I need some advise on setting my tweeter levels. 2way active front with woofers mounted in the kicks. Tweeters mounted in the doors. Running off of a 4 channel. I was under the impression that the gains should be set equally at the amp. The tweeters still seem to dominate even with the tw level on my hu turned all the way down. The tweeters are 4 ohm 93db and the woofers are 8 ohm 88db. I'm guessing the tweeters being so close could be the problem but I also thought that 1m in distance only equaled a 3db difference. Thanks all.
Disconnect your speakers from your amp. Connect an oscilloscope to your amps woofer output.
Play a 0db (or -10db) 1000hz test tone (or whatever fits in your crossover range for the woofers) at maximum HU volume. Increase the gain until you see the sine wave clipping, then back it down.
The lower sensitivity, higher ohm woofers are going to be nearer your amps limits than the tweeters.
The best way to set the tweeter level once the woofers are set is with pink noise and an RTA, but if you don't have that then you can dial it in by ear. Many people prefer -2db to -4db on their tweeters to keep from being blasted by the high frequency.
Disconnect your speakers from your amp. Connect an oscilloscope to your amps woofer output.
Play a 0db (or -10db) 1000hz test tone (or whatever fits in your crossover range for the woofers) at maximum HU volume. Increase the gain until you see the sine wave clipping, then back it down.
The lower sensitivity, higher ohm woofers are going to be nearer your amps limits than the tweeters.
The best way to set the tweeter level once the woofers are set is with pink noise and an RTA, but if you don't have that then you can dial it in by ear. Many people prefer -2db to -4db on their tweeters to keep from being blasted by the high frequency.
he doesnt know how to set the tweeters, do you think he is gonna have an o-scope or know how to use it?
do as others said above. set the gain on your woofer, then turn up the tweeter until it sounds right. it most certainly doesnt have to be equal to the woofers.
Original post whore!
Disclaimer:Opinions of the above are the property of the poster
Stock Sync HU |AC LC2i | Phoenix Gold EQ215i | Soundstream SA120 -> ID CD1eMH | JL 300/2 -> ID X65 | JL 500/1 -> (2) 15" Pyle PL1590BL in IB
I get what your saying but there was a time I didn't know how to use an oscilloscope either... so I bought one off ebay (a tektronix 465B for like $100, which I figured was a cheap investment after I'd already smoked one sub), and the first time I used one was to set my amplifier gains. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you have the proper tools its really just not that hard...
To me people come here to learn stuff so they can do it themselves, and I just think it is better to tell people the "right" way to do it than to half-ass it. Now if they ignore the advice and still do it the half-ass way, then that's on them, but at least the prescribed protocol was correct.
I agree it is not hard to use scope, but I have been a tech and eng for 15 years, lol. unless he owns one, learning to use one is not trivial. I understand the investment, but most people are not gonna spend $100+ on a tool they dont know how to use and will only use once.
that said.....setting gain by ear or with a DMM is not hard either. it sounds as if the OP is having issues getting the tweeter level right more than anything. with the large difference in sensitivity and ohm ratings, he needs to turn the tweeters down alot.
Original post whore!
Disclaimer:Opinions of the above are the property of the poster
Stock Sync HU |AC LC2i | Phoenix Gold EQ215i | Soundstream SA120 -> ID CD1eMH | JL 300/2 -> ID X65 | JL 500/1 -> (2) 15" Pyle PL1590BL in IB
I get what your saying but there was a time I didn't know how to use an oscilloscope either... so I bought one off ebay (a tektronix 465B for like $100, which I figured was a cheap investment after I'd already smoked one sub), and the first time I used one was to set my amplifier gains. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you have the proper tools its really just not that hard...
To me people come here to learn stuff so they can do it themselves, and I just think it is better to tell people the "right" way to do it than to half-ass it. Now if they ignore the advice and still do it the half-ass way, then that's on them, but at least the prescribed protocol was correct.
In this case the "half assed" way is superior to the "right" way. This is not a situation where an oscope is of much use.
I agree it is not hard to use scope, but I have been a tech and eng for 15 years, lol. unless he owns one, learning to use one is not trivial. I understand the investment, but most people are not gonna spend $100+ on a tool they dont know how to use and will only use once.
that said.....setting gain by ear or with a DMM is not hard either. it sounds as if the OP is having issues getting the tweeter level right more than anything. with the large difference in sensitivity and ohm ratings, he needs to turn the tweeters down alot.
You underestimate me. I've been thinking about getting one for a while. It's seems to be the only sure way to set gains. I've been halfassing it with a dmm for a while. Like JW said, i'm here to learn. Markz has a point about an oscope not being much use but it sure would be useful to know if my woofers are even set correctly. Thanks for the replies. I hope I didn't come off like a tool asking how to set tweeters levels. Turned out to be crossover related.
You underestimate me. I've been thinking about getting one for a while. It's seems to be the only sure way to set gains. I've been halfassing it with a dmm for a while. Like JW said, i'm here to learn. Thanks for the replies.
go for it then. its a great tool to have. just make sure you know what you are doing and dont damage anything.
Original post whore!
Disclaimer:Opinions of the above are the property of the poster
Stock Sync HU |AC LC2i | Phoenix Gold EQ215i | Soundstream SA120 -> ID CD1eMH | JL 300/2 -> ID X65 | JL 500/1 -> (2) 15" Pyle PL1590BL in IB
You underestimate me. I've been thinking about getting one for a while. It's seems to be the only sure way to set gains. I've been halfassing it with a dmm for a while. Like JW said, i'm here to learn. Thanks for the replies.
Bravo!
I think it's totally worth it, and knowledge is its own reward.
Once you have the gains for the woofers dialed in, you can do the match to adjust the voltages for the tweeters if you are inclined to do it mathematically rather than trial and error.
A 5db gain is 1.77828 voltage ratio, so you could take the voltage of the woofers, divide by 2 for the 4 ohm vs 8 ohm, and then divide by 1.77828.
You didn't mention the wattage of your amp but say for the sake of argument it's producing 50 watts into 8 ohms, which would be a 20V signal.
You'd therefore want to set your tweeters to a 5.623V signal... this would be a starting point because it is ignoring cabin gain (the amplification you get from being inside the car and sound waves stacking/reflecting).
this would be a starting point because it is ignoring cabin gain (the amplification you get from being inside the car and sound waves stacking/reflecting).
:/ ... which is why it's not very useful doing it this way.
There are lots of factors here that determine output around the crossover. You touched on one (reflections). Others include distance to the speaker, directivity, sensitivity around the crossover point (which may or may not be represented well by the sensitivity spec), crossover parameters (including phase), and baffle step.
Adjusting by ear is far more precise than estimating from the sensitivity numbers, because it's extremely difficult to account for all of those variables in your calculations. You can measure levels directly, which is a great starting point, but that requires a microphone.
Biamp levels?
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This is not a situation where an oscope is of much use.
Linear Mode
