)
What do I do if I checked my amp with the o scope and it says it's clipping even when the gain is basically all they way off and barely any base? Factory head unit is still installed . Could the head unit be sending a clipping single ? And how would I remedy this ??
What kind of line output converter are you using?
This video has helped tremendously, very straight forward and informative
Thanks man
Just replaced my stock speakers to complete my build with 2 rockford fosgate p10's and a rockford r2 amp spent like 1.5 hours at Walmart yesterday tuning it, that amp clip light is super helpful, I listen to metal so I have the gain pretty high around 9.5 with my volume range around 15 to 22 depending on the song, and if I wana bump louder I just turn the knob down.
Awesome. lol, yeah i tune my amps at our local home depot. I know they be like, wtf... there's that bass again. haha
Great info! I'm no audiophile but I love music and its safe to say I've had my gear in my car all wrong! I will give your tips a shot and see what happens. I have mid level stuff nothing to crazy but I know it can sound better... sad I waited this long to educate myself.
Thanks for the feedback man. it's all good! we are all learning and mastering our craft every single day.
@@NextLevelCarAudio Agreed but I wouldn't say electronics are my specialty lol Anyway I set my gains and already sound much better. The mids still seem off but it could be my stock head unit. I have replaced all the speakers and added an amp and powered sub. Thanks for the info you have a new follower!
Awesome man. Appreciate it :)
This guy knows his stuff unlike all the rest who talk junk. I been installing aftermarket since the 80’s and this is the right information.
Thanks man.
hey, i just bought my first amp and sub.
this helped me understand everything better thank you so much :)
(P.S love the edits TURN UP THE BASS!)
Thanks man! Congrats
Thanks for breaking this down, I now can tune my amp and feel confident I’m not going to blow my subs
Thank You for helping out the bass head community your teachings are very informative and have so much value to newer enthusiasts 🙏🏽
Sure thing!
Been doing this for 30 plus years you know your shit to be blunt ears are the greatest asset to a true car audio sound addict ! you know who you are!!! Thanks for your time and commitment to the cause! MJA
Thanks for the Feedback man!
I did everything you said besides one thing. Let's just say the cops paid a visit to my laneway. Lol... and I also made a new friend. My neighbor 😁. I deserve it for not being considerate while tuning my amplifier.
Nice lol 😆
After watching this video it has gave me more knowledge about how an amplifier works or what to do and not to do when messing with my head unit and amplifier. Thank you for this kind of video.
Love the information you give all of us to maximize our audio experience! I recently got an 8" Solo Baric L7T preloaded in a truck box that was tuned for 45hz from Kicker. I am at 37 hrs of break in period and just about ready to set my gain. Should I set the gain using 45 Hz test tone since that is what the box is tuned for to maximize the subwoofer? Thank you for your time!!
Thanks for the feedback. You can use 45hz. For sure :)
I appreciate this video man. I've recently just got back into having a system after a few years and I've been trying to refresh my memories on info that is needed to help out. You explained this very well.
Installing my first system in my boat and this was the best video explaining in very simple terms how to tune amp gain. I'm subscribed! Gonna dig through your video's and see if I can find a video explaining how to set crossover HPF and LPF. Great job!
Thanks man! Much appreciated! If you did not find it, here it is:
ruclips.net/video/ChhbQfpV8wk/видео.html
Yea man. I hear ya!! always set my gains by ear. and never had an issue either. Had a old timer teach me the art back in mind 90s. Ppl dont believe me till I show them then humm is what i get
Yep, lol.... that’s awesome man
Gain structure explained like a pro! Great job.
Thanks 🤩
You can also build a very cheap and easy clip detector for your low ends with a high rang speaker and a capacitor inline. With the proper sized capacitor the small speaker won’t get your low end signals but as soon as you start to clip it allows high frequencies to go thru and you can hear them in the speaker.
Damn I hosed myself with the backflashes to that guying blowing his sound!! Thanks so much for this man, it has never been so carefully explained to me like that before and I really appreciate it. I have some work to do this weekend ;)
Thanks man. I appreciate the feedback!
Thank you so much for your video because one day I got greedy and oh boy did I pay the price I did exactly what you said not to do now I know not to do it ever again thanks again your video really help me out
Hell yeah lol
I always turn the volume up and the levels down. Then work my way down highs, mids, then lows. Always seems to work for me.
6:20 he is 100% right about that one. I not only clipped and blew my sub by doing that, somehow it caught fire behind my seat in my pick up truck and burned my truck down to the ground. I'm an amatuer with very minimal knowledge so I initially set up my gain level perfect then I wanted more base so I started turning up the base on the head unit the bass boost level the subwoofer gain level on head unit to max and clipped and set fire. My system played nice and safely wen I tuned it right and left everything as is. Lasted 5 days to the point wen I messed things up. Mind u I paid 400 for my head unit and my sub and amp was bought that 5 days prior. I also had all 4 new door speakers I bought a few weeks prior also.
I not only lost only lost my new system but got no pay out for my car bcuz I only had liability
Dang man... that sucks! It happens tho. Hope you were able to Get back into the game since then 💯 💪 😎
Thank you for making this simple.
You're very welcome!
This was exactly what I needed. So many questions I had were answered. Rocking new double din head unit and 2 jbl door speakers 2 Harmon and kardon door speakers and a 2000 watt skar amp with a punisher 10d2
Awesome man thanks!
Bruh that meme clip has me weak
Thanks for explaining EVERYTHING. I have an old car with a mix of factory front and aftermarket rear. Very helpful :)
Yea my dad ended up buring my sub coil last night so im watching this video lol
Lol. Nice 😆
thanks!..........explained very well.......kept it simple!
This video helped me so much! Thank you!
Thanks man! Appreciate it
I am about to do mine soon, I am at the stage of sound deadening the floor and the rest of the car. Waiting for my JL Audio XD400 to arrive. Will do front installation only with Focal PS 165 component speakers. Oh I forgot to mention this is going to a smart 451 ;-) I will have fun adjusting the gains I think, but I will use the vault meter after I will calculate correct voltage. Thanks for tips!
Good luck with your build. would like to see a video when you are done. not to many smart builds ive seen
NextLevelHummer thank you!
Very appreciated your awesome thank you!! Turn up the bass 😂😂😭
Thank you for the support! my pleasure!
I have a kenwood excelon 5v preouts. I'm running door speakers off the deck for now. I turn volume to 27 without hearing distortion. Then I use a 50htz test tone till I hear distortion then back off a tad. My lpf is around 80htz and subsonic is around d 30. My gain after this is a tad before halfway. Great video man
Awesome. Thanks for the feedback
I was always wondering about turning everything off on head unit before setting the gains, it didn't make sense to me cause once everything is set and I turn the settings back on the signal was gonna be different
yup you were absolutely correct
This is the best amp tuning video ever created or that will ever be created.
Thanks man. Much appreciated 💯 💪
@@NextLevelCarAudio About tuning amp and then not messing with the factory head unit after gains on the amp are set.... I tuned my amp/gains with my factory oem settings at flat for treble, mid and bass (right in the middle of -5 to +5 range, is there any harm with going lower on treble so that I can emphasize mids and bass more in the car, does that risk producing a clipped signal from oem to amp and then amp to speakers?
No you are good, only harm would be if you add db by going above starting point. Not below
Hmm I got all my knobs turned to the right on my amp sounds good no issues
Dang bro... that's gangsta. Send it! lol
You know after watching this video I have a better understanding of how to tune my amps and I now know what happened to my Skar 12s I have 14-8in mids and 8-3in tweeters and I clipped my 12s and killed them I still have them thinking about reconning them also a friend said that he was tuning it few days ago and he told me turn bass knob halfway smh I can't wait to go somewhere and try it myself thanks for the video and u got my sub for sure
If I have someone install everything for me, are they leaving it up to me to figure out how much gain I need in comparison to my stock car audio and sub?
If you have a profesional (credible) shop install your amps they will dial them in for you so no need to worry. If you have brother bob do it with no training/experience id be worried lol
I'm putting 4 12 inch subs in an econoline. 2 single box sony xplodes in the center and 2 duals in a double box in the back.... gonna be wild.. I appreciate your help man I have little knowledge of these knobs. I do it by ear just how your saying. Turn it to a casual level, adjust the knobs. Turn it louder and adjust. Louder and adjust. Then when I lower the volume it sounds wonderful..
Those clips of the exploding car are hilarious..
Awesome man! Get loud! The thanks for the support
LL Cool J , ROCK THE BELLS!!!!
Love the video man. First time watcher-I have a Kicker Solobaric L7S 12” in a ported 33hz OEM (Kicker) enclosure. Then I have a cheapie amp Power Acoustic 2500w class D 650rms amp (Walmart) and a 1.0 Farad Cap.
I had systems back then but was the turn right guy lol never broke anything luckily but glad I came across your video to tune properly. Thank you 🙏
lmaooo shit all i did was up my bass a tiny bit & i don't over 28 outta 42, maybe ill get it tuned
If you are only using 28 out of 42, your gains are set way too high and your amp is overworking to compensate. You should at least be able to go to 35 on most decent aftermarket receivers and some even have distortion free signal at full volume.
The best 🙌🏾 So simple and easy to understand. And im an audio engineer but i love plain language. 🔥🔥
Here’s the first step..AD! Lol
Lol
Bro one of the best videos ever seen. Was so confused about my setup how to setup my gains and this solved it. Thank-you so much
Thanks man! Greatly appreciate the feeedback!
Thank you for the information. I just got a Sony XM GS4 to amplify the front/rear speakers in my truck and I'm trying to figure out how to tune it. I think I have heard the clipping you spoke of but don't know much about the settings. Low Boost(40Hz), Level, subsonic filter, Filter(don't plan to use LP/HP, so it'll be off). But I want good clear sound with some good bass.
Holy crap!! 4:53 Thanks for your content. Still helping newbies like me years after the upload.
Perfectly timed “turn up the bass” 😂 I laughed harder as the video went on
Lol
great video. The acoustics of each car and each box will also influence the overall quality with the exact "determination of ruining" as the potential clipping electronic wave
Old school bass head.. My son got into car audio a couple years ago and bought the expensive audio meters.. When we talked about how I tuned a system, I told him that i used the most sensitive equipment there was, my ears. He completely disagreed. After he spent many hours trying to tune his truck to sound how he wanted with the expensive meters., he came in the house defeated. He said, he didnt think he had the right equipment or something. I offered to tune it for him, he declined stating that the meters are showing his equipment is an issue. After sending his head unit back in for a refund and purchasing a new one, he had the same outcome. Again, I offered to tune it for him..Instead of admitting defeat, he said "technology has changed dad, you cant just tune by ear anymore". To which I said, son, yes, tech has changed but sound wave have and always be sound waves and the human ear still works the same way it has since the first human was born... About 15 minutes with his system.. tuning by ear.. he fought the ear to ear grin when he heard what my ears did for his system. You can totally hear distortion if you know what you are listening for. Clipped sound waves have a crude top or bottom end to them. You can totally practice listening for clipped sound and you should if your going to try to get the best out of your system.. Another piece of advice.. Spend the money on the system you will listen to the most, for most it is the home audio and not the car. If you can afford both, do it, your ears will thank you.
Awesome!!!!
I'm going to unhook the sub and start over. I wasbso depressed about my music. I had to take the subwoofer out to get my car worked on. So I played with the settings and when I put the sub in last night it was pure garbage. So thanks for your help. I'll try again music gives makes me happy 😊
Awesome man. Glad it helped
Very simplified and understandable for a beginner like me. Thank you
Awesome!
If you’re buying a taramps amp it has a meter that tells you when it’s clipping or protection mode that you can put in the dash and just turn it down when the clip light sounds.
Thank you for the video.
How to starts at 9:00
Normally I set the bass know half way when I set my gain because I'm keeping in mind all that older hip hop and RnB from back in the day they may not hit as hard ..I'm leaving a little room to use that space when need...but I do understand his.point...I may set the knob at 3/4 on this next set up
Took me forever to have someone explain it without getting all of these damn meters and stuff I don’t know how to use hahahaha. Thanks a lot man, can’t wait to watch for of your vids for whatever I need 💪🏼
I agree. You don’t need all that gain measuring meters and stuff like that. I’ve been in car audio for 30 years and always uses my ears. I’ve never blown anything personally myself. I did have some cars come back playing the radio at full tilt causing so much distortion it blew stuff. People just can’t play stuff on 10 and expect it to sound right.
This is great. I followed this from your lpf/subsonic video . That's the type of video to make great notes now time to piss the neighbors off lol
This makes perfect sense and you mention and help me
Out a lot now it’s all clear
So I tried this method of yours today and it worked! Thankyou for posting this video. I really appreciate it!
Awesome!!!
The size of the vehicle also determines the usable volume in which sound can be dispersed, correct? I.e: Subcompact vehicle has less volume than an SUV, therefore, even clean sound in a front stage can get muddy in the subcompact because the sound waves have less space to travel in. Asking because this is how I've always tuned my systems and I've never had issues. The only "issue" I have now is with my current system. There is no clipping or harshness from the speaker itself, though, the sound begins to unevenly blend as the front stages "max" is reached. I appreciate any input and I found your explanation detailed as well as easy to follow.
Yes, that is absolutely true. That is why creating a proper sound stage with sufficient distancing of the speakers is important. Tough to do in a smart car, but eat in a big sedan or suv.
I really appreciate your time to explain and share very important and valuable information,
I will definitely put it to practice this week with my RF t2500 bdcp and RF T2S113 SUB stock bimmer sound system. .
Thanks you .the trunk exploiting car it’s a nice touch to the vid tho .
Thanks man. Appreciate the feedback :)
I’ve always replaced all the speakers and head units in my cars except for my current one. Right now I’m just running an amp for the subs and a bass knob. I have 2 questions for you. 1) What should I set my subwoofer setting on the head unit at? 2) Do you do your settings with the windows up or down? ( not sure if it matters but I’m running 2 JL 12W6’s and a PPI A600 art series amp.
On headunit I turn my sub level all the way up. That way I get maximum preamp output voltage going into my amp which means I don’t have to turn my gain as high to match the signal. Lower gain, cleaner signal.
And for your second question, It honestly does not matter
The Amp Whisperer - Guru of Gains! Love it. 😄
Not gone lie I subbed cause I’m new and I Radio was hella adjusting my settings in my STOCK bass mid and treble and my speakers went to sleep. To be detailed it’s almost like I can hear a switch to more sound in the cabin then more bass from the subs so I keep my volume like 15-25 out of 35 I have 10 in mag sub
When I was younger I may or may not have blown a couple subs because I loved cranking up that gain knob
😆
I have a mechman alternator and need help finding a 12v constant power source? Can you give me all ideas of where I can possibly connect it to a 2009 Cadillac Escalade 6.2L
I like this guy best of the videos I've seen. I have a new aftermarket sound system ready, i hope to set gains on both amps. The issue I'm having is; i lose track of the steps to do it while listening to the lengthy oration. Do I set the eq. On the head unit for my (very poor) hearing, or the highest i believe it would get. Do i isolate the treble from base, and do them one at a time. Is it imperative to keep treble, and/or base above flat on the eq.
I feel like too little time was given to setting gains on new head unit. Do we do the head unit amp before the sub amp?
awesome video. you broke it down nicely. im going top the walmart parking lot. this made the biggest difference. Thank you.
I like the Rockford fosgate punch amplifiers! Clean technology! Easy set up 🤘🏾💯nice hummer
CARLITO’S WAY thanks!
NextLevelHummer fo sho bru🤘🏾💯
Luckily, I always knew that the gain is not volume 🤣. Ive seen a lot of guys spend big money back in the day to try and keep up. Some thought they got ripped off by the audio store because their gain was only half way, and the same people didnt listen until they smelled it, then guys like me say " I told you, but you didn't listen". Great Video!
Lol, thanks man
Always good to learn a bit, been doin so much wrong for so long but now I'm getting educated by people who really know their business. Many thanks bro.
That’s for the feedback man 😎
Awesome simple explanation of how to adjust my amp. This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
Thanks!
First of all ThanQ for the knowledge you can't get in College 👊🏾.
Question: So I have no bass knob, do I use the "subwoofer volume" on the deck?? & Set All the way up before I set gain?
So to be safe, yes. That way you will never unintentionally clip your gear.
I appreciate the knowledge ive been watching videos for weeks n u finally put them all together 4 me. Only thing i cant figure out is there any way to counter act the bass rolloff on my OEM HU without getting an aftermarket HU.
If your talking about how the bass is reduced as you turn up the volume.... I can’t tell ya. That is built in to the circuitry of the head unit unless there are actual settings to turn it off. Sorry
You need to get a ACTIVE LOC LIKE Audio controls llc2. I had that issue on 2009 Nissan Maxima which has the Bose premium system and does that but not anymore with this equipment
That “turn up the bass” clip don’t get old😂😂
You do a good job educating on car audio. Appreciate what you are doing. Plan on hooking up my Kenwood Class D Mono Amp to my Kicker Comp r12. Just need to purchase a couple of things but I'm doing some research.
Awesome man! Thanks for the feedback