can someone explain GAIN.
 

the Gain control on an amp.:cool: thanks.

The gain control is simply how much power the amp produces and puts out to the subs, or whatever speakers you have the amp hooked up to. Kinda like the volume control.

well sort of...
think of this.. the head unit primarily puts out the sound. the gain just amplifies that sound to a degree. So if you put the head unit volume on max and it distorts and then u put the gain up.. it will increase amplification of the distorted volumes. thus its important to have a super clean signal going to the amps for that to amplify using the gains.

will i thought you would know this shiznit?!!

i just need a more technical definition.:p

oh whoops

amplification factor

The amplification factor, also called gain, is the extent to which an analog amplifier boosts the strength of a signal. Amplification factors are usually expressed in terms of power.
The decibel (dB), a logarithmic unit, is the most common way of quantifying the gain of an amplifier. For power, doubling the signal strength (an output-to-input power ratio of 2:1) translates into a gain of 3 dB; a tenfold increase in power (output-to-input ratio of 10:1) equals a gain of 10 dB; a hundredfold increase in power (output-to-input ratio of 100:1) represents 20 dB gain. If the output power is less than the input power, the amplification factor in decibels is negative. If the output-to-input signal power ratio is 1:1, then the amplification factor is 0 dB.

Power amplifiers typically have gain figures from a few decibels up to about 20 dB. Sensitive amplifiers used in wireless communications equipment can show gain of up to about 30 dB. If higher gain is needed, amplifiers can be cascaded, that is, hooked up one after another. But there is a limit to the amplification that can be attained this way. When amplifiers are cascaded, the later circuits receive noise at their inputs along with the signals. This noise can cause distortion. Also, if the amplification factor is too high, the slightest feedback can trigger oscillation, rendering an amplifier system inoperative

whoa, that technical enough for ya there WiLL? :p

Gains on amps are not listed in dB in the car audio world. They are listed in voltage. That control is there to match the output voltage of your input source (most typically your headunit) to the input of the amplifier.

It is absolutely not a volume control!!!

Also, did you try reading over here:
http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/

WiLL - How's that IDQ BTW?

robert: the IDQ is great. it suits my needs perfectly for now. but i see myself upgrading to a pair in the future. i need more BOOM. :cool:

thanks for the link.

Ya, a gain is there to match the amplifier to various input sources (decks mainly.) Think of a cheaper deck with .5V maximum output and a high-end deck with 8V maximum input. If you didn't have a gain then the manufacturer would have to design the amp for the lower denomenator. The person with the high end deck would max the amp out on a setting of like 5/40. The gain allows you to match the amplifier to the 8V or .5V deck so that at maximum volumn the amplifier is just starting to clip (when properly adjusted.) It is important to note this is the low-level signal and has nothing to do with how loud the amp gets.