amatuer audio tuning Question
 

Quick question/poll for all audio guru's...

Do I adjust the gains on the amp lower so my EQ WS-420 can play volume maxxed out?

or

Do I adjust the gains on the amps higher so I can only play volume at about 50% which is about maxxed out for the speakers?



Does my question even make sense?

Thanks everyone!

I tune my amps to 75% of the HU max. I leave my WS-420 around 7/8 (all the way up then back a tad for shi ts and gigs) when I want it all the way up. Most HU's over 75% volume introduce distortion.

^^^True. Also if you have a quiet recording you still have a little throttle left.

i had an audio installer tell me that the easy way is to turn your HU to 3/4 total volume, then gain up on the amp until it distorts. he said that was somewhat oversimplified but it seems to be right on my setup.

A few source units will fully rotate without any signs of clipping with a 0dB signal (the highest possible gain from a CD). Most clip before that. 3/4 source unit volume is a bit conservative but still safe enough and gives you a ilttle latitude for program sources of varying gain. If that is what you set the system up at then you need to trust that level and not exceed it out on the water as the day grows longer and your auditory system gets tramatized.
While this isn't the most accurate way to set the system levels and is very simplistic, it's okay if you don't have a distortion detector or scope to read clipping.

David

I invested in a SMD Distortion Detector (DD-1) and it has been the best $120 I've spent. I don't set up many systems or tune amps too often, but knowing that you have a clean signal going into an expensive amp and speakers is worth it to me. I also rent it to my buddies for a case of beer every once in a while haha it's paid for itself two times over

http://www.wccaraudio.com/smd-distor...ctor-dd-1.html

This! My system is so incredibly clean sounding at the max I know I can run safely.

DD-1 is f*cking awesome!