Kicker 350.4 with HLCD

A couple questions that hopefully some others can answer for me. The kicker amps always put out more then what they say. The paper work in the box on my 350.4 shows 431watts. Does this mean that with the kicker hlcd's at 4 ohms is getting 215.5 watts per channel instead of the 175watts per channel?

Also I know that the gain is not to make them as loud as possible but to make them balanced with the inboat speakers and sub. On the zxm 350.4 I have it set to HPF. The bass boost setting I have all the way at 0. The Hz goes from 50-200. What is a good Hz setting for the kicker hlcd's?

Thanks

Its not uncommon at all for an amp to actually produce more power then the advertised CEA2006 RMS ratings. So your KM6500.2 system could be receiving more then the 175W x 2 RMS.

Set the frequency to 150Hz

The primary function of the gain dials is to match the source unit's pre-amp voltage output to the amp's input sensitivity. And since the overall goal of HLCD is to project clear audible volume over a long distance, I would recommend tuning the tower amp as an independent zone and not try to gain it down in order balance it with the in-boat zone.

Hpf is the right option, obviously. Typically the hz setting would be for if it was set it low pass, so you shouldn't have to worry about that. If that is not how the kicker amp works and you do need to set the hz I would just set it to 200, as the hlcd won't produce great bass response in the bass range anyway. As already stated, they are designed for distance projection, and the bass response is negligible in this sort of situation.

I think 200 Hz highpass is a little high for the Kicker HLCDs given the component style and continuous midbass cone. They are already down around 3 dB (or half power) at the crossover point. More important than the midbass contribution, I would want my tower speakers to at least capture the lower end of the vocal range in order to sound plausibly fullrange.
Also, the frequency nomenclature on the end caps of amplifiers has been known to be way off, so start around 150 Hz and take the audible cues. Lower will give more midbass extension near field to a point and higher will provide longer projection.

David
Earmark Marine

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Originally Posted by 98outback

A couple questions that hopefully some others can answer for me. The kicker amps always put out more then what they say. The paper work in the box on my 350.4 shows 431watts. Does this mean that with the kicker hlcd's at 4 ohms is getting 215.5 watts per channel instead of the 175watts per channel?

Also I know that the gain is not to make them as loud as possible but to make them balanced with the inboat speakers and sub. On the zxm 350.4 I have it set to HPF. The bass boost setting I have all the way at 0. The Hz goes from 50-200. What is a good Hz setting for the kicker hlcd's?

Thanks

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98-

Yeah, you are getting more power out of the amp than the model number suggests... Nice huh?

Typical settings for tower amps, including the KM6500.2 HLCD speakers:

HI-PASS or HPF Crossover setting

HI-PASS Frequency, (Hz) typically 100 - 150. As David mentioned, use your ear and your typ[ical use to determine what is proper, but higher is better, at least to the point htings start sounding thin. 200 might be too high, again as David points out.

BASS BOOST OFF you got this already

GAIN is subjective, but again, MLA kind of hit it on the head Gain is not a volume control :D but rather a means of matching different electronics and speakers up to each other. IN GENERAL you want your gains as low as possible. This helps prevent that hiss so many guys talk about that is especially apparent in HLCD tower installations. If you find they are above 12-o'clock as viewd as a clock, scratch your head and ask if they should be lower. If they are at 3-o'clock, you FOR SURE need to turn them down. I find most of the time I can set up a whole boat with the gains set somewhere between 8-o'clock and 10 or 11-o'clock. Hopefully that makes sense.

Let us know what you think!

Phil
Kicker

I set the Hz in the middle of the 125-150 and the gain is approx at the 10-clock mark last night and it sounds great. This post was more for confirmation. I guess i have it set in the correct spot. I can turn the volume on the radio up past 30 and it still sounds great without any distortion or clipping. Thanks for everyone's input.

Adam