Setting Up Amp X-Over and DB Settings

[Wrecked Rooster]

I did a lot of homework before posting this, and I'm hoping it paid off. Want to double check and make sure I'm doing it right from those that know way more than me. I attached a picture of my exact amp and it's settings.

I bought a Kicker Amplifier (KXMA 800.4) and plan on running the following to it:

• Front pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 1
• Rear pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 2
• Mid cabin (starboard and port) pair of 8" Kicker speakers one channel 3 and the other to channel 4

With this setup, I believe I can use the fade on my head unit to control the output of the front and rear versus the mid cabin separately, correct?

For setting up the amp, Kicker has a "gain match" function which lights up when it detects clipping. And for the Frequency I'm on my own. Now, for what I've learned and the steps I should take to set it up correctly (in order):

1. For the Gain:
   1. Do not connect the speakers to the amp. Just the amp to power and the head unit.
      1. I should download a 1000 Hz -5 DB sound clip from Kicker.
   2. Turn all Treb, Bass, EQ, etc settings to 0. Play sound clip at 75% volume and adjust gain to light comes on and back off just a bit. Done.
2. X-over:
   1. Set to off and get the voltage reading by putting multimeter leads into speaker ports.
   2. Take that number and multiply by .251 (24DB/Octave slope).
   3. Turn frequency to HP and turn Freq dial until I get to the number calculated from 2 above. Leaving it on the 1x setting. Done.
3. Kicker EQ:
   1. I think this a Bass Boost setting. I'd assume leave this at zero or off.
4. I would repeat this on Amp 2. Although I'm not sure what the BP (band-pass) setting would be used for and it looks like the 1x/10x setting is only for the low pass filter.

Does that all sound right? Also, once that is done and if I adjust any of the bass, treble, EQ settings on the head unit, I might need to adjust the gain if I hear clipping, correct? Here's a link to the manual as well: https://www.kicker.com/app/manuals/48KXMA2.pdf

As always, thank you all for your help with this. I try to learn as much as I can on my own, but it always helps to talk to those that know and ask questions.

 

[Farny]

I did a lot of homework before posting this, and I'm hoping it paid off. Want to double check and make sure I'm doing it right from those that know way more than me. I attached a picture of my exact amp and it's settings.

I bought a Kicker Amplifier (KXMA 800.4) and plan on running the following to it:

• Front pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 1
• Rear pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 2
• Mid cabin (starboard and port) pair of 8" Kicker speakers one channel 3 and the other to channel 4

With this setup, I believe I can use the fade on my head unit to control the output of the front and rear versus the mid cabin separately, correct?

For setting up the amp, Kicker has a "gain match" function which lights up when it detects clipping. And for the Frequency I'm on my own. Now, for what I've learned and the steps I should take to set it up correctly (in order):

1. For the Gain:
   1. Do not connect the speakers to the amp. Just the amp to power and the head unit.
      1. I should download a 1000 Hz -5 DB sound clip from Kicker.
   2. Turn all Treb, Bass, EQ, etc settings to 0. Play sound clip at 75% volume and adjust gain to light comes on and back off just a bit. Done.
2. X-over:
   1. Set to off and get the voltage reading by putting multimeter leads into speaker ports.
   2. Take that number and multiply by .251 (24DB/Octave slope).
   3. Turn frequency to HP and turn Freq dial until I get to the number calculated from 2 above. Leaving it on the 1x setting. Done.
3. Kicker EQ:
   1. I think this a Bass Boost setting. I'd assume leave this at zero or off.
4. I would repeat this on Amp 2. Although I'm not sure what the BP (band-pass) setting would be used for and it looks like the 1x/10x setting is only for the low pass filter.

Does that all sound right? Also, once that is done and if I adjust any of the bass, treble, EQ settings on the head unit, I might need to adjust the gain if I hear clipping, correct? Here's a link to the manual as well: https://www.kicker.com/app/manuals/48KXMA2.pdf

As always, thank you all for your help with this. I try to learn as much as I can on my own, but it always helps to talk to those that know and ask questions.

All looks good to me. Kicker support is fantastic- give their tech support line a call if you need to.

 

[Farny]

I did a lot of homework before posting this, and I'm hoping it paid off. Want to double check and make sure I'm doing it right from those that know way more than me. I attached a picture of my exact amp and it's settings.

I bought a Kicker Amplifier (KXMA 800.4) and plan on running the following to it:

• Front pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 1
• Rear pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 2
• Mid cabin (starboard and port) pair of 8" Kicker speakers one channel 3 and the other to channel 4

With this setup, I believe I can use the fade on my head unit to control the output of the front and rear versus the mid cabin separately, correct?

For setting up the amp, Kicker has a "gain match" function which lights up when it detects clipping. And for the Frequency I'm on my own. Now, for what I've learned and the steps I should take to set it up correctly (in order):

1. For the Gain:
   1. Do not connect the speakers to the amp. Just the amp to power and the head unit.
      1. I should download a 1000 Hz -5 DB sound clip from Kicker.
   2. Turn all Treb, Bass, EQ, etc settings to 0. Play sound clip at 75% volume and adjust gain to light comes on and back off just a bit. Done.
2. X-over:
   1. Set to off and get the voltage reading by putting multimeter leads into speaker ports.
   2. Take that number and multiply by .251 (24DB/Octave slope).
   3. Turn frequency to HP and turn Freq dial until I get to the number calculated from 2 above. Leaving it on the 1x setting. Done.
3. Kicker EQ:
   1. I think this a Bass Boost setting. I'd assume leave this at zero or off.
4. I would repeat this on Amp 2. Although I'm not sure what the BP (band-pass) setting would be used for and it looks like the 1x/10x setting is only for the low pass filter.

Does that all sound right? Also, once that is done and if I adjust any of the bass, treble, EQ settings on the head unit, I might need to adjust the gain if I hear clipping, correct? Here's a link to the manual as well: https://www.kicker.com/app/manuals/48KXMA2.pdf

As always, thank you all for your help with this. I try to learn as much as I can on my own, but it always helps to talk to those that know and ask questions.

Oh forgot to mention - I like the verticle set up. That way you can put a wave in the wires so moisture drips down away from the amp connections.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Oh forgot to mention - I like the verticle set up. That way you can put a wave in the wires so moisture drips down away from the amp connections.

Funny that you mention that, because I plan on installing mine vertical as well. In the battery compartment, port side along the outer wall with standoffs.

 

[Farny]

Funny that you mention that, because I plan on installing mine vertical as well. In the battery compartment, port side along the outer wall with standoffs.

Me like! What are you using for the board? I had hell finding a mounting board as i wanted to mount some other electronics on a board

 

[212s]

I bought a Kicker Amplifier (KXMA 800.4) and plan on running the following to it:

• Front pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 1
• Rear pair of 8" Kicker speakers in parallel to channel 2

With this setup, I believe I can use the fade on my head unit to control the output of the front and rear versus the mid cabin separately, correct?

I don't know if it's just the way you're wording it or not, but if you put the two front pair of speakers in parallel to ch1 then only the left side of the stereo signal will come out. The rear speakers will only have the right side of the sound. It won't be balanced left/right unless you're sitting in the middle of the window walk-through. Ch1 is left sound, ch2 is right sound. Stereo sound is always in channel pairs 1+2 front 3+4 rear.

Your mid-cabin speakers sound correct.

If you want front/rear fading, I would run the fronts on ch1+2 and then parallel the mids and rears on ch3+4. That will fade the bow in and out if not being used and keep all four speakers in the cockpit playing where you spend most of your time. This will also save battery use as the amp isn't pumping music to the bow. In my boat I have the cockpit on front, and the bow & swim platform speakers on rear so I can turn off the swim speakers if we're all in the boat, and turn on the rear when we're in the water.

Use high-pass for all speakers and set the cutoff around 30hz. Leave it on 1x. You can tune it by ear to find the most bass output. Turn up the HP filter slowly while playing deep bass and listen to where the bass starts to weaken, then back down a bit.

 

[212s]

Maybe this image will help?

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Me like! What are you using for the board? I had hell finding a mounting board as i wanted to mount some other electronics on a board

Its a cutting board from sams club. 1/2" thick 20"x15" board for $8.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

I don't know if it's just the way you're wording it or not, but if you put the two front pair of speakers in parallel to ch1 then only the left side of the stereo signal will come out. The rear speakers will only have the right side of the sound. It won't be balanced left/right unless you're sitting in the middle of the window walk-through. Ch1 is left sound, ch2 is right sound. Stereo sound is always in channel pairs 1+2 front 3+4 rear.

Your mid-cabin speakers sound correct.

If you want front/rear fading, I would run the fronts on ch1+2 and then parallel the mids and rears on ch3+4. That will fade the bow in and out if not being used and keep all four speakers in the cockpit playing where you spend most of your time. This will also save battery use as the amp isn't pumping music to the bow. In my boat I have the bow+cockpit on front, and the swim platform speakers on rear so I can turn off the swim speakers if we're all in the boat, and turn on the rear when we're in the water.

Use high-pass for all speakers and set the cutoff around 30hz. Leave it on 1x. You can tune it by ear to find the most bass output. Turn up the HP filter slowly while playing deep bass and listen to where the bass starts to weaken, then back down a bit.

Thanks for the pic and info! What I was thinking was the mid speakers being ran (volume up/down) separate from the front and rears. I didn't want to blast the people in the bow so that I could hear the music better from the drivers seat. If that makes sense? What would be the best way to wire them to achieve this?

I guess I could do like you suggest and run the bow speakers port to channel 1, starboard to channel 2. Mids in parallel on channel 3 and rears in parallel on channel 4 and know that I can fade out the bow to not have so much volume being sent up there. Obviously it will be relative and climb as I turn it up in general.

I've also considered getting rid of the factory Infinity unit and going with the KMC4 with dual zone. But for this setup, I think the fader would work for now. Eventually, if I decide to go with towers, I would definitely upgrade to the dual zone head unit.

 

[Farny]

Thanks for the pic and info! What I was thinking was the mid speakers being ran (volume up/down) separate from the front and rears. I didn't want to blast the people in the bow so that I could hear the music better from the drivers seat. If that makes sense? What would be the best way to wire them to achieve this?

I guess I could do like you suggest and run the bow speakers port to channel 1, starboard to channel 2. Mids in parallel on channel 3 and rears in parallel on channel 4 and know that I can fade out the bow to not have so much volume being sent up there. Obviously it will be relative and climb as I turn it up in general.

I've also considered getting rid of the factory Infinity unit and going with the KMC4 with dual zone. But for this setup, I think the fader would work for now. Eventually, if I decide to go with towers, I would definitely upgrade to the dual zone head unit.

The Fusion head unit doesn’t come stock in the 21ft? I think the fusion is 2 zones

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

The Fusion head unit doesn’t come stock in the 21ft? I think the fusion is 2 zones

Fusion does have dual zone. I could go that route as well. But the cutout for the fusion is different then the kicker and infinity. Currently, it's a round hole with a square face head unit.

 

[212s]

Thanks for the pic and info! What I was thinking was the mid speakers being ran (volume up/down) separate from the front and rears. I didn't want to blast the people in the bow so that I could hear the music better from the drivers seat. If that makes sense? What would be the best way to wire them to achieve this?

Does your Infinity head unit have front/rear fader control? If so, that's dual zones and you should have 4 channels.

I guess I could do like you suggest and run the bow speakers port to channel 1, starboard to channel 2. Mids in parallel on channel 3 and rears in parallel on channel 4

Again you need to run speakers in pairs left/right or port/strb, so the mids left on ch3+rears left on ch3 in parallel. Mids right on ch4+rears right on ch4 in parallel. See pic below.

I've also considered getting rid of the factory Infinity unit and going with the KMC4 with dual zone. But for this setup, I think the fader would work for now.

Dual zone and fader is the same thing - they both control the volume of a pair of channels front/rear. If you have fader, you should be good to go.

Here's how the speakers would be placed:

front left ch1 front right ch2

mid left ch3 mid right ch4
+ in parallel
rear left ch3 rear right ch4

The bow ch1+2 separate from the four in the cockpit on ch3+4 - notice the left is always the odd channel numbers and the right is always the even channel numbers.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Does your Infinity head unit have front/rear fader control? If so, that's dual zones and you should have 4 channels.

Again you need to run speakers in pairs left/right or port/strb, so the mids left on ch3+rears left on ch3 in parallel. Mids right on ch4+rears right on ch4 in parallel. See pic below.

Dual zone and fader is the same thing - they both control the volume of a pair of channels front/rear. If you have fader, you should be good to go.

Here's how the speakers would be placed:

front left ch1 front right ch2

mid left ch3 mid right ch4
+ in parallel
rear left ch3 rear right ch4

The bow ch1+2 separate from the four in the cockpit on ch3+4 - notice the left is always the odd channel numbers and the right is always the even channel numbers.

Perfect! I'll run it just like that. The head unit is an infinity PRV-315.2. It has 3 pairs of pre-outs front, rear and subwoofer output. I believe there is a fade/balance option on it. Again, appreciate all of the info and thorough explanations.

 

[212s]

Perfect! I'll run it just like that. The head unit is an infinity PRV-315.2. It has 3 pairs of pre-outs front, rear and subwoofer output. I believe there is a fade/balance option on it. Again, appreciate all of the info and thorough explanations.

I'm familiar with that head unit and it definitely has front/rear outputs with fade control - you're all set with that unit. Once hooked up, those 8" speakers are going to thump nicely.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

I'm familiar with that head unit and it definitely has front/rear outputs with fade control - you're all set with that unit. Once hooked up, those 8" speakers are going to thump nicely.

When setting the crossover, I'm assuming I would want the HP setting on all channels and start off somewhere in the 80 range and go from there? Versus leaving them set to off or BP (band-pass)

 

[212s]

When setting the crossover, I'm assuming I would want the HP setting on all channels and start off somewhere in the 80 range and go from there? Versus leaving them set to off or BP (band-pass)

Yes use HP for both which passes higher frequencies to the speakers and cuts low frequencies. Set at the lowest setting since you're not using a subwoofer and those big 8" speakers will go pretty low. If you install a sub later then you want to set it around 80hz which passes above to the speakers and below to the sub. I use HP on my setup too, and the lowest setting on my amp is 35hz which cuts out the deep bass that my speakers can't use, and still lets through plenty of bass above 50hz.

Don't use the KickEQ boost - turn it down to 0. If you find you want a little bit more deep bass, turn it up a bit, but not too much or you'll end up getting the amp to clip when you're playing loud before the speakers are loud enough and possibly over-heat the speakers.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Yes use HP for both which passes higher frequencies to the speakers and cuts low frequencies. Set at the lowest setting since you're not using a subwoofer and those big 8" speakers will go pretty low. If you install a sub later then you want to set it around 80hz which passes above to the speakers and below to the sub. I use HP on my setup too, and the lowest setting on my amp is 35hz which cuts out the deep bass that my speakers can't use, and still lets through plenty of bass above 50hz.

Don't use the KickEQ boost - turn it down to 0. If you find you want a little bit more deep bass, turn it up a bit, but not too much or you'll end up getting the amp to clip when you're playing loud before the speakers are loud enough and possibly over-heat the speakers.

It's funny, a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to understand any of this. With your help, some youtube videos and a ton of tech articles, I've learned a lot. Still have a lot to learn yet. Everything for me so far is in theory. Ready to make it a reality and see all of this homework come together. Thanks again!

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Yes use HP for both which passes higher frequencies to the speakers and cuts low frequencies. Set at the lowest setting since you're not using a subwoofer and those big 8" speakers will go pretty low. If you install a sub later then you want to set it around 80hz which passes above to the speakers and below to the sub. I use HP on my setup too, and the lowest setting on my amp is 35hz which cuts out the deep bass that my speakers can't use, and still lets through plenty of bass above 50hz.

Don't use the KickEQ boost - turn it down to 0. If you find you want a little bit more deep bass, turn it up a bit, but not too much or you'll end up getting the amp to clip when you're playing loud before the speakers are loud enough and possibly over-heat the speakers.

Do you just eyeball where the Hz is at, or do you download a sound file that is the Hz range you want, play it and use the voltage x slope equation along with a multimeter to get where it needs to be set exactly?

**Edit: Reason I ask, Kicker has a 50 Hz sound file and a 1000 Hz sound file. Wasn't sure which one I should grab. Was originally thinking 1k Hz.

 

[212s]

Do you just eyeball where the Hz is at, or do you download a sound file that is the Hz range you want, play it and use the voltage x slope equation along with a multimeter to get where it needs to be set exactly?

Without a sub, just turn the HP dial all the way down, no need to try to tune beyond that - those 8" speakers will kick some strong bass. But you can try turning the dial gently and feel for a detent click. Most amps have a few at the common points like 80, 100hz when using a sub.

**Edit: Reason I ask, Kicker has a 50 Hz sound file and a 1000 Hz sound file. Wasn't sure which one I should grab. Was originally thinking 1k Hz.

The 50hz file would be good for 5.0-6.5" speakers, your 8" are essentially full range so you want as much of the bass to go through the filter as possible. Setting it at the lowest setting is easy and will filter subsonic from the amp. The 1k is needed when tuning with a DVM to match outputs equally.