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i have a 300 watt scoche amp that i bought for 100 dollars.
and it is powering a 12" lightning audio sub.

so this thing seems so powerful that
i only have it set to 1/4 the power on the volume, because
after wards its just ridiculosly loud and shakes the whole car,
i have it set to 12db increase on base
but im not sure where i should set the fz response nom
i think i have it at about 100hz now.

what do you guys think
any suggestions.

 
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For the freq. response you can leave it at 100hz, usually for a sub you set that between 80-100hz, anywhere in there is probably fine. The 12db bass boost will give it more bass but you lose sound quality usually with that. But if you like it then its fine. By volume I assume you mean gain? If the sub isn't distorting or clipping then you're fine. If it sounds its distorting and stuff when you turn the volume up on the headunit then back the gain down a little, thats the easiest way to explain it I think.

 
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Yes, this is an important part of installing .... tuning the system.

Heres what you do.

First you need to find the max volume.

Set the HU and amp flat. No bass boosts, anything like that.
Turn off the sub.
Turn up the HU till the highs distort slightly then back off a little.
This is the new max volume for the system.

Then you need to set the sub gain.

Now set the sub gain as low as it can go.
Set the freq of the crossover to about 85hz.
Turn the sub back on.
Put the HU volume at the new max volume.
Turn the gain up until is distorts, then back it off a little.
Now the sub and highs should all max out at the same time at your new max volume.

Finally tweak the settings.

Now if there is too much bass, turn down the gain until it sounds good. If there isn't enough bass, turn the gain back down, turn on the 12db boost, and then reset the sub gain again.

The gain **** isn't a volume control ..... its a level **** to match the amp to the rest of the system. Indirectly this can effect the overall volume of the sub though.

Hope this helps.

 
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So do you guys not use the base boost?
because it distorts quality

 
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Anything you do to a signal can distort it. Nothing is ever a perfect boost or amplifacation. Generally the less you do to the signal the better.

Generally on shitty equipment you need all the gizmos and boosts to get it to sound somewhat better and to correct deficiencies in the equipment itself. As equipment gets better and of higher quality you will need boosts and such less and less.

Personally no, I keep everything as flat as possible.

Follow the instructions I gave you and see what you think of how it sounds then.

 
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I keep everything as flat as possible as well. I have no treble added, my head unit is on +3 for bass but that is only because I feel it makes my infinity components sound a little better, but no bass boost on the amp for the sub. It sounds much better without it IMO.

 
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Good read... I am setting up my system sometime this week and I will definatly use these techniques. Thanks

 
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my system is flat. except i have a bit of bass boost on the sub. but my deck is totally flat. nakamichi too. hehe. so it's got a bit of quality going on. flat is best generally. With the nak deck, it's so clear when flat, that you can actually hear distortion introduced when you change the treble mid or bass from 0 to +1 or -1.... it actually colors the signal, and you can really hear it.

I also have a McIntosh 4 channel amp, which helps with the whole clear sound thing.

 
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It really all depends on the sound you're going for, if you want the "ghetto blaster" thing goin' on, crank the bass, drop the treble, and hope your mirrors don't fall off. If you're going for SQ, start flat on everything, tweak in small amounts, and find what's right for your system.