Can my 2 Fi 18 drivers handle it?

[v1rtu0s1ty]

My amp's dial knob is at 28db of max 32db. Then my Yamaha master volume is at -12.5 db. At this level, I see the clip led turn on. Can my Fi 18" IB driver handle the LFE if I put my Yamaha master volume to -5db? or 0db? My Yamaha's max master volume setting is +16.

I remember, the 0 db is my reference level using Avia at 85db and using Radio Shack SPL. I know that at 0db, it will be very loud. But I still would like to know if it can handle it. And I guess if I do -5db or 0db, I should set CLIP FILTER to OFF so there is no clipping anymore.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Owen Bartley]

I think if your amp is clipping it's usually a good indication that it's time to turn something down, or you're risking damage. Without knowing what amp you're using, how much power you're giving them, and how they're hooked up, it's impossible to tell you if you're giving them too much power or not. That said, if you're clipping the amp, you're introducing distortion and are likely going to damage either the woofers or the amp if you turn it up.

If you're looking for more overall volume (like you're not getting enough volume from all the other speakers), turn down the level on the sub amp, and then you can increase the overall system volume.

[v1rtu0s1ty]

My amp is QSC PLX 2402. Below is a diagram of how it is currently connected. I have it in bridge mode. Bass from the manual, if it's hooked up like below, it's at 2400watts bridge mode. Also, the clip LED only blinks but does not stay red for more than 1 second. The blink will only happen like .5 seconds. I also remember seeing it continuous blink(but not solid steady red), when there is continues heavy LFE like when playing "The Flight of the Phoenix" when the plane was crashing. Is that ok?

The connection was given to me by Sonnie.

[v1rtu0s1ty]

Here is an update. I will just lessen the LFE gain on my yamaha receiver. Tech support from QSC told me that I should not worry about the CLIP led blinking. He told me that it's just a warning and neither it causes distortion.

Here is a video of the LEDS which I took last night while playing the LFE scene from "The Haunting".

http://restricted.dyndns.org/QSCPLX2...eHaunting.html

Anyways, I'll keep you posted once I start on my home theater.

[Owen Bartley]

OK, looks like that shouldn't be too bad. If you're just barely hitting clip on strong peaks you'll probably be ok. I'd just listen carefully for the first little while, and if you notice any distortion, or think you can hear the woofers bottoming or something then turn it down a bit.

[MatrixDweller]

Is it better to turn up the gain on the receiver and down on the sub's amp or vise versa? Not too off topic I hope. Would not the signal from the receiver be fairly undistorted compared to having the sub's amp do more than it has to?

[v1rtu0s1ty]

MatrixDweller wrote:

Is it better to turn up the gain on the receiver and down on the sub's amp or vise versa? Not too off topic I hope. Would not the signal from the receiver be fairly undistorted compared to having the sub's amp do more than it has to?

It's better to turn up the gain on the amplifier rather than the receiver. From my understanding with this approach, you are amplifying a clear and clean signal.

Please correct me guys if I am wrong.

[v1rtu0s1ty]

Owen Bartley wrote:

OK, looks like that shouldn't be too bad. If you're just barely hitting clip on strong peaks you'll probably be ok. I'd just listen carefully for the first little while, and if you notice any distortion, or think you can hear the woofers bottoming or something then turn it down a bit.

I think I've properly calibrated my receiver and amp. My receiver's LFE setting is +1 and my amp is at 28db dial. At -13db master volume on my Yamaha, when watching a demo LFE scene, it's enough to make me grin.