hey guys,

Im looking for the best sound i can get out of my 10" kicker Comps. I got this 800w amp and the subs are bridged.

now, there is this **** on the side of the amp that has a range of 20Hz - like 180Hz i believe.

What does this **** do? and what should i set it at so my subs sound best?

thanks!

kev

 

this is the crossover or high(?) pass filter....it dictates the limit of sound frequency that gets to your speakers....Settings is up to your personal taste....different for everyone i think...lol


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Scott Downs
85 Trans Am
305 tpi/700r4
3.73 w/255/60R15
plain firebird nose(for better engine cooling)
T-Tops, pwr everything
been to about 140mph

 

what is everyones personal preferece?

kev

 

That **** is a crossover, or a "low pass filter". It will let the low frequencies through, but block the highs.

Set it to somewhere between 80 and 100 for good bass.
Frequencies below the crossover point get sent to the speaker.

Thomas.

 

(edit) Ah, nevermind, not worth it. I've just realized that I'm not as car-audio-ignorant as some people think I am...!

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited May 11, 2001).]

 

nah its ok TomP, see when i asked for everyones "personal preference" that means i want their opinion and im looking forward to hearing from them. You on the other hand ask for opinions and then bash people because they gave you what you wanted, just because its not what you wanted to hear...

anyway, anyone else?????

kev

 

No, first of all, I never bashed you. Go back and read that message again; you bashed me. Second of all, I wanted to hear opinions- but you were giving me an opinion on something else I didn't ask for. I then told you why I was keeping the plate- and you responded by calling me names! WTF?? Funny how I know what a crossover is for, what it does, and how to set it- even though I have a plate setup for my subs! But, I guess I'll play the "nice guy" and explain it to you:

1. Certain speakers shouldn't reproduce certain frequencies. You don't want to hear high notes from your subs, and you don't want low bass out of your normal speakers.

2. Different speakers have different frequency responses. Your subs are different than mine because of brand. One random sub might range from 50-250 Hertz (hertz = unit of measure for frequency). Another random sub brand/model might range from 30-150 Hz. A set of 6x9's might go from 50-20,000 Hz, while another set will go from 25-35,000 Hz.

3. Crossovers limit the frequency (as pointed out earlier). You need to set the crossover points as is best for YOUR system. This reduces the frequency overlap- you don't want your subs throwing out bass at 60 Hz, and your 6x9's giving bass at 60 Hz. Why? Because at 1000 Hz, your subs won't be doing anything, but your 6x9's will be putting that frequency out. This will make your bass "too much" for the rest of the music, since it's getting doubled up.

Here's what you need to consider. What are your other speakers crossed over at? Are they running through a crossover at all? If not, then they're "full range" (and reproducing low frequencies that your subwoofers should be handling).

You don't want to intrude too much on the frequency range of your regular speakers. That means you don't want your regular speakers AND your subs working at 180 HZ. Ideally, you'd want a slight overlap of frequency, maybe 10-20 Hz. This keeps you from hearing a gap in the frequencies.
There's a thing called a "slope", it's how "quickly" the crossover cuts off a frequency. The height of the slope (3db, 6db, 12db) determines how narrow that overlap should be.. but you'd best determine your crossover point by "sound" for now, since I don't think you have your regular speakers on a crossover (covered in my last paragraph below). Slope is something you think about when you've got crossovers on everything.

Keep one thing in mind- you want the speakers to reproduce frequencies they were meant to. Don't have your subwoofers "sing" to you- they're meant for bass. Don't try to pull low bass out of a small midrange speaker. Etc, etc.

Now, if you have no crossover on your internal speakers, you'll have to find a point where the bass is strong, but the mid-bass (now a -combination- from your fullrange internal speakers AND your overlapping subwoofer frequency) isn't too strong. Like I pointed out in the beginning, this will make your bass too "boomy" for the rest of the system. Sure, a higher low-pass x-over point might make your system louder, but it'll also make the system sound dull because of the overlapping bass.

You could always patch in some "bass blockers" to keep low bass out of your normal speakers. These are simply capacitors that you install on one wire to each speaker (one bass blocker per speaker). They're basically a piece of a "passive crossover". They're not the idea solution (ideal = a large active crossover filtering everything), but they'll do on a budget ($5 for one pair).

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited May 11, 2001).]

 

Play with the crossover settings. It really is up to personal preference.

Our Comp 10's are good between 25-500hz.

 

If you are using an EQ, I suggest setting the bandpass on the amp to 120 and set your EQ bass output below that range. If you don't use the EQ you will have to adjust the setting to your preference.

To really benefit from a bandpass filter you need a strong input signal (that an EQ or a crossover can give you) since there is always some sort of attenuation when sound goes through any type of filter.

 

TomP,

thank you for the intelligent helpful response. I never really understood what that crossover **** did, but i always just messed around with it until i thought it sounded best. Now i understand more, not completely.... but thats not your fault.

The rest of you, thanks for takin the time to reply.

Is there anything else i can do to make the most outta what i got??

kev