A subwoofer is an indispensable thing for those who want to get complete pleasure from listening to music. But the trouble is that the power of the radio is not enough for its normal operation. I have to connect an amplifier. And installation is only half the story. You need to know how to configure the amplifier correctly. We will talk about this and not only in our article today.
How to connect?
Let's see how to connect an amplifier in a car:
- First, the subwoofer and other speakers of the speaker system are connected to the corresponding connectors on the amplifier.
- Next, the device is connected to the radio.
- Then the amplifier will automatically distribute the signal. Part will go to the subwoofer, and part - to high- and mid-frequency speakers.
We deal with the design
On the back side of any amplifier there is a panel with connectors. There are two separate blocks on it. The first block - "Front" - is designed for the front channels. The second - "Rear" - is used to connect the rear speakers or a subwoofer. This block we will configure.
Acoustic Amplifier Controls
The process of tuning a car amplifier is to change the parameters, each of which has a separate function. To configure, even on the simplest amplifier, there are controls:
- So, Crossover Selector is nothing more than a filter switch.
- In the LP position, the amplifier operates in the low - pass filter (low pass filter).
- When the regulator is set to - operation is in high-pass mode.
- In the AR position, the filters are disabled and do not work.
In addition, there is a switch on the rear panel that controls the filter cutoff frequency. Level is a regulator for setting the power level. And with the help of "Bass Boost" you can enhance the low frequencies, but it’s not worth it to zealously.
If this is a high-power device, then before connecting the amplifier in the car, experts recommend installing a capacitor.
The starting point of the tune of acoustics
At the initial level, everything that goes beyond adjusting the crossovers and gain levels does not matter. In addition, it does not matter how the amplification part is implemented. The basic principle is always the same.
Here's how to set up the amplifier:
- First, turn off any sound correction schemes.
- If this is not possible, then the correction is set to zero. It is worth remembering that this is not the same thing - in the first embodiment, the signal will not go through the correction circuit. So, his path will be less and lower level of distortion.
- In passive crossovers, the adjustment of the RF signals is set to approximately the average level, even if it differs from zero. Choose a value of -3 dB.
- In the case of active crossovers, the separation frequency of the low-pass filter and the high ones is first made the same. The level should be around 75-80 hertz.
The gain level on any channels is set to the minimum position. If all these conditions are met, then optimal basic settings can be achieved.
Gain setting
Setting the input sensitivity of the amplifier is an important step. In any instructions to the amplifier, it is indicated how to adjust this coefficient. But in practice, you may find that the level is set incorrectly. In the most innocuous case, these errors can only lead to inconsistent sound. At worst, there will be significant distortions (perhaps some system components may even fail).
If tweeters are constantly on in the car, the fault is the incorrectly set gain. Subwoofers are also lit, even if they are well and correctly matched in power with the amplifier. This sometimes happens for those who do not know how to set up the amplifier in the car, and try to squeeze everything out of the device. But quality sound is not necessarily loud. The main parameter is its purity.
If the goal is not to reach maximum volume, then the main thing in adjusting the gain is not to be greedy. No need to squeeze out of the device everything that it can. It is intended for other purposes. Speaker, amplifier - everything should sound clean. It’s better to make a little mistake and underestimate the coefficient. This will reduce the volume margin, but the sound will be better. Considering the power reserve that most amplifiers of younger models have, loss in ultimate volume does not lead to a quiet sound.
The gain setting is very closely related to the crossover adjustment. There is a simple rule - the narrower the crossover range for a separate speaker system and the higher the steepness of the decline, the more power can be supplied to the speaker. Hence, the gain can be higher. It is important to know this before setting up the amplifier for the speakers in the car.
The basic principles for adjusting the named coefficient are simple - in the process of listening to certain tracks, the level smoothly increases until distortion appears. When a distortion point appears, the level is lowered.
Before setting the amplifier to a high coefficient, you should decide at what volume distortion appears on the radio. Often this is about half the sound range, and sometimes lower. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the coefficient on the amplifier within this undistorted range. So, if the scale of the radio tape recorder has 60 units, then the range from 30 to 60 is not suitable, it is better to forget about it. These losses will be replenished by the amplifier.
The first step is to adjust the described coefficient for front speakers. In the most basic case, they can work through a passive crossover. Then they switch to subwoofer channels. But here it is necessary to monitor not the possible distortions, but the tonal even balance. It is necessary that the sound is not “thin” or excessively “bold”. If there is a big difference between the channel power, then it is very difficult to get distortion in the subwoofer channel.
Subwoofer Setup
Let's look at a simple example of how to set up an amplifier for a subwoofer. Let it be connected to Rear on the amplifier, and the front speakers are connected respectively to Front. Experts recommend the following settings:
- The bass boost is set to zero for both channels. The level or gain is also set to zero.
- The crossover for the Front channel is set to HP.
- For the Rear channel, the crossover is set to LP.
- Then it remains only to adjust the sensitivity by adjusting the gain so that the sound is as harmonious as possible. It is adjusted for the front and rear channels as desired.
Here's how to set up an amplifier for a subwoofer in practice. Apparently, there is nothing complicated about this. Only good hearing, acoustic tracks and enough free time are needed.
DIY setup without a subwoofer
In this case, the speaker system consists of four speakers. In this option, the settings will be the simplest. With this scheme, the amplifier filters are disabled. All parameters are set to zero, and the crossover selector to the “Flat” position. With these settings, the speaker, amplifier, and all other components will produce high-quality sound without distortion.
It remains only to expose the head unit. This can be done by choosing from the ready-made equalizer settings. The volume output 90 percent and start the track. In the process of sound, adjust the gain until the sound is loud and clear, without distortion. So you can set up a simple amplifier for the average music lover.
Setting up household amplifiers
The principles of adjusting home amplifiers are practically no different from the above methods. But there is an exception - if it is an amplifier, not a receiver, then often it has two channels and an equalizer.
First, everything is set to zero, and then the desired frequency response is adjusted on the equalizer by ear and taste. Also adjust the input sensitivity so that there is no distortion at the output.
Conclusion
Here's how to set up an amplifier in a car or at home with your own hands. Having high-quality audio recordings, you can adjust the sound so that everything is balanced, and the sound is clear and without distortion.