Cómo instalar una perilla de bajos en el automóvil

Si le encantan los bajos pesados, es posible que desee aumentarlos sin interferir con el volumen de la música.

Además, a veces la música puede tener un bajo pesado y es posible que desee reducirlo y hacer que las frecuencias altas sean más audibles.

La mejor manera de ajustar los graves es controlar su nivel directamente desde el tablero, pero ¿cómo instalar una perilla de graves en el automóvil? Vamos a averiguarlo.

Por lo general, para conectar una perilla de bajos en el automóvil, tome un conector de salida RCA de la perilla de bajos y conéctelo a los conectores de entrada RCA del amplificador. A continuación, conecte los conectores de entrada RCA de la perilla de graves a los conectores de salida RCA de la unidad principal del automóvil.

En este artículo, le mostraré cómo puede instalar una perilla de bajos en el sistema de audio de su automóvil.

¿Cómo puedo instalar una perilla de bajos en un automóvil?

La instalación de la perilla de bajos depende de su tipo y, en general, para el diseño de la perilla de bajos estándar, solo se deben conectar los cables RCA con los cables RCA entre la unidad principal y el amplificador.

Sin embargo, es posible que necesite una perilla de bajos que requiera una forma diferente de conexión si la perilla de bajos que usa tiene cableado adicional para la batería del automóvil.

Si esta es tu perilla de bajo, sigue los pasos a continuación:

• Conecta el cable rojo positivo del mando de graves al terminal positivo de la batería de un coche.

• A continuación, conecte el cable negativo negro al terminal negativo de la batería.

• Finalmente, conecte el cable de encendido remoto de la unidad principal de su automóvil al cable naranja de la perilla de control de bajos.

La perilla de graves regula el nivel de mezcla de frecuencias en la parte inferior del espectro de sonido. La perilla del subwoofer controla la ganancia en la señal que ingresa al amplificador, por lo que reducir los graves solo cambia la forma en que se relacionan las frecuencias agudas y graves.

En la mayoría de los casos, solo necesitará aumentar o reducir las frecuencias bajas según el tipo y el género de la música sin interferir con las frecuencias altas de la configuración del amplificador.

Esto es especialmente útil en el caso del 99% de las instalaciones de car audio, donde el amplificador se coloca en el maletero; por lo tanto, no puede cambiar su configuración mientras conduce.

Instalar una perilla de bajos en un lugar conveniente y más accesible, como debajo del volante del automóvil o en el tablero, ayudará a resolver este problema.

Según su automóvil y los otros accesorios instalados en su vehículo, incluso puede instalar una perilla de bajos en un panel de interruptores vacío, dentro del cubículo central o en la consola central cerca de la perilla de la palanca de cambios.

Dependiendo de su ubicación, puede colocarlo al ras mostrando solo la perilla.

Elija una perilla de bajo compatible

Hay muchos tipos de mandos de control de graves en el mercado y la principal diferencia entre ellos es cómo se acoplan al amplificador.

Por lo general, los diferentes amplificadores para automóviles vienen con diferentes tipos de conexión y debe buscar una perilla de graves que coincida con el tipo de conexión del amplificador.

Por ejemplo, algunos usan cables RCA, mientras que otros son perillas universales que se conectan directamente al amplificador.

Conectar los conectores RCA

Un RCA es un conector eléctrico que se utiliza principalmente para transportar señales de video y audio. Sin embargo, también puede usarlo como conector de RF, conector de alimentación de CC o como conector para cables de altavoces.

Las señales RCA a menudo están codificadas por colores:rojo para el canal de audio derecho, amarillo para video compuesto, blanco o negro para el canal de audio estéreo izquierdo, naranja para audio digital y verde para el canal de audio central.

En la mayoría de los casos, la perilla de graves viene con conectores RCA cortos y es posible que deba aumentar la longitud de los cables conectando cables RCA adicionales, especialmente si su amplificador está en la cajuela.

Teniendo en cuenta que utilizará los cables RCA para conectar la perilla de graves al amplificador, la calidad y el grosor del cable jugarán un papel esencial en la sensibilidad de la perilla de graves.

Por ejemplo, los cables RCA deben tener el blindaje adecuado para evitar la distorsión del sonido.

Además, el cable RCA transmitirá una señal de línea desde la unidad principal del automóvil al amplificador. Debido a que la señal de la radio al amplificador aún no se amplifica, la resistencia de los cables RCA puede tener un impacto significativo en la calidad final de los bajos.

Por lo tanto, es recomendable optar por cables RCA de alta calidad, gruesos y bien blindados. Un excelente ejemplo son los cables del ELITE Audio .

Cuando tenga a mano los cables RCA correctos, conecte las salidas de señal (azul y blanco) al amplificador y luego las entradas de señal RCA (rojo y verde) a la unidad principal del automóvil.

Although this color coding might differ with the brand, in most cases, the bass knob will have a label on the output and input connectors.

Connect the Remote Turn-On-Cable

The turn-on cable is the remote wire located behind the head unit. For most car radios, it is a blue and white cable coming from the back of the stereo harness.

When you turn on the car, this cable provides the amplifier a signal when to turn on.

If you however connect this cable to another wire in the vehicle with a constant voltage, the amplifier will remain on even when you will turn the engine off, so it is important to remember that it should be connected only to the car radio.

When you turn the car’s ignition off, the remote wire stops transferring current, and the amplifier switches off.

You need to hook up the remote turn-on-cable from the back of the stereo to the orange cable (remote in) in your bass control and then connect the blue wire to your amplifier.

Set the Head Unit and Amplifier Bass to Medium

Considering that you will adjust the bass of your car stereo system using the bass knob and not the amplifier or the car head unit other than the volume, you need to set the bass to medium.

However, for the best bass experience, it is advisable to remove the sound distortion from your stereo system.

Minimize the Gain in the amplifier, and then increase the volume of your head unit until you hear some sound distortion.

In most cases, you can minimize the Gain by turning the knob to the counterclockwise direction and maximize it by turning the knob in the clockwise direction.

Usually, this is the maximum volume that you can use in your head unit without sound distortion.

You can also opt to use ⅔ of your car head unit’s maximum volume as your maximum volume settings.

• Minimize the Gain in your car head unit and increase the Gain in your amplifier until you hear some sound distortion. Typically, this is the maximum Gain you can set in your amplifier without hearing any sound distortion.

• Note these settings as they are the maximum volume settings you can use without sound distortion.

• Now, increase the amplifier and the head unit gain to these levels, turn the amplifier bass to the lowest position, and increase the bass using the bass knob to the top position.

• Note that some universal bass knobs come with a rotary push turn switch for turning them on and off, so ensure the best knob is on.

• In most cases, the knob will have an indicator light to indicate when it is in its top position. Start increasing the amplifier bass while listening to sound distortion.

• If the amplifier bass knob causes a sound distortion before reaching the middle line, minimize it slightly and leave it at this level.

• On the other hand, if the amplifier bass knob gets past the middle line before causing sound distortion, set it at the centerline.

If you have a bass boost in your system, turn it up carefully to avoid sound distortion.

Keep in mind that a bass boost can cause damage to your car amplifier or subwoofers if you fail to set it correctly. Therefore, it is advisable to leave your bass boost with the default settings or at zero Gain.

If it is a must you use it, it is also advisable not to use it in both the amplifier and the car head unit at the same time.

With these settings, you can now use your bass knob to increase or reduce the bass with the sound remaining clear.

Can I Use Any Bass Knob for My Amplifier?

Bass knobs are in general, universal devices. However, in most cases, they work in the best way when they are from the same manufacturer as the amplifier.

This compatibility is because they have similar physical characteristics, and the signals and circuitry from the bass knob to the amplifier are the same for similar models.

Bass knobs and amplifiers from different manufacturers might not work because some use standard phone jack plugs while others use standard plugs.

Additionally, their signals and circuitry are usually different, with varying current demand and voltage levels.

On the other hand, there are universal bass knobs that work with almost any amplifier on the market. Some of the universal bass knobs also come with a multimeter that can help you monitor the power usage of your car’s electrical system.

These types of bass knobs also come with two extra cables, the red one connecting to the car battery’s positive terminal and the other black to the ground or negative terminal.

Does Bass Knob Affect Gain?

Understanding what a bass knob does to your audio signal is essential. Typically, a remote subwoofer control is an external gain that allows you to fine-tune your music to achieve the bass level of your desire.

Connecting it to your amplifier essentially means avoiding the gain control in the amplifier.

Generally, turning the bass knob up means adjusting the audio signal that your subwoofers are receiving. So, excessive turning up of the gain control may result in sound distortion and clipping.

The purpose of the gain control is to determine how far you can increase the head unit’s volume for the amplifier to reach its maximum power.

A correctly set gain prevents damage to the subwoofer and reduces distortion and background noise.

If you set the Gain excessively high at higher voltages sources, your amplifier reaches its maximum power at a reduced volume control configuration from the source unit.

On the other hand, if the gain settings are too low, the amplifier will not be in a position to reach maximum power, and the sounds will be weak.

Usually, this makes the source unit clip resulting in the delivery of the distorted signal to the speakers. Low gain settings are ideal for sources with lower than 2.5 voltage.

Unlike volume, which is the power of the outgoing signal from the amplifier, Gain refers to the power of the input signal from the car head unit.

That means that the bass knob will be affecting the frequencies at the gain level but not volume.

For instance, when you use the bass knob to reduce the bass, you will be reducing the low-frequency gain without affecting the high-frequency reaching the amplifier.

Conclusión

After installing a high-end aftermarket car head unit, high-quality amplifier, and subwoofers, you will want a convenient way to control the bass on the system.

The most viable option is to install a bass knob between the car head unit and the amplifier.

To make it correctly, first look for the most convenient and easy to reach location in your car, and then use the above step-by-step guide to install the bass knob.

Preguntas frecuentes

Can Bass Boost Lead To Clipping?

Bass boost can lead to sound clipping, and in fact, it is the main cause of clipping. Typically, every time you increase your bass boost by 3 dB, the amplifier will need to double the power output at the same volume.

For instance, if music is recorded at 0 dB and you set your amplifier’s bass boost to +9dB, you may force the amplifier to produce thousands of watts over its capacity.

If the amplifier cannot produce this power, it will try to amplify but with a lot of distortion, causing the clipping.

How Can I Minimize My Subwoofer Distortion?

You can minimize subwoofer distortion by using low bass and Gain or using High Pass Filters for your subwoofer.

The filters help to eliminate the low bass and distortion, delivering a more clean and clear sound.

Car subwoofers might also be distorted because you don’t have an amplifier, or your amplifier is not producing enough power.

The best solution would be to upgrade the amplifier to one with sufficient power.

Can Bass Damage My Subwoofers?

Excessive bass can damage your car subwoofer, especially if played at a high volume for a long time.

The damage occurs due to over-excursion when the subwoofer’s cone is forced to move way beyond its limits.

This, however is not the easiest to clarify, and it depends on the following:

• how low the frequencies are

• at what volume they are being played

• the power of the amplifier

• the size and type of the subwoofer