Setting EQ and tuning my subs’ amp

AFAIK, I’m supposed to set my headunit’s EQ, and THEN adjust the amp.

my headunit is an

$280 Alpine ILX-W650 Digital Multimedia Receiver with CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility

Alpine ILX-W650. Amp is a JL G1700 powering two 10” JL subs.

how do I properly tune the EQ and amp?

 

Step 1, turn amp gain /input sensitivity all the way down

step 2, set amp crossover to 100hz

step 3, set I put voltage switch to lo

Step 4, set head unit all flat and correctly set amp gain

step 5, set head unit settings to personal taste (crossover, EQ, etc)

 

Amp crossover is filter frequency?

If I use a multimeter, is that a more accurate way of tuning? Should I do the EQ before or after?

 

do the EQ after (just don’t use bass boost and all that crap)

You want some type of test tone, a multi-meter, and the specs of the amp.

this is a great resource for setting amp gain

https://youtu.be/gg2gl-fz2Qc

 

When you set up amplifier input and output gains you are calibrating to the threshold of their ability to amplify a signal without distortion.

Any adjustments you make to the spectrum afterward has the capacity to create distortion which is why setting EQ is a balancing act, and generally you want to turn things down rather than up.

This is also why DSPs have output controls that start at 0dB and you can only decrease the output signal, not turn it up more.

Obviously there are conditions that make it impossible to set these gains using voltage and a test signal and still have a good result, such as matching high and low output in a bi-amp situation, or completely mismatched output power between speaker and sub amps. Often you have to turn your tweeter amp gain down because it’s typical to have the same power output capability on both high and low, but much less energy is required to reproduce higher frequencies.

For this reason I will set up the amplifier using test tones with no EQ or filters applied (speakers disconnected), then apply my crossover settings, then apply my phase delays, then set EQ for each channel, then set output level in the DSP to balance all channels, and when necessary, turn down an amplifier output gain.

Where you set your crossover frequencies depends on the speaker package you have chosen, not the stereo or amplifiers, and to some degree your own taste/preferences.

 

do I do EQ or sub/amp gain first?

 

amp gain first.

 

It’s a back and forth.

If you set the gain with a flat EQ, but then change the EQ and raise the bass frequencies, now your gain is set too high.

but if you set your EQ and then set your gain, the bass might not sound good and be too loud, so you lower the bass frequencies in the EQ, now your gain is too low.

so it’s just a back and forth. Or honestly, deal with the gain being too low rather than too high. You might give up 20w of extra power to the sub, but you’ll know that the amp isn’t being overworked

 

Looks like I’m just not gonna mess with the EQ bass settings on the head unit