I am in the market for PG line driver but as I was looking in my PG stash I found a PG AX-204A crossover and was reading the specs and seen that it had a max output of 8 volts. My question is , because I Have this unit should I just forget the line driver and use this? and is the info correct that the 204 A puts out 8 volts to my amp? So basicly it is a line driver/crossover
It looks like it can do 20db of input gain. So chances are, it will work just fine to boost a low 0-2V signal to something a bit higher... however I don't know enough about the devices to say whether or not it's recommended to use it to drive a signal higher.
However, line drivers should usually be installed as close to the HU as possible, so if you're planning on using the 204A in the trunk beside your amp, you may end up defeating the purpose of a line driver.
Thanks for the info , I have a van with plenty of room to mount devices and such. I could probably mount the crossover a few feet from the head unit not really any closer due to the radio pretty much hogs all the space in my 88 GMC Safari.
I figured a line driver could be mounted anywhere? Isnt the job of a line driver to recieve the signal from the HU and ampilfy it?
My deck is a basic Piooner 3500(older) which produces 2.4 v volt out and in all reality its probably around 1.2 v .
Should I just crank the input/ output settings to max to try and achieve the 8 volt's?
I would like to run both , and I dont really know if I really need to up the volts but I would like the best signal as possible. When I have just the PG installed I hear no noise but sometimes a little with the Audiobahn. I never used to hear noise with the Audiobahn , and I was hoping that the cross over ran to both the amps might help "Clean " up some of that , its hard to describe but the noise is not a popping or engine hum its more of a noise when the deck it starting up and a few other things.
Update:
I bench tested the crossover and the only reading I got from the outout was 2.4 mv @ 60 htz test tone. I may have been testing it wrong or the adapter I used for the rca's might be messed up.
Yep, you need to run a 60Hz test tone through the RCAs into the XO, with your headunit volume at ~3/4. Then you measure A/C volts at the output RCA plugs, with the red lead inside, and the black lead touching the shield.
Once you crack the case open, you should find gain knobs. Adjust these until you get your desired power levels. Do keep an eye on the clipping lights, if there are any.
Thanks for the info ! I will burn a test cd with the 60 hz and run it in my van @ 3/4 and measure it in AC and let you know.
Not to go too oftopic but liek I said earlier I am running a PG zx500 and a Audiobahn 2200. My audiobahn has a HP,LP,Full settings , a bass boost setting and a subsonic filter. I was playing around with the PG crossover leading into the Audiobahn amp and it made it sound quite bad , the only way I could get a bass signal through was if I switched the settings to bandpass and I am just running two 12's in a sealed box.
Now , with my Audiobahn amp , with the built in crossover and no option to turn it off , what settings do I have to adjust so I could use the PG crossover with it? or a Basscube?
Thanks for all the help guys and I realize this Is a PG forum so sorry about asking for assistance with my Audiobahn amp but it lives with the rwest of my PG stuff
I will take a stab at this. It has been a long time since I laid hands on a zx500, but first of all, what amp are you using to drive which speakers. It makes a difference to crossover settings.
The ZX500 has the same crossover settings as the audiobahn, they are just labeled different. First off, the button labeled xover bpass, does not mean bandpass. It means crossover bypass. That is why the audiobahn sounds better, you are bypassing the crossover in the PG amp and sending full range signal to the ab.
Anyhow, here is how the ZX5 xover works. With the xover on (xover bypass not selected) the xover point is set with the frequency adjustment pot on the side of the amp. If you have the other switch (xover select) set to HP (button out) then the ZX5 will amplify any signal which is set above the frequency setting selected on the adjustment pot. This setting would be used to drive the full range components with the zx500 and pass the low frequencies on to the next amp. The rest of the signal bellow the crossover frequency is sent on to the outputs and the next amp in line.
With xover select set to LP, then the ZX500 will amplify any signal bellow the xover frequency, and pass the rest of the signal unamplified to the outputs. This would be used to drive your subs with the ZX5 and pass the rest of the signal on to the AB amp.
The frequency selection will mostly depend on your system. If you are using the ZX500 for subs, I would set to LP and a frequency of about 85hz to start with. If using the ZX5 for the front stage, you will want the xover in HP and probably start with a bit higher crossover frequency, probably about 200hz. Again, it all depends on system design.
For your AB amp... well, lets get to that after you tell us about system layout, namely, what is driving what.
All in all, I have never run my amps daisy chained like that. I prefer to use discrete outputs for each amp. It means more money in interconnects, but it also means that you are not sharing signal, and you retain the use of your fader and sub output control if your head unit is equipped.
Thanks , right now I am just using the Audiobahn to run 2 Audiobahn alum 12's , however , the other day I was running the zx500 to push a Audiobahn 15 in a ported box. The reason I am using the audiobahn now is to produce more power to my 12's (1000 rms)
In the long run I will be pushing a bigger sub , but for now I am using the Audiobahn and I am trying to figure how I can utilize the PG crossover and bypass the Audiobahn's built in crossover because there is no bypass on that amp. I may in the future run both amps on different subs and speakers but I would also seperate there signal from my head unit.
I was just thinking , do I really need to use this crossover ? Both my amps have cross overs. So basicly , would the only thing I could benifet from the AX204 is the line driving capabilities?
fuzzysnuggleduck wrote:I would say you avoid using this device for JUST line driving, as that's not even it's intended purpose.
Your right , I was just trying to utilize what I have , I was looking into a line driver but the question is if I need one? I want the best possible signal to go through my PG rca's and I wouldnt mind investing in that.
Both my PG ZX500 and the Audiobahn amps are around or close to 3/4 on the gain settings and my deck says it pus out 2.4 volts. I am running all this in my van and one would think that I would need long rca cable but really my amps art a little behind my front seats
Sometimes just good cabling can be key but like I said I would like the best possible signal.
