"Gain is not a volume control" - Since when?

[MrPARR]

It has always been my understanding that Gain was a volume control - used to set your Amp so that it matches the volume on your head unit across the range instead of overpowering the sub on a relatively low head-unit setting, almost like syncing the volumes.

Now I read the manual that came with it, and its telling me its not a volume control? Googled around and people are on about air and volume meters and god knows what else - I always set mine by cranking the music up, and then turning the gain up until the base blends in with the music and leaving it at that - if I want more kick I turn it up on the headunit.

Have I been wrong all these years? Don't think I have ever got a sub clipping, but I have never been one to have the base much louder than the rest of the music.

Can anyone shed some light?

[Si]

Since forever. IT's to tweak the input level on the amp.
It's a sensitivity control.

Crank the gain up and you risk pushing the amp past it's limits, quaring off the top of the signal waves, clipping the signal, and blowing your speakers.

Yes, you have been wrong all these years.

If you're trying to set relative volume of bass, you need to define it from the pre-amp stage - i.e. the head unit.

[GarageSR]

^^^^what Si said

Yes whacking up the gain does increase volume but only by adjusting the input signal (v), in essence basically like a line driver but built into the amp itself.

[MrPARR]

So how do you set the gain with any fancy tools? The manual says to play music at 75%, which I have and then turned up to listen to distortion, but all it seems to do is get louder, and then everything starts shaking so I'm at a loss?

[GarageSR]

Just set the gain to a level where the sound does not distort at around three quarter volume, leaving you enough scope to turn the volume up or down depending on the quality of the recording. Set everything on your head unit to flat while doing this, then once you have done this set up your bass, mid and treble accordingly trying to keep it sounding good. Depending on the quality of your system you will have to sacrifice some things here and there to keep it sounding good but just do it all by ear

[MrPARR]

A big thanks to Stu for talking me through everything. Have now set everything up and sounding much better. :-)

Turned cut off from 100hz to 50hz, lowered the gain a little, and played with my low mid and high, and it sounds so much better.

Still could not hear any distortion, so used my oscoscope and turned the gain up untill other frequencys started overpowering the 50hz test tone, then knocked it back abit - not the most scientific but worked a treat. :-)

Yay for good sounding music.

[M.D.]

Interesting. I'll have a look at mine later. I've always just kept tweaking my gain until it distorts on high volume the. Knocked it back. But I don't have a clue about any of the other knobs etc. Like the frequency one for instance.

[GarageSR]

A big thanks to Stu for talking me through everything. Have now set everything up and sounding much better. :-)

Turned cut off from 100hz to 50hz, lowered the gain a little, and played with my low mid and high, and it sounds so much better.

Still could not hear any distortion, so used my oscoscope and turned the gain up untill other frequencys started overpowering the 50hz test tone, then knocked it back abit - not the most scientific but worked a treat. :-)

Yay for good sounding music.

No worries mate, glad its all sounding peachy now