how can i identify a jl sub

[Powerstroked162]

Link please

 

[Irishcream]

Good for you. I'm glad to see it's taking time out of your day. Just gotta tell the poster to pull over every time he wants to turn the volume up on his head unit because now he has to reset all his settings on his amp.
Anyways, you're right I'm wrong now the OP can go and fiddle around with his settings constantly because he's entering in competitions and having to use a decibal meter to listen to talk radio. I got the impression he was the type to just set it and forget it. By doing it my way you merely have to set your sub out level to adjust the volume of the sub your amp will not clip if you keep the sub out level low no matter how loud you turn the volume on the head unit up. But it's up to him now.

 

[average]

Holy crap, this is why I never go to certain caraudio boards anymore...

 

[UNBROKEN]

Good for you. I'm glad to see it's taking time out of your day. Just gotta tell the poster to pull over every time he wants to turn the volume up on his head unit because now he has to reset all his settings on his amp.
Anyways, you're right I'm wrong now the OP can go and fiddle around with his settings constantly because he's entering in competitions and having to use a decibal meter to listen to talk radio. I got the impression he was the type to just set it and forget it. By doing it my way you merely have to set your sub out level to adjust the volume of the sub your amp will not clip if you keep the sub out level low no matter how loud you turn the volume on the head unit up. But it's up to him now.

Can you even comprehend that by having the amp gain all the way up, then overdriving it with a clipped signal from the head unit THAT is what causes distortion and damage?
That's not my opinion, it's not anyone's opinion....THAT is a fact. Everyone in the car audio world except you seems to be able to understand this.

Let me try another way....or again....whatever...
The head unit, ANY head unit at some point on it's volume scale will send a clipped signal. An amplifier amplifies, this much we can all agree on.
Say you like to crank up your stereo, I know I do....if you crank it to max volume you ARE DEFINITELY sending the amp a clipped signal. If you have the gain cranked up all the way you WILL be amplifying that clipped signal....period. It's fact and not open for discussion. THAT is what will cause damage.
I'll use my head unit as an example. A Clarion DRZ9255....most people have never even seen one but trust me when I say it's well regarded to be among the 5 best head units ever produced by anyone. It's specs are off the charts and 99% of end users would never need even 1/2 of what it's capable of. It's one of onl,y 3 head units ever made that will do 4 way active without external processing....if you don't know what that means then I'll stop replying because my words will be pointless.
Anyway...it sends an 8 volt signal out at max volume which is very high as most are in the 2-3 volt range. Now....my amplifiers will accpet that input signal where many will not. By setting my gains with a digital voltmeter and the math it takes to figure out what the output voltage of the speaker terminals should be it comes out to this:
My 150 watt 2 channel to my front midbasses is set at 24.5 volts at the speaker terminals with a 1Khz sine wave
My 300 watt 4 channel amp for my midranges and tweeters is set at 17.3 volts with the same 1 Khz sine wave
My mono 1000 watt amp on my 10W7 sub is set at 54.7 volts for a 3 ohm load using a 50 Hz sine wave.

These gain settings are done with the head unit's equalization set flat...all of it. The gain settings ARE the set it and forget it part you talked about. Further tweaking to levels can be done after you maximize the UNCLIPPED signal coming from your amplifiers. Cranking the gain all the way up is so wrong it's not even funny.
By doing it this way with your head unit volume at 3/4 way up you still have some leeway to crank it up without sending clipped signals down the line to the drivers.

Tweak at will....AFTER you set the gain structure correctly. This again is not my opinion....it's a fact of car audio. Anyone reading this would do themselves a favor by reading up on proper gain setting techniques. Not only will your equipment thank you but your whole system will sound better once you back things down to below their clipping level. And here's a hint...if it's still not looud enough...you need more power, not more gain.

 

[Irishcream]

What I am saying is that you control the Head unit's "sub amp output" level. I am not talking about the head unit volume level. I understand that if you are sending a high level output through speaker wires to the amp then you have to control the amp gains. Using high level outputs to supply your amp with signal would I agree send your amp into clip because you are pushing the same level to the amp as you are sending to the door/ high level speakers.
I am talking about the RCA cable hookups on the head unit to the amp. If you control the level you are sending to the amp the amp will not clip. I agree you have to match the level from these outputs to the level of "Volume" from the head unit but all of this is accomplished by adjusting the settings on the head unit. I agree that you cannot run the sub outs at full and the amp gain at full at the same time.
I don't know if we are talking apples to apples.

 

[UNBROKEN]

We are...and you're still not getting it. I'm trying to teach you something here.
I use RCA out....not speaker level. As I said my head unit puts out a higher then most voltage so don't think I'm using speaker level.
If you have your amp gain all the way up, and turn your head unit all the way up....you just sent a clipped signal to an amplifier to be amplified and clipped even more. THAT is why you properly set the gains on the amp. You're level matching the amps input to the head units output....this is the very first thing you set when tuning a system. Level matching is NOT accomplished by using the settings on the head unit. Those are for fine tuning AFTER you level match the amp gains. You need to Google proper gain setting technique then come back and see where you're wrong. These things are not open for interpretation....they are dictated by science. Read up on it, please.

 

[Irishcream]

So what you are saying is that no matter what you set your sub pre out at it comes out at full volume. Somehow that doesn't make any sense. I am wasting my time now. You do it the way you want and I will do it the way I have been proffesionally trained to do. Agree to disagree.

 

[UNBROKEN]

Not at all. Set your sub amp GAIN so the output signal doesn't clip(distort) with the sub features on the head unit set to zero....that way you can dial bass boost either higher OR lower as needed. I already described this procedure as it pertains to car audio.

I don't care how you were professionally trained to do something in a field other than car audio....the theories your previous career showed ytou are wrong in the azutomobile environment. You're the one not comparing apples to apples here.

I will not agree to disagree....in this instance you are wrong.
I've already laid out one way to properly set gains....there are others but the DMM is the most common measured way. Some people do use their ears to set gains also.
Nobody that knows ANYTHING about car audio ncranks the amp gain all the way then adjusts the head unit.....NOBODY.