VetteNoob

Just curious.

Im currently just using the HPF/LPF from the Kenwood 848u HU. The Powerbass 600.4x amp is set to "full".

I have no clue whats a good setting to start with. I have the HPF set to 100Hz for my Arc Audio 6009 fronts and 180Hz for my stock rear speakers.

The LPF on the Kicker CVT10 sub is set to 80Hz.

It sounds decent at 50% volume but at higher volumes, the sub over powers everything else.

I tried to set the gain according to the direction from the amp.

Any suggestions on how to adjust the gain and filters? Should I set the HU filters to "Through" and use the filters from the amp instead?

markcz

Every system is different, but from what you posted you have a 20hz hole between 80-100. Set the HPF for fronts and LPF for sub at the same point, or put a bit of overlap.

I set everything where it sounds best to me at my normal everyday listening level. If I want to crank it up with the top off I usually don't do anything, but occasionally I'll adjust the bass settings on the HU to get it sounding better.

IMO it doesn't matter if you use the HU settings or amp pots to get frequencies set, but on my system I used both

For the amp gain settings....
-turn all gain pots down to 0
-turn on HU with volume at 75%
-turn up one gain until you start to hear distortion, mark where it is then turn it back to 0
-repeat with all channels (if your equipment is matched well they should be at similar levels)
-turn radio down, set all gains to marked points
-turn radio up to 50ish%, fine tune by ear to blend channel gains together (don't be afraid to experiment with 'bass boost' or whatever your HU calls the sub settings)

VetteNoob

Should I set the gain on the amp with the filters enabled?

markcz

Yes, that way your speakers are only trying to play the frequencies they were designed for

VetteNoob

WAwatchnut

Ideally you want the front speakers to play as low as possible to keep your staging up front. I would start with only the fronts playing (disconnect the other RCAs). With the crossover at 100hz, turn the volume up to as loud as you would ever listen to it. Reduce the volume. Set the crossover at a lower point (or higher if necessary). Go back to your 'max' volume. Do the speakers still sound good? Any straining, unwanted noise out of the door panels, etc? If they still sound good, repeat at a lower crossover point. Once you have the front speakers optimized, you can then bring the subwoofer back into the mix and match it to the front speaker output, so it doesn't overpower the fronts.

I would generally use the x-over in the deck as it then gives you some additional control while seated. But if the amp has finer adjustments to the crossover points, you could set the deck xover points so they extend beyond the points you're using, and use the amp for the actual crossover points.

While gaps are bad, they're not as bad as peaks in output. So while overlap isn't bad, be careful you don't get too much output at the crossover point. Especially around 200-3000 hz where cars get naturally 'boomy' anyway.

Kale

front 80 high
sub 60 low
rears 20k high