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Whenever it comes to setting amp gains, I've always heard that you set all settings in your head unit to flat/0.  I understand the reason for this when it comes to the equalizer settings and whatnot, but if an amp's gain is tuned to it's max output with a subwoofer setting of +0 on the head unit then wouldn't turning the sub volume up in the head unit any at all technically be pushing the sub and possibly clipping the amp?  Why isn't it the other way around (set the sub volume to +x then tune the amp to highest clean output)?

 

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I don't know if you've ever played any musical instruments, but it's how I think about it. On a Marshall stack, the gain knob is how you create distortion. If you want it clean and loud, you keep the gain low and use the volume knob to push the amp to its cleanest output. Then you use the volume knob on the guitar to adjust overall output. If you want distortion, turn the gain all the way up and turn the volume knob up much less to the same overall volume, and again use the volume knob on the guitar for overall volume. 

Not sure if this helps... it's just how I make sense of gain vs volume. Keep your gain knob as low as possible while pushing your amp to the max. Also make sure your amp is getting a clean signal from the head unit by keeping it at +/-0, and when you turn up the volume knob on your head unit, you're getting the max clean output from your amp. 

This also gives you the ability to tune your output for various tracks. Not all music is recorded equally.... I have some that I like to bump the sub output for, and some that I like to drop the sub output for. At that point it's personal preference, but at least you still have the ability to do so.

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So for example, I have a Sundown SAE1000D.  If I'm tuning it using a DMM and i set the amp to put out 900 watts at 1 ohm I'd be looking for 30 volts.  To get that number, I have to turn the gain all the way up and even turn the bass boost half way up.  That's with the sub volume in the head unit set to +0.  Isn't that already pushing it a bit even before turning anything back up?

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The volume knob on the head unit is what controls RCA voltage. That should be at max before clipping. For example Im using a Sony HU (the same one Steve Meade uses on his test bench) and it sets at volume 49 before clipping. I leave it there, with the sub out at +/- 0, and then tune the gain on the amp to max before clipping. You shouldn't have to turn the gain up much at all to get to the amps clean limit. 

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Just now, Casparado said:

The volume knob on the head unit is what controls RCA voltage. That should be at max before clipping. 

5 minutes ago, Mike4068 said:

Sub level on hu should be max. It determines max voltage for the rca out. 

Wouldn't you want both of these to achieve max RCA voltage (max clean output AND max sub level)?

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if you set the overall output as well as the sub output to max, you're not giving yourself any adjustment ability on the sub RCA's. The volume knob at max with the sub flat should be more than enough output to get the amp to hit it's max. If not, then I suspect there's another problem. 

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