can you turn class D subs up full?

S

staf

Active Member
hey folks

I have a Pre/Power amp set up.

Just a quick question. I understand that A/B amps and the like cant be turned up full because of distortion and spikes that destroy speakers so the general rule with those are don't go past volumes at 10 o'clock on the pre amp.

I have a new sub that is of a class D amp and is mossfet (sp)

So can i turn the volume of the sub up full and not go too heavy on the pre amp and don't go too far past 10 o'clock on the pre?

Thanks
 
Register to hide this ad
Or could i put the pre's volume up full and send it to the sub which is also up full. but! turn off the power amp?
 
If I turned my subs up to full there would be no windows in my sound room.

In actuality, you should not distinctly hear the subs as a source, it should underpin music, not dominate it.

The louder your pre goes the more drive signal it sends, which could overload your amps input. I would play your music as normal and slowly (this will most likely take days) increase the volume until it is comfortable to you. Most start with the 12 o'clock position on the sub volume as a start.

If you use an active outboard crossover to biamp with the mains and filtering the lows to the mains, the sub's volume and crossover have to be set to max, or pass-through, for the active crossover to work properly.

You are on you way to doing it right, however. I would suggest if you can run it such your mains are relieved from the burden of the lows through crossover filtering I would do it, even though for my system I do not.
 
Yeah, it's more of a cumulative thing. One specific pot being set at a certain point isn't likely to hurt anything any more than two combined pot settings that yield the same total output... I mean, if that's what you were getting at.

Having said that, my sub is a Mirage with a Class A/B MOSFET amp (which is relatively lame by today's standards) and when properly calibrated in my system, the level pot is at about 7:00 on the dial. At 9:00 on the dial, it creates a draft I can feel several feet away and I can't imagine the drivers would have a long life if I turned that pot all the way up.

If your preamp doesn't have an actual 'Sub Out' Level control, there's no way you'd be able to run the system with the sub all the way up. I mean, unless I'm missing something, the main volume control on the preamp controls overall system volume while the Volume or Gain control on the sub sets the output of the sub relative to the total system.
 
Last edited:
It has nothing to do with amplifier topology, and everything to do with the pots involved. Whether it is a class A/B or D amplifier, you can adjust your amplifier's gains so that it doesn't clip even when the preamp's volume is maximized. Or you could set the gains so that the amplifier clips at half volume, or 7/8 volume, or whatever you want. If your amplifier doesn't have gain pots, then you're stuck with whatever level it is preset at. In any event, you can simply use your ears and common sense to determine how high you should turn the volume knob.
 
The usual way to set a sub woofer's level is to first adjust the main volume control to whatever volume you feel comfortable with, then set the level on the sub to a level that audibly matches.

If you find it necessary to set either or both volume/level controls at maximum you have issues you haven't mentioned.
 
Class D amps typically have high distortion figures at maximum volume.
It's a set-and-listen game, generally you increase the input and listen, increase the output and listen... see where the sweet spot is.
 
Class D amps have the worst sounding clipping of ANY amps I have ever heard. You rapidly learn to never overdrive a Class D amp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom