you dont need to be a pro to tune an amp

to properly set gains you need a scilioscope<sp but youll need to be pretty ainel to go and use it.

ive seen people confused on getting their gains right on their amps and blaming things on it well here you go. this goes for both sub and mid/high amps

a very simple way to set gains is like this:

-set deck to flat settings bass, treb controles zeroed/ no loud

-turn amp gain all the way down

-play a good strong recorded cd

-raise the stereo volume until you hear distortion. it wont be to loud but that would be the limit of the stereos signal. then turn a few dials down from there. you should be about 3/4 up on your deck

-now raise the gain on the amp untill you hear distortion again. that would be the amps limit.

-now your gain is set. use deck or eq controls for fine tuning to your taste.

-enjoy!

now if you get whine or anything wierd its your install. clean that shhh up. dont blame the amps.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm? What ever works  for ya.

Yes, thanks for re-posting this information, but your advice is not completely correct.  Use test tones recorded at 0db, not a "good strongly recorded CD" whatever that is.  Using a recording will set the input gain level for that recording, not for all cases.  Using an oscilloscope is required for absolute precision, but not many people have access to one unless they work in a shop.  And what is "ainel"?  Also, since when is setting gains the same as "tuning and amp"?  Input level setting has nothing to do with any tuning I'm aware of, it is simply the basic setup required for any amplifier.

dohckiller, some things were brought up about your advice that needed to be addressed.  It's necessary on this forum to get the proper information out there.  No need to be overly sensitive about it, although it's understandable to get a little hurt until you harden to the realities of forum-posting...

Using an oscilloscope is and will always be the most accurate way to perform the very important function of setting amp gains. But for lack of using that, then using test tones is crucial.   HERE is a thread where I advised, like you did, to use a regular music CD to do this.  You will see that I was corrected afterwards, and it's advice I learned from.  After that I found that listening for the clipped signal of a sine wave tone is FAR easier and more accurate than trying to hear it using music....and that the dynamic levels of music can be off quite a bit in a music source compared to a test tone at a precise 0db level.

After that I experimented with the advice.   Here is a thread where I pointed out a very good free program that anyone can use to make a test tone CD.  Once the test CD is made, it is a simple and quick procedure to establish the level matching of deck to amplifier.

More is written about this subject in these past threads:  https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/search.asp?KW=gain&SM=1&SI=TC&FM=2&OB=1&Submit=Start+Search

Listening for the clipped signal will in most cases "get 'er done".  But in a case where the amp's power is greater than the amount of power the driver can safely handle, following up with a reading of output voltage using a DMM is a necessity.  There are threads contained in the above searches that describe this completely, with the necessary Ohm's Law calculations discussed.

"You don't need to be a pro" is absolutely correct.  I'm not a pro, but by using the proper procedures I could pass for one!

stevdart- thats great info. sorry i came off wrong. did you guys ever fine tune a system with test tones and when music came through it just didnt sound right? when i tune customers stereos i ask them to give me a pile of there cds and tune from there. wont work in the competition world of sound but it satisfies the customer when tuned to their taste of music. 

Using your own testing procedure will save you a lot of time, and you'll be sure to turn the car over to your client with the knowledge that you've set the gains where they should be.  You can use the client's CDs to demonstrate the system for them if you wish, but that still would take longer than using your own sources.

In most cases, the loudness of a recorded CD is a bit lower than the 0db standard that the gains were set at.  The system would sound like it could be louder.  This is where you could, instead of using the customer's CDs, use two of your own CDs to demonstrate how one will sound louder than another.  These could be shop "reference" sources that you've found and are accustomed to using.  The loud one will have been recorded at 0db or close to it, the other one could be recorded at maybe -1 to -3 db.  The customer should know that the system is set up to play ANY music source safely and that the health and long life of their investment is of the upmost importance.  So by being aware that some sources won't be as loud as others, they should by this time understand the reason why and accept that you've taken their investment to heart.