Amp gain is used to set how much amplification is applied to an input signal from your source. The limitation is the amp's output and/or the speaker power handling. Secondarily, gain is used to balance output between multiple channels such as setting the subwoofer output relative to the front stage.

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with these test tones. Just play some music and adjust the gain to maximize output, minimize noise, and avoid over driving the speakers. Repeat the same for a few songs.

 

Amp gain is used to set how much amplification is applied to an input signal from your source. The limitation is the amp's output and/or the speaker power handling. Secondarily, gain is used to balance output between multiple channels such as setting the subwoofer output relative to the front stage.

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with these test tones. Just play some music and adjust the gain to maximize output, minimize noise, and avoid over driving the speakers. Repeat the same for a few songs.

Im using an oscilloscope when setting these gains. Basically I’m asking if the songs are played at -14 dB, then I should be using a test tone that is weaker like -12.5 dB, correct?

 

If you are using a meter you will need to use a 60 hertz tone to get an accurate reading from a meter calibrated for the us electrical grid. It runs on 60 hertz. No cross over applied. No drivers connected to the amp.
But a negative 10db 60hertz tone will keep you out of clipping. At 60 hertz. Which is the lowest a 6.5 inch mid is crossed at.
But you may find you need more gain. In which case just turn it up a bit.
Only use the meter method as reference. Just so you know where you are at. At this volume. Adjust to taste from there.

 

If you are using a meter you will need to use a 60 hertz tone to get an accurate reading from a meter calibrated for the us electrical grid. It runs on 60 hertz. No cross over applied. No drivers connected to the amp.
But a negative 10db 60hertz tone will keep you out of clipping. At 60 hertz. Which is the lowest a 6.5 inch mid is crossed at.
But you may find you need more gain. In which case just turn it up a bit.
Only use the meter method as reference. Just so you know where you are at. At this volume. Adjust to taste from there.

I’m using an oscilloscope. I read somewhere (probably crutchfield) to use a 1khz test tone when setting the gain to the speakers. But I’m just thinking if I’m setting the gain with a test tone at 0 dB then play music on Spotify that is set to -14 dB, wouldn’t I be losing a good bit of sound in terms of loudness? And to compensate for that, shouldn’t I be using a test tone closer to that -14 dB?

 

I dont support setting gain by O scope.

 

Agreed. Pointless. Music is so dynamic

 

Imho, Oscilloscopes are really only useful for making sure headunits don't clip at its max volume by checking the rca outputs. It shouldn't be used for amp gains.

Your midbass will always be the bottleneck of your system. They are usually the most inefficient, power hungry drivers in the system. It's limited in output by the excursion needs of the driver fighting the general hole around 60-80hz on the left side midbass. It's also useless in the 120-300hz range as there is always a big hole somewhere in there.

So with that in mind. Play music. Have your headunit maxed out. Turn off all other amp channels so only midbass are playing. Have crossovers turned on. Turn up your gains until your midbass distort or it gets too loud.

Stop. Set all other speakers in the car to match the midbass output.

 

I gotcha. Sometimes my friends turn the volume up past max and before I catch them, the mid bass just pounds so loud it sounds like the speakers are just gonna pop. I currently have the Morel Maximo Ultra MKII 602 and it’s range in Hz is 50-20,000, so should I use a 50 Hz test tone or somewhere in the 60-80 Hz range? Or should I use just music that I listen to frequently?

 

I set my gains on my amps with an oscilloscope.

-10db 50hz on bass amps
0db 100hz for midbasses
0db 1khz on mids/tweeters.

But I also run more power then the speakers need. After the tune and level matching I'll adjust on the outputs of the DSP by ear. The mid/tweeter (centre ch) that has an external (100w) amp the outputs are in the negative. Tweeter is -9 mid is -6. Midbass has 200w available with an external amp output is at 0. Mids and tweeters are on the DSP/amp output is at +2 on the tweeter +4 on the mid. Then at the virtual ch for left and right there's +1.

So essentially I do both with an oscilloscope and by ear. There's more than 1 way of doing this and has been debated and beaten to death for years. Do what ever works for you.

As far as compensating for Spotify..... Dont.... If you run a different source then you'll be over driving the whole system.

What I do is I set my gains 2 clicks before clipping the source. Clipping is 33, safe is 32 out of 40. I set my gains at 30 so I could bring the volume up to 32 on them low recorded tracks. But it's hardly needed by 25 is loud as AF

I'd also suggest to move on from Spotify. It sounds like sh!t and compensating for a sh!t source is not ideal.

Move on to Apple music, I did.... and I'm not looking back.

😃

Please excuse my rant.

 

I set my gains on my amps with an oscilloscope.

-10db 50hz on bass amps
0db 100hz for midbasses
0db 1khz on mids/tweeters.

But I also run more power then the speakers need. After the tune and level matching I'll adjust on the outputs of the DSP by ear. The mid/tweeter (centre ch) that has an external (100w) amp the outputs are in the negative. Tweeter is -9 mid is -6. Midbass has 200w available with an external amp output is at 0. Mids and tweeters are on the DSP/amp output is at +2 on the tweeter +4 on the mid. Then at the virtual ch for left and right there's +1.

So essentially I do both with an oscilloscope and by ear. There's more than 1 way of doing this and has been debated and beaten to death for years. Do what ever works for you.

As far as compensating for Spotify..... Dont.... If you run a different source then you'll be over driving the whole system.

What I do is I set my gains 2 clicks before clipping the source. Clipping is 33, safe is 32 out of 40. I set my gains at 30 so I could bring the volume up to 32 on them low recorded tracks. But it's hardly needed by 25 is loud as AF

I'd also suggest to move on from Spotify. It sounds like sh!t and compensating for a sh!t source is not ideal.

Move on to Apple music, I did.... and I'm not looking back.

😃

Please excuse my rant.

Yeah I have both Spotify and Apple Music. I just switched to Spotify because their auto play feature and “For you” playlists are better. If I used Apple Music I’d be able to use lossless music right? It’s been a minute.

 

90% I stream Bluetooth to android auto. So it's not lossless. But the difference is night and day between sound quality and output. I don't even use Spotify anymore. I'd cancel it if my son didn't like it so much. I've been trying to have him switch but like you he said it has a better auto play feature. If you set your gains to compensate the lack of output on Spotify then stream Apple you'll be running into clipping.

I set gains with the downloaded kicker files via Bluetooth. I think it's a happy middle.

 

If it’s wireless android auto it’s Wi-Fi as far as I know if CarPlay is anything to go by… if not it’s another silly box to not have ticked for android with regard to audio 😢 I don’t get why they have the most customisable gui, but they can’t get stuff right like playing the sample rate of whatever you playback and not 48khz because it’s ‘better’ somehow ☹

 

I always use an O-Scope to set gains. It is the most accurate way of setting gains to ensure a clean, unclipped, signal throughout the entire path.
Set all EQ's, crossovers, boosts, ect to "0" (or off) to ensure nothing is messing with the signal.
Use clean sine waves between -3 and 0db at 40hz, 400hz, 1khz, 4khz, and maybe 10khz (I generate mine at 0.8 on the linear scale, which is about -2db and I typically throw in 25, 60 and 100hz as well for good measure, but that's a tad overkill). I use waves or flacs, but even with mp3s, on sine waves, there is no difference.
Place O-Scope on the RCA outputs from the head unit, I typically use the 1Khz on the front and rear channels and 40hz on the sub channels. Turn the head unit up until the signal starts to clip, the back it down to the maximum unclipped volume. This is the maximum you can turn up the head unit before introducing a clipped signal to the processors or amps.
Do the same for the next piece of equipment in line (some processors have an input and output gain. If yours doesn't, make sure the signal comping out of the processor is unclipped at this volume on the head unit).
Finally move to the amps. For sub channels use the 40hz, for mid-bass channels use the 400hz, for midrange use 1khz, and for tweeter channels use 4khz (or 10khz). If it's just F/R/S, the 1khz on F/R channels should be sufficient. Place the O-Scope on the speaker outputs and adjust amplifier gain until the signal starts to clip, then back it off till the signal is pretty again.
Now your done with the "amplifier tuning".

In between here and the next part I will use a microphone, laptop, RTA, and pink noise to make tuning adjustments to the primary DSP (PEQ curves, time alignment, and crossover points). If you don't have that, don't desire it, or just don't want to, then move on to the next part.

Now set your crossovers, EQs, boosts, etc. to whatever meets your preferences (and equipment). Just remember if you use a lot of boosts, you should be careful turning the radio up to the maximum point discovered in the first step, as you could be clipping the signal. Clipping sounds bad, and if you do it enough, it can damage the speakers. The only subs I have ever blown (me, not a faulty piece of equipment) was like 33 years ago and was due to me clipping the hell out of them. Luckily, Cerwin-Vega was a different company back then than they are now, and they re-coned them for me for free, even though they were more than a year out of warranty. However, I learned my lesson, and haven't done that since. With music, during a heavy jam session, some of it is going to clip, and you may not even hear it. What you don't want, however, is to be playing "Bassgasm" at full tilt, constantly clipping. That will likely fry your subs and is why you want to tune gains with an O-Scope at the head unit, all amps and all processors.

This is my opinion, based on 34 years of car audio experience. This is not the "only" way, but it is, in my opinion, the "best" way.

 

When it comes to calibrating your car amplifier's gain, it's important to consider Spotify's target loudness of -14 dB LUFS. Instead of using a 0 dB sound file, it's recommended to use a sound file that matches Spotify's target loudness, such as a -10 dB file. This way, you'll be aligning your amplifier's gain with Spotify's normalized audio levels.
By the way, if you're looking to boost your Spotify plays and gain more visibility for your music, you can check out https://streamingfamous.com/buy-spotify-plays. They offer tips and services to help increase your Spotify plays and grow your audience.

 

When it comes to calibrating your car amplifier's gain, it's important to consider Spotify's target loudness of -14 dB LUFS. Instead of using a 0 dB sound file, it's recommended to use a sound file that matches Spotify's target loudness, such as a -10 dB file.

Only if you use Spotify regularly.... I don't....

 

Turn off the normalization. Mine was annoying with it on and you unplug your phone to have the radio source come on blasting way louder.

 

When setting your gain on your car amp, aiming for around -14 dB LUFS could help match the Spotify vibe. When it comes to choosing audio files for setting gain, you're on the right track. Picking a 1kHz -10 dB file could be a solid choice to align with Spotify's -14 dB standard. It's like finding that audio sweet spot! If you're also into creating your own music, you're in for a musical adventure. Promoting your tunes can open doors to new listeners. I stumbled upon this link that could be super useful: https://songlifty.com/spotify-prоmotion/.