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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    109

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    You're correct on the ratings for my 1200w amp. That's why I was curious on the series parallel wiring when we were talking about resistors and my teacher had mentioned that it works the same with speakers. I knew with the speakers I wanted to run and just adding all them up would tell me how much wattage I would to push the speakers I would be able to get away with it on this amp.

    I've been so busy I have not had time to look up how to tune your amp using the O-scope. I've asked my teacher and he would show me just that I would need to bring a 12V source that would be able to handle the amp. Just with classes going from 16wks to 8 wks it makes it such a rush there is no time to show me how to tune the amp. We have the O-scopes sitting there in the class room that I want to try and mess with my amp during our breaks. DVOM = digital volt meter correct? If so I've never seen anything posted up on using a volt meter.

    As for the cross-over filter I have a low/full/and hi-pass setting on it. I have all my speakers set on the full setting right now when it comes to that cross over. I will adjust my 1 channel for the tower speakers to be at the setting you recommended. The interior right now are (2) 6.5's and (2) 6x9 speakers.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Lake Wylie NC Area
    Posts
    440

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    Definitely run all 4 chnls on Hi-pass, which will be controlled via 2 switches. This will cut out those lower notes that those speakers will not want to play anyway. Yes, DVOM = digi volt/ohm meter.

    If you budget permits and you have space, your setup could really benefit from another 4 chnl amp. This would allow the current 4 chnl driving 4 speakers, to run more conservatively driving only 4 speaker @ 4 ohm p/chnl. You will not have an audible drop in volume from the tower speakers, but you may gain some clarity from them at higher volume levels because the amp is not running so hard. Next is the in-boats. You should really get those 6.5's and 6x9's on separate chnls. The 6x9's are about 2/3rds more surface area then the 6.5", so they will deliver much more mid-bass is allowed. But since they are pared with a smaller 6.5, you will need to tune the amp for the smaller 6.5. This leaves some of the 6x9's potential on the table so to speaker. With the 6x9's on their own chnls, I would like to see them tuned hi-pass down to 80Hz, maybe even a little lower after listening to them.

    Here is a DVOM gain setting

    Tools you need......
    1. A multimeter that can display AC voltage

    2. A tone cd with tones in the ranges you play....
    I usually use 40Hz for sub channels and 800Hz - 1400Hz or so for my mids and highs. If you have your highs on a channel, you can use 18000Hz+ for them.

    Figure out what voltage you need to have on each channel using the manf. specs:
    Ohms law regarding voltage
    volts = sq.root of watts x ohms

    So if your amp is rated to 200 watts @ 2 ohms, then you want to have 20 volts leaving the speaker terminals.
    200x2=400.....sq root of 400 = 20 volts......

    To setup......
    1a. Turn the amp gain all the way down.

    1. Put the tone cd in and set it to loop on the track, unless you have a length track.

    2. Unplug at least one side of your speaker output.

    3. Turn the headunit up to about 3/4 volume, this is a safe zone for most head units.....higher will result in the HU clipping the signal before it even gets to the amp.

    4. Take a reading on the amp terminals in volts.....

    5. Adjust the gain until it falls into the previously configured formula.

    Repeat for the other inputs.

    Once it is all done, hook all the speakers back up , and then adjust the levels for the speakers playing to loudly by turning them down....you do not want to turn up any gains as they are already at max.
    By ear:

    Start with all gains low but not off and all RCAs connected.
    With the head-units EQ flat and loudness off, find its max un-clipped, no distortion volume level, which it right about 75%.
    with only one set of speaker RCA's hooked up, as in only the speakers linked to the gain dial you are going to set, getting music, turn the gain dial up until you hear the speaker(s) distort (crunchy crackly sound) then back off a notch. Now unplug that RCA so those do not play for now.
    Plug up another RCA for the next gain dial and repeat the procedure. Continue until you have all gains set to just below the distortion point. With the system off, reconnect all RCAs and power up.
    Michael
    Mikes Liquid Audio

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    109

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    Thank you so much for all the info!! This is something I've been looking for to try and tune my setup on the boat. I had to replace my floor and stringers along with get me some vinyl seats made up so my budget this year didn't allow for anymore audio parts. The (4) kicker 6200's on my tower was all I could really get right now since I just did the floor and I ended up putting a new paint job on the top half of the boat. I want to go with a third amp later on but I was going to look at that next year because those kickers would come down from the tower and i would get me some wetsound tower speakers and that would call for their own amp to drive those. The kickers would replace these interior speakers when they come down off the tower.

    I will have to look for a cd to tune with once I get the new head unit installed since I am switch head units this year. As for the 6x9's I have it running in series with one 6.5 on each 6x9 speaker. What would you suggest for wiring up the interior since they are on a bridged channel in series/parallel? If I put each size in series and on channel 3 & 4 to split the two sizes up what would that do? I need to look at my head unit again because I don't remember how many outs are on my new head unit, the one that came with the boat had only one out so I had to use Y splitters to send an input signal to the 4 channels and also to the input of the sub amp. So I'm sure splitting that signal up like that only hurt the end result.

    Sorry to thread jack awsomestevens thread...might be some helpful info for him as well.

  4. #14

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    Talk about knowledge being dropped! I guess this thread was appropriately titled!

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Lake Wylie NC Area
    Posts
    440

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    Quote Originally Posted by a_deleon View Post
    Thank you so much for all the info!! This is something I've been looking for to try and tune my setup on the boat. I had to replace my floor and stringers along with get me some vinyl seats made up so my budget this year didn't allow for anymore audio parts. The (4) kicker 6200's on my tower was all I could really get right now since I just did the floor and I ended up putting a new paint job on the top half of the boat. I want to go with a third amp later on but I was going to look at that next year because those kickers would come down from the tower and i would get me some wetsound tower speakers and that would call for their own amp to drive those. The kickers would replace these interior speakers when they come down off the tower.

    I will have to look for a cd to tune with once I get the new head unit installed since I am switch head units this year. As for the 6x9's I have it running in series with one 6.5 on each 6x9 speaker. What would you suggest for wiring up the interior since they are on a bridged channel in series/parallel? If I put each size in series and on channel 3 & 4 to split the two sizes up what would that do? I need to look at my head unit again because I don't remember how many outs are on my new head unit, the one that came with the boat had only one out so I had to use Y splitters to send an input signal to the 4 channels and also to the input of the sub amp. So I'm sure splitting that signal up like that only hurt the end result.

    Sorry to thread jack awsomestevens thread...might be some helpful info for him as well.
    Since a typical stereo amp only has a single gain control for the two chnls and a 4 chnl, which is basically 2 stereo amps in a single chassis, it only has a gain control for chnls 1/2 and one for 3/4. So no matter how you wire the 4 speakers to those 2 chnls, as long as the 6.5's and 6x9's are paired together on the same half of that 4 chnl, you will need to tune the amp to the liking of the smaller 6.5".

    Putting the 6.5's on the head-unit, leaving the larger 6x9's to chnls 3 and 4 by themselves will solve the tuning dilemma, but from a power an volume stand-point, I would rather see the 6.5" get amplified power with the 6x9's lacking that additional mid-bass. I would leave the current wiring config as is and just retune for now. Then later revisit another 4 chnl for the in-boats or what ever amp is the best match for the new tower speakers.
    Michael
    Mikes Liquid Audio

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    109

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    Thanks for the info, I will just leave it alone for now and adjust my audio this weekend when I have some time to install the new head unit as well.

  7. #17

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    I want to put the two tower speakers on the amp. Would I bridge these the same as subs? right(+) to left (-) for front and same for the rear channels?


    My friend had a cpt4-800 amp that he gave me.
    Channels & Class - 4 Ch. A/B
    MAX Power - 800
    RMS @ 4Ω Bridged - 2 x 200
    RMS @ 2Ω - 4 x 100
    RMS @ 4Ω - 4 x 80

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Lake Wylie NC Area
    Posts
    440

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    Steven,

    Yes, you would bridge a full-range speaker just the same as a sub. You will connect the speaker + to one chnl's + and the speaker - to the paired chnl's - terminal. 200W rms is a lot for even a top-shelf 6.5" full-range speaker. Tuning is going to be crucial and their will need to be some discipline on the volume dial.
    Michael
    Mikes Liquid Audio

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    109

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    Wylie thanks again for the tip on how to tune it.

    I did by ear tonight after installing the new head unit. I couldn't find my volt meter but started off under half way up on the gain and went up from there. Wow!! Those kickers on the tower are much louder now and really clear and the interior are loud and no distortion from them. I just need to grab an extra rca cable for the sub amp and it's all wired up and good to go.

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