wetsounds amp settings ????

it has been a a handful of days of install work and finally today I got the wetsounds 3-some and SYN 6 amp all hooked up and playing music, I also installed a WS-420 EQ. My question is what are good baseline settings for the gains and frequency adjustments on the amp and EQ? I know i should be talking to wetsounds tech support but its saturday night and id like to use the boat tomorrow with greater success... basically i have heard wetsounds speakers before and was blown away by how loud they were but on my boat they just dont seem as loud and clear, but I am also new to the audiophile world and have no idea where to start. I am running the SYN 6 amp bridged to only run the 3 some so channels 1-4 going to the pro 80s and 5/6 to the pro 485. The instructions just dont really say where to start from and i'm clueless about adjusting it, i know what sounds good and know what i want, but there are so many adjustments that could be made between the EQ and the amp that im overwhelmed, I know all systems differ but i need a place to start! Thanks all!

Jeff

I would start with everything in the middle. If you need more ramp up the 420 then the amp. I know Tim has posted an extensive how to on this subject several times. Search and you should find it.

WS420 Setup Instructions
Here is a step by step.

1) Unplug all the RCA’s from your amps. Turn all the amp gains down.

2) Turn the radio up to find the maximum volume. Set the system with the head unit volume at 85% of max. This is the loudest the radio should ever go. Radios will create distortion the higher the volume is turned up. Which will create distortion on the output signal before reaching the amps. So find a safe easy to remember volume. If the head unit is 35. Max should be 30. If the head unit is 40. Maximum should be 30 to 35 and so on.

3) Once you have found the maximum volume set point. Turn the radio back down. Use a test CD that you are familiar with for tuning. Something that has highs and lows and vocals.

4) Make sure the settings on the radio are flat. You should not tune a system with the treble or bass up.

5) On the top of the WS 420. Set the gains at the mid level. Make sure to adjust both the main gain and the aux gain. Set them both to this mid level. This is the level where most systems will be. The WS 420 has the ability to provide more voltage if there are long rca runs but most boats will be in the middle as this is a safe setting.

6) Make sure all the eq adjustments are flat. Right in the middle. Plug in all the rcas from the eq to the amps.

7) Plug in just the RCA’s for the in boat speakers amp. Set the high pass crossover at around 80HZ to 100HZ.

8) Turn the radio up to the max safe level found in step 2. Turn the eq up to about ¾ of max volume.

9) Slowly turn the gain up until you hear the speakers distort. Slowly back off the gain from that point a small amount until you hear the speakers play as loud as they can with no distortion.

10) Unplug the RCA’s from that amp and plug the RCA’s into the amp running the tower speakers. Set the high pass crossover on the amp for the tower speakers at 80HZ to 100HZ.

11) Slowly turn the gain up until you hear the speakers distort. Slowly back off the gain from that point a small amount until you hear the speakers play as loud as they can with no distortion.

12) Unplug the RCA’s from that amp and plug the RCA’s into the amp running the subwoofer. Set the low pass crossover on the amp for the subwoofer at 80HZ. On the WS 420. Turn the bass level to max. The ring is a frequency adjustment. All the way down to the left is 30 HZ. You will want to put this around 60 to 80HZ. So about ¼ of the way up.

13) Slowly turn the gain up until you hear the speakers distort. Slowly back off the gain from that point a small amount until you hear the speakers play as loud as they can with no distortion.

14) Turn the radio back down and plug in all RCA’s and do a final check with everything playing. You should now have the gains set at “unity” Meaning they are all at the same level and you are matched across the board.

15) Note that you can adjust the high pass and low pass filters to tailor the sound to each boat. As you can set the high pass higher to get more volume but at the expense of losing some low end mid bass.

16) You can then fine tune the sound on the eq as well. Using the knobs and rings. Most systems will not need much in terms of boost.

17) You can then leave the eq volume set and use the radio as the main volume. And then turn the in boats down with the towers up or vice versa depending on you goals.


This was taken from another post by Tim!

i have the syn6, 420 and a pair of 80's (1-4 bridged).

couple tips.

you'll want the crossovers set at around 80Hz. 80Hz is the "." pointed approximately at the "h" in HZ.

also one thing i was a little confused on with the syn6 is the input selection switches. if you're only running one pair of RCA's for channels 1-4, you'll want the source select switch for CH 3-4 to "direct" which would be out. i had originally pushed it in thinking you had to in order to get the signal from 1-2, but you don't since you're briding 1-4.

my gains on my 420 are set at about half.

just installed my syn4 for the inboats last week. very happy with it all. have fun!

Thanks Brad, ya i have those directions they are from the booklet that came with the EQ, i played with it a bit more today and im getting closer to what i think sounds good, but need to continue to tinker. Any other suggestions and advice is welcome! Thanks alot

Jeff

Bruce thanks alot, ok i am only running one pair of RCA's total to the amp because im using it strictly to power the tower speaker setup, 3some. I thought they had to be in as well, so ur saying actually i should have both buttons in the out position for direct since im bridging all channels to make it a 3 channel amp?

yes. you can see what i'm talking about by changing the balance on the HU. with the buttons in, you won't get any change. that's how i discovered i had an issue and i emailed ws.