# Is it ok to apply a gain of 6db or higher



## Guest (May 6, 2008)

I was wondering if it is ok to apply a gain of 6db at 3 frequencies.
I will be able to get a much flatter response if I apply higher gain like
5-6 db so that when I apply the cuts, the suck outs dont go further down.
I generally dont play very loud. With my volume setting I only measured some
65-70 db when I play music. 
Thanks


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Hard to give a cut and dried answer, as it depends on several factors, such as the capabilities of your sub, where you want to boost, whether or not any nulls are present, etc.

It doesn’t matter what level your run your system at as much as the headroom your sub itself has. For instance, if you have it cranked up to say, the 3:00 position to maintain the levels you run your system, then boosting anywhere would be a bad idea, as would any equalizing in general (virtually any equalizing places additional demands on both the amp and driver). However, if your sub’s level control is really low, then you probably have enough headroom.

Assuming you’re using REW, you already know what your extension is - i.e., at what point response drops off at the bottom end. It can be risky going overboard trying to shore up the lowest frequencies. If it’s a steep drop-off beyond your lowest frequency, don’t bother, it won’t get you anything for the lost headroom. But if your low-end drop-off is a gradual one, and (again) you have enough headroom, you might try “buying” a little extra extension with a modest boost. If you’ve over extended your sub, you’ll know soon enough when it starts making rude noises during bass-heavy passages. This applies more to sealed subs than ported ones, however. Generally speaking, trying to boost a ported sub below its port tuning is considered a bad idea.

Also be on the lookout for nulls. If you try to boost an area that doesn’t respond with an improved response reading, then it’s a null. In that case, cancel the filter; no sense wasting headroom if there is no return.

Regards,
Wayne


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## Guest (May 6, 2008)

Thanks for such an elaborate reply. It helped a lot.


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