Line drivers, is this what they do?

[mwoehr 1]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. In an instance where a persons deck only allows you to turn up the sub only soo much but you want it louder, in order to make it louder, rather than turning your amps gain up excessively damaging your subs you'd use a line driver. Correct?

[bassahaulic 155]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. In an instance where a persons deck only allows you to turn up the sub only soo much but you want it louder, in order to make it louder, rather than turning your amps gain up excessively damaging your subs you'd use a line driver. Correct?

Very wrong, all a line driver does is boost the output voltage of the RCA's. So if the gain on the amp is matched to the radio, then you install a line driver the voltage will be higher requiring the gain to be match to it.

If you just left the gain the same it would be the same as just turning it to far up.

[mwoehr 1]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. In an instance where a persons deck only allows you to turn up the sub only soo much but you want it louder, in order to make it louder, rather than turning your amps gain up excessively damaging your subs you'd use a line driver. Correct?

Very wrong, all a line driver does is boost the output voltage of the RCA's. So if the gain on the amp is matched to the radio, then you install a line driver the voltage will be higher requiring the gain to be match to it.

If you just left the gain the same it would be the same as just turning it to far up.

From what I understand it's better to use more signal than gain. What could a person use to accomplish that if the signal on the deck doesn't go up as much as he'd like? In other words, what can a person use other than the deck to increase his signal if the decks only goes up so far?

Edited June 20, 2010 by Jysoe

[Impious 1,476]

It's only "better" if the higher gain setting or lower voltage of the signal results in audible noise in the system. If you do not have audible noise in the system as a result of those two factors, a higher voltage signal (aka a line driver) will do nothing useful. In fact it could make things worse by adding another potential noise source to the system. If you aren't having a problem with noise, there will be no difference in sound between a lower voltage signal with a higher gain setting and a higher voltage signal with a lower gain setting. There is nothing wrong with having a higher set gain as long as it is properly set for the voltage level of the signal. This is the purpose of the gain knob. A line driver does not allow you to get any additional power from your amplifier.

What does your system consist of, and what "problem" are you trying to solve? If your problem is not being able to get the volume that you want out of your system, then there are other solutions to the problem. Adding a line driver is not one of those solutions.