#1 Must do tip!!! How to check head unit clipping and non distortion volume point of stereo.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2021
- To check your low level (RCA) clipping point. Connect leads to your rca output and follow same instructions
In this video I show you how to check the clipping point to achieve the maximum un-distorted volume point of any head unit. Using this method you can do it by ear using a low test tone on a door speaker. Or using an o scope with any frequency. I have a video on my channel describing the $40 oscope i used in this video. Check it out to see how to use it to tune your amp.
If you want one of these, just search online (eBay/amazon/etc) you can find many available under $40. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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That's really smart, you good at demonstrating especially for those who hasn't got the ability or skill to use listening which to determine unnatural or unwanted sound, love your insight✌🏾
Thanks man.
I just used this method on my 2018 KIA Niro with the stock radio, a Power Acoustik RZR2300, and a Savard HiQ in a custom built box. The max volume on the radio is 45, so over the last couple of years I decided the max volume should be 33. Well, after performing this test, 33 is in fact the max volume before clipping starts. Thanks!!!!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback 😎
@@NextLevelCarAudio I'll tell you what- whatever head unit you used was a very good 1. Distortion didn't start till the 88% mark where many are at the 75% mark. What brand was it and do you recommend a good 1 with little clipping on a marine unit
@@NextLevelCarAudio op
Thanks for the very simple way to show clipping. Just installed my system in my truck and wanting to learn how to fine tune and this video was your most simple to understand for beginners like me!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback
Love it brother!! I bought that oscope when I saw the first video you showing how to use it! I do installs as a side gig and wanted to have something professional. Thanks!! God bless and keep putting out awesome content!
P.s. the vid with son was awesome! ❤️
Thanks for the Feedback man!
@@NextLevelCarAudio So if my head unit sends a clip signal will it go through my amp to my subs and would the amp block it or anything sorry I know its probably a stupid question but I don't know lol
I got mine coming today in the mail on Labor day 2023... love your channel man...
This dude is the most sincere and best dude to learn from if you're a newbie like me! You just feel the authenticity and his passion for the hobby and the perfect sound! He actually cares and helps to stop people from just blowing their expensive gear because of lack of knowledge. Merry Christmas to you Next Level Car Audio and your family and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas🤘🏼
Thanks man!
Couldn't agree more, Thanks for sharing this info you're really appreciated, Merry Xmas and blessings to you and your family
Man really great explanation I'm trying this in the morning I've been wondering how to do this properly and I haven't been able to find anyone to teach me this makes it simple great video and new subscriber
Thank you for taking the time to make this video! This is the 2nd video I watched on this channel. You finally sold me on this Quimat Oscilloscope. I just purchased one now. I already set my gains using 0dB which now I know is wrong. Should be -5dB. Volume is also set at 29 like in your other video.
I'm using old school MTX amps from 1994. MTX2160 for the 6.5 Diamond S6.0m mids and a MTX2300 on 2 RF 2212 Power DVC's. These MTX amps do not like high voltage. They were putting out too much signal on 3.3V from an Eclipse 8454. Looking into it they are rated at 1VRMS for their claimed output. I'd like to see how their output clips with 1.5VRMS Pioneer 2400NEX if they can tolerate it. Maybe go up to 2V output from the head unit.
Thanks again!!!!!!
P.S. SUBSCRIBED!
Hey, thanks for the comment and for supporting the channel. If you need any help with anything let me know ;)
Great info bro. Thank you for showing me the simplicity of the setting up a system. Now I just need to set up my amplifier the same way.
Love these type of videos you are doing! Keep em coming bro!!
Thanks! Appreciate the feedback
That mini oscilloscope gear is a great buy. It really helps a lot when it comes if you are tuning your audio gears. I wanna buy that stuff soon ☺️
Heck yeah! 😎
Definitely is. I got mine on eBay for 26 bucks
wow that was really nice, it was extremely nice to get the distortion visualized/sounded great video
You have helped me out so much with my truck audio. I can't thank you enough for putting this info out there. Just bought one of those cheap oscopes and can't wait to use it
Awesome. Thanks for the feedback
@@NextLevelCarAudio am I suppose to connect my positive alligator clig to the ground tab on top of the oscilloscope before using it. Out of the box the screen had hundreds of lines up and down and it wasn't even connected.
Please let me know how to use it from the box
Below are the speakers and amps in connection too
2 wetsound rear facing speakers bridged on polk audio amp @ 4ohm 28.28 @ 200w ch
Jl sub on polk audio @ 4 ohm 34.64v or 31.62v @ 250watts
2 Wetsound revo 8 & Ds18 tower speaker parallel on jl 360/2 amp @ 2ohm 19v @ 180w ch
I go over settings and such in detail here:
th-cam.com/video/nKQqcQ5q34I/w-d-xo.html
If that does not help, I’ll have to get back to you later man, I’m not in town and don’t recall off the top of my head
Awesome video.
I'm old-school - using my Dumbo ears.
All the teaching contact is damn good.
This would be checking for the clip point of the decks amplifier itself. Pre outs will definitely be different as I have tested this before. Alpine units I owned pre outs didnt clip at 35/35, but the amplifier inside the unit was only clean up to 26/35.
Yeh bro I got an alpine ilx-w650e and when I tuned my type r speakers I tuned it so the head unit is all the way up and it sounds clean as, no distortion. But I also got told that by having the head unit all the way up it doesn’t get as loud because your using less clean amplifier power and more stereo power if you know what I mean. What’s your thoughts on that mate, cheers.
This is a great point...especially when you have low voltage pre amp outs which are more prone to noise.
This video was made for that reason. To help people find max volume that have, say an amplified subwoofer but still running a non amplified front stage. Or anyone running speakers still being powered by the head unit. Then it is Vital to know when your HU clips. If you are running 100% externally amplified, technically you could send full HU volume to your amps and it can still put out an unclipped signal. Especially if you have decent preamp voltage 5v+. I just personally would not do it. It just makes me cringe to see my volume knob maxed out lol 😂 so, I just use the Same unclipped volume point as the high level reading and dial in everything else accordingly then don’t go past that point. Has worked great for me many years and have gotten pretty loud and clean.
@@NextLevelCarAudio yeah that's a good rule of thumb...and maybe a bit lower for cheap HU's that have low voltage preamp...that should still give you enough linear volume.
I wouldn't be able to stand seeing my volume at max either. Heh
This is what I am seeing as well with an iDoing head unit. Thought I was doing something wrong at first but have tested it in multiple ways with loudness / EQ settings and still clipping.
Nice one man 👍. Always with the knowledgeable stuff. Thanks man
I had to try this, and surprising to me the Pioneer 4450bt clips at 48 of max 50. For a relatively entry level unit I was a little shocked at that. Thanks for the tips man, I can tune the amps to that now instead of the 3/4 volume I did it to originally!
Great stuff man. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. You just helped a bunch a people including me save money. Thanks brother
You bet. Thanks for the feedback
Man this was a very good video to learn from..o-scope is def on my list on payday,Much appreciated from SouthTexas
Thanks for the feedback man! 😎
Can't you just put the Alligator clips on the RCA from the amp to check distortion from the headunit
I love how you teach this stuff because the average person does not know about distortion and will even turn the loudness button on when it's already distorted lol. Some seem to think this is bass but we know better
Hell yeah 😎
The loudness effect should fade out as the volume level increases. Maybe some headunits don't?
I actually ordered a o-scope because of your last tuning vid where u used one. Waiting for it now👍
I got one of those oscilloscope man the best 40 dollars I've spent.
Where are they available? I've been lookin EVERYWHERE
@@scrufscruff5883 amazon. I dont remember the name of the video, but he has other videos on his yt about tuning. He had a link in one of them
@@thora3980 thanks man
Find one here on eBay.
www.ebay.com/itm/New-Assembled-DSO150-Digital-Oscilloscope-2-4-inch-LCD-Display-with-Clip-Power/263783701694?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180213162448%26meid%3D99e31656fc014df696fdc1ad55125370%26pid%3D100930%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D402545691227%26itm%3D263783701694%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DDefaultOrganic%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2332490.c100930.m5375
Good help video for the ones that didn’t know and learning ! Keep it up bro !!
Thanks man
This is exactly how I did mine. With the same amazon Oscope + DMM for ref. My Kenwood receiver introduces clipping at 36. So max is 35. I did this however with everything in the car and before the amp so I unplugged the speaker level input harness and pinned each of the speakers using a small single strand wire or bread tie works. He’s exactly right tho, if you leave the speaker connected, and play low freq, you can hear when you clip. The sound changes.
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback! 😎
Your videos help a lot of us man thank you for making this videos 👏🏻
@NextLevelCarAudio Very informative and a wonderful video!! I had mentioned a couple times about finding the clipping point of my radio. While reading the comments, one or 2 touched bases on my original question. To clarify, say I was using your set up but with RCA connections to the external amplifiers (mids and highs) instead of using the high-level output from HU, would that allow me to turn the HU all the way up and just use the gains of the amplifier to find the clipping point or would the radio still send a clipped signal @ volume 36 to the amps via rca? Hope this makes sense. Thank you!!
You can technically send a clipped signal to your amp and still come out with a clean signal by dialing in your gain accordingly.... but it’s not necessary. No need to turn your volume to maximum and get the most out of your system.
ive been struggling with my subwoofers because I got some new speakers installed and car toys messed my system up bad, they never even fixed it for me so ive been trying to figure all this out. Thanks for the help man
Buddy picked this exact one up. Thank you for the detailed explanation and video. Very cool.. 👊
Awesome!
Very informative video bro. You should do a video on on factory head unit. I know a lot of us never didn’t want to replace that lol
Thanks for the feedback. Good idea
How’s it going brother!
Been learning so much from you and your vids, thank you for your time and effort!
Got a request: I’m someone who has a factory head unit, an Audiocontrol Lc2i, an Audiocontrol bass restorer, and an aftermarket amplifier. I’m sure I’m not the only one with the extra bells and whistles :)
Can you please teach us where to start checking for clipping, and where to go after each step until we’re done tuning for clipping?
Thanks again brother!!
Work from front to back. First fine head unit clipping point. Then voltage match all in line components, then finally set gain on your amp
@@NextLevelCarAudio how do I test the factory head unit when using a lc2i like where do the plugs go to check for the head unit for distortion ? Btw it’s a Cadillac ATS with Bose system. I tried tapping into the rca on the lc2i but got nothing
I will always recommend to buy a cheap oscilloscope.. tuning by ear can leave a probability to burn your speakers and you don’t need to listen to humming 40hz tone loud. It’s best to use the graph for accurate results!
So Glad I Found Your Videos Thanks Brother!!
You bet! Thanks for the support!
Got my oscilloscope today..just tested my Alpine CDE 175BT. Head unit amp power which is 18 watts rms maxes out at 27 no clipping. Pre-outs max out at 35 no clipping which is the highest the volume goes. I guess I have one of those one or two head units that maxes out at max volume no clipping. Thanks for the great video. I'm at peace now. :)
Awesome! It is common for the RCA clip point to be higher than the speaker outputs. But max volume? Even better 😎 it is all dependent on the preamp output voltage your RCA’s are dishing out from the head unit. But hey, awesome! Glad it worked out well for you!
@@NextLevelCarAudio It's 5 volts pre-out which is why I got it.
Nice
Great video..great detail...great explanation.
Thank you!
Sure thing
How do you determine settings on the oscope, specifically voltage? You set it to 2v but why exactly? Orders one of the cheaper oscopes off Amazon so I can set a 4runner's factory HU that's running to an Lc7i then to kenwood xr901-5 powering factory shitty speakers and a 10" sub. Also need to find bass roll off too from factory so your videos have been helpful!
This guy the GOAT! Thanks!
My current Alpine UTE-73BT head unit has a couple settings I'm not super familiar with that I'd love to see explained in one of your videos. If you already have one, please link me to it. Thanks! What I'm curious about is in the equalizer settings, the ones marked Width and the one marked Center Frequency. I experimented with them and found the Width brought out a bit more frequency volume when adjusted up in the Mid and Treble settings. But I'd love to find out more about these 2 equalizer adjustments. Wondering if I'd perform this maximum volume test with those set up or down or how? Thanks!
I’m not familiar with that alpine “Q” setting but am assuming it adjusts the width of the dB/octave roll off of a specific frequency band. The wider you go, the smoother the roll off. The narrower you go the steeper the roll off
It is worth mentioning that some units with rca outputs may clip on the internal amp but not on the RCA pre outs.
So would it be of any bit to doing this after the amp?
@@dropzoneJustin you work it like a process. Say you have a head unit a mid 2/3/4 channel amp and a mono block amp you would disable the mid and sub amps find distortion/clip of head unit and never pass that volume afterwards. Then you do the same thing but checking the signal out of the mid multi channel amp to set the gain. Then disable the mid amp and set the gain of the sub amp. There is also ways to use a calculator and multimeter to ensure your gain is correct along with this way of listening. Once you have the head and mid set disable the mid amp and go onto the sub amp and repeat the process. Remember each of these amps are playing a select signal range you may use a 80-120hertz signal to set the head and mid amp but then use a 40herts signal to set the amp to sound but always verify with a multimeter and calculator that the gain is within tolerance. Once you have the head unit volume noted i would set the head unit to the preferred EQ/loudness on or of all that stuff and check it again because the clip point could change with those settings. Always look at the audio system as a chain of command because if you have a poor/undesired signal at head unit (first in the chain) then it doesnt mater what you do the signal of the next links in the chain is already undesirable. Not all of us can afford the fancy SMD tools or an O-scope or know how to use them. Another thing to consider is give yourself some head room if you daily drive and bump for hour or more at a time find the gain setting max and back it off a bit so your equipment doesnt struggle at 100%. Setting crossovers is also a key part to not blow your gear if you set the crossover cutoffs and slopes to be sharp (12+db) the undesired frequencies fall off faster and your equipment becomes more electrically efficient IE amps dont get as hot speaker coils dont get as hot and for subs they arent trying to jump out hte box and run away. Sub over excursion and heat is the number 1-2 killers. Subsonic filters are a bit new to me but say your box is tuned 31hz and the speakers FS is 38hz but claims to range from 24hz to 900hz you dont want that sub playing at volume a 20hz or below signal you want that subsonic to drop off at like 30hz because it will roll down a slope from the 30 to 10hz range the DB setting of a slope is the speed the filter rolls off down that hill and the lowpass filter is the same thing but for the other side of the signal range like from 80hz up if we are talking subwoofer it may be set to anywhere from 80hz to 250hz and slope off as the hz increase. Hertz is basically like beats per minute of an alternating current be it AC or DC power. good luck tuning and remember give yourself some room and your gear will last longer dont crank dials to impress or 1-up other people. IF you set your stuff up right it will last a long time. I am just now building a new system the last one 4-jensen Xs1010 150watt rms on 2 old 2channel amps and a 2/3/4 channel Logic Soundlabs 800watt amp for the mids and highs getting signal from a old school pyramid switched active crossover.. This system lasted over 20 years still works fine been through 4 vehicles and few sets of mid and highs but same gear and subs for all that time. Times have changed the equipment now is way more complex than it has to be honestly by now the amps should have auto tuning features but if they did that you all wouldnt break gear and they would make less money. New system in the works will be using modern head unit, DSP, and 2 sets of Audiopipe txx-bdc2-10's at 1ohm per pair on 2 skar audio rp1200.1 amps using same old school LSL4640 4channel 800watt amp for the rest. If you didnt guess i am a fan of 10inch subs and for good reason 12-15's are more of air pumps where 8-10 in the right box give you all you need for decent SQ without taking up all your cabin space the idea is to make your vehicle into an order of the enclosure not make the enclosure so big your cabin is useless and chokes the subs. I took a break from soldering and cant put my last sub in the box cause the impact gun will piss off the wifey at 2am...Who gonna help me carry the box back out to the jeep if i make her mad? Im still waiting for my only fans to blow up so i can afford a 300amp alternator for a 04 grand cherokee (0.o)......will be waiting for a while i think.
My IDoing head unit does not clip on RCA outputs. I just got the scope and set everything to high settings on head unit but no clipping with 1k tone.
Rca outputs are low level and will not clip like high level/speaker outputs will
For example my headunit clips at 54, then I test on amp and it distorts at 42(4 channel) and 50 (sub amp). My max would now be 42, right? Cuz I can’t use 54 if distortion after amps is lower. Thanks in advance.
Thts a great way to figure out how much the radio can handle plus knw whn clippin starts awsome wrk
Thanks
Hey mate good video, just got a question, when tuning your mids to hear for clipping how do you know what test tone to use? My mids play 150 hertz and up so would I still use a 40 hertz test tone?
You can totally use 150 or even 1000hz. I just used 40 as it was easier for me to show what distortion “sounds” like through the video using that lower frequency.
Hello brother, I learned a lot from your videos but there is something that I don't understand on finding the clipping point of the HU using my Oscilloscope. Should I turn off the crossover, time alignment, listening position, automatic level control and sound retriever on my pioneer HU? Thank you!
I always check HU clipping exactly how I intend to listen to it. So keep everything as is. That way it will give you accurate info
Thanks for this man. I just switched from a pioneer head unit to a large screen atoto head unit from Amazon and not taking lower output voltage into consideration kept my gains on both amps the same and clipped my subwoofer to death .. is a 40hz test tone until distortion a good way to set amp gains as well? Also I have purchased a line driver/ output converter from kicker to boost sub output voltage from original speaker level outputs seeing as my door speakers run off a 4 channel and they are unused. Is this a viable option?
Yes sounds like you are on track just fine :)
I just got one of the same o-scope’s. I’m trying to set up the gains with it and can’t get it to show the same signal as your videos and I’m not sure if it’s cause I’m checking the signal at the end of the speaker wire where it would be connected to the speaker. I don’t usually comment on TH-cam, especially when I have a question but I’m just not sure what else I could be doing differently. I’ve watch your other video as well. Any help is really really appreciated. Thanks in advance
Testing it at the end of the speaker wire is fine. It is probably because you need to adjust the voltage sensitivity on the oscope so you can see the reading properly. That would be the first knob on the left. Try not only 20v, but 5v, .2v, .05v till you see it
Thank you for this video. Question in regard to tablet or phone connected to HU to play test tone. Does it matter what tablet/phone volume is at?
Yes, I would set at max.
Good information bro 🤟🏾. Gotta question, when using only amplifiers to power mids and highs. Do I still need to find clipping point at the head unit? Or am I getting the correct clipping point when I test at the amps? I'm using the same oscilloscope.. thanks
If everything in your set up is amplified and nothing running on head unit power then yeah, can set just at amps:)
"Mr Comment" here once again... sorry, too many questions/concerns pop up when I watch your videos. But the one thing I noticed about this cheap (yet very valuable tool) is that all those numbers STAY at the top of the screen, blocking the sine wave bars in 2/3 of the display! Geez, any more numbers at the top and you couldn't even SEE the bar graph come up! That's the only concern I have about this. Too bad they didn't add a button that could turn off those annoying numbers in white that are taking up so much upper screen space. STILL an awesome tool that I know I'll use for years!
Funny thing is, they do go away... Once you read the instruction manual, it's explained how to get them to turn off. Furthermore, you can also adjust the effect of "how zoomed in" to the sine wave the graph shows by changing the readings/settings, making your "concerns" void of necessity, Mr Comment...
That was a good video and experience becouse it's as if the tone changes when it starts to clip love the video gunna go and check mine to make sure 👍
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback
Shout out to the $40 scope! I was wanting to get one of them and wasnt sure if it would be good but after I saw your gains setting video I knew I could get it. Legit best $40 ever spent for the DYI guy. Love SMD and his products but the DD1+ I cant justify buying as it would be something I only use a few times ever in my life. It was also the first time ever used a scope. I ahd been setting my gains by my ears my whole life. I went and used the scope and found that my ears and scope were right on the exact same spot, within like 1 click on the volume, of distortin. I always heed on the side of caution as well so once I heard distortion I would go back down like 3 clicks to be sure and set my gains and everything from that point. Never had problems! It is nice using a scope though these days. Its definitely a more definitive way to doit but I trust my ears as well, they are well trained after 40years on this planet lol
Awesome feedback man! Thanks for sharing!
Pretty interesting way to check for clipping, good job man! I had a question though not related to this videos. What was the turnaround time for your 4th order design from bassaholic? I'm getting ready to start a 6th order build but just undecided who to get the design from.
About 3 weeks I believe! Took a long time.
@@NextLevelCarAudio damn, that is a quite the wait, ima see if Hunter Martin can get me sooner. Also do you mind dropping the link to your o-scope? I personally have a DD-1 and CC-1 but with some full bridge amps the DD-1 won’t pick up any signal so I rather purchase one of those too. I’m an installer in Houston so I tune amps a lot lol
The link I have for this one is no longer active. I just tell people to search eBay and Amazon for one. Thanks for the Feedback man
Thank you for this video found out my head unit clips at 37 😊
Excellent video. Keep educating folks staying to get into car audio. The reason why I never buy any other brand head unit other than pioneer is because 99 percent of all their head units send out clean signal at max volume. Haven't tested one that has ever clipped.
No you're thinking of older alpine units. Pioneer aka PICOneer...
Nice content. I wonder if a 1000hz test tone would of allowed the deck to go higher in volume before distortion...or is it all the same you think?
Not sure. Would be a good test
hey great video!!! does clipping change because there is load when the speakers are hookedup?
Hey man great videos I'm learning a lot thanks to you.👍
I have a 2018 durango with the beats audio system i think it has a factory amplifier how do i test it? thanks
Thanks! You need to find the amp speaker output, or can test from the actual speaker as well if that’s easier
Thank you. Very good Video. Helped me alot.
No problem
Great video. I read a comment saying you really only need a scope to check head unit clipping levels.
Would it be any different at 30hz, 100hz, 1000hz, etc, as far as testing goes? Can you do this test on music as well?
And then after finding the clipping volume of your head unit, you can just adjust gain knob by ear? I thought it was supposed to be matched with the head unit rca voltage?
Can’t test with music, need a tone if using scope. Can use different frequency. Yes, supposed to match preamp Input voltage, but with experience can do it by ear
Awesome Bud...very informative...ur definitely educating the ppl!!!!!...Thanks.....im still learning...#OldSchoolBassHead.....
I have a question for you so I have an aftermarket stereo and the other day my amp turned off and I have a fuse block in the front and a fuze block in the back the fuze block in the front melted and so I changed it out I checked my amp and it was hot my amp has never been warm not even once before well while my system is on it bumps at low volume but as I turned up the volume it's like the amp output goes down and the head unit speakers get louder so I changed the amp to a brand new one and a new sub and it's doing the same thing and I have checked all my grounds and power wires I'm wondering if my head unit is the reason it's doing what it's doing
The internal amp clip point will differ with load. So always test it loaded with the resistance of your speakers or load resistor.
If your car has a 4ohm speaker and you test the headunit outside the car with 8ohm speaker then you will reach clip point early and by that math will leave performance on the table.
Also rca clip point would be different than internal amp clip point cus the rca although gets it's signal from the same source, most headunits have a tiny pre amp stage for the rca out.
Does it matter what volts are set on the oscilloscope because if I set it on 2 volts I can go up to 40 volume,but if I set it up at 5 volts my factory radio will go up to 47. Btw I have a 15 Cadillac ATS with the 10 speaker Bose system.
Could u clip the leads on the oscope to the speaker wires cause I just got the oscope this past week my speakers are amped now lol
Awesome video 📹
Thanks Brotha 👍
Thanks man
I have a car that has a factory amplifier, just clarifying that the process would be the same. I have a lc2i as well.Just ordered. Handheld and want to dial all my gains in. I also wanted to know when setting up the lc2i could you use the o scope to see what volume the bass starts to drop out.
Yes! I always start from the front (head unit) figuring out max unclipped volume, then preamp/EQ/DSP, LOC, or in your case LC2i. Then finally dialing in Gain on amp
HI Just learning this.. How do I go about checking for clipping in a twin sub box with each sub fed separately by two channel amp? Thanks
If you set your head unit and amp gain to maximum (correctly) by using a 40hz etc test tone what would happen if you stream music from iTunes with bass boost set through your phone will it introduce distortion? Thanks and great videos by the way.
Thanks. It very well could if that source level was not set with the bass boost on
That's cool as hell man. I didn't know that it would work like that. What about a clipped signal through the rcas though? I don't use any of the speaker outputs, only the preouts from the head unit.
Thanks for the feedback. If using just RCA’s Then honestly it does not matter. I still use the high level clipping point tho for my setup. Because even tho I may be able to turn the volume all the way up. I just cringe setting my volume knob maxed out lol. Plus it’s not necessary as sensitivity can be adjusted via it gain at the amp if you are running all low level
This is an extremely valuable lesson taught, how would you test this when an amp has been added?
Test prior to signal entering amp.
@@NextLevelCarAudio I have an lc7i and a 4channel hooked up, do I check it from the lc7i speaker inputs or check from the wire that goes into the speaker inputs on the Amp? TIA
I’d do both, so your signal stays consistent throughout from head unit to amp
This question is kinda off topic but what settings on the oscilloscope do I use when trying to see a 1khz sine wave to check for clipping on a mids and highs amp?
Gotta toy around with it.... off the top of my head I don’t recall the specifics. Should dial in tho so you can see it.
Can u do one about powering everything from battery to alternater and to adding power in the back for maximum power from the battery n alternater + the amount of wires for each amp lol ik i need more cables but how do I do under the hood setup
I’ll see if I can add that to the mix
Cool. I did this with my head unit but this really isnt for the inputs to your sub amp. Mainly for clipping on highs without amp. You can input a full distorted or pure square wave into your sub amp and the output will be clean sign wave unclipped. I've tested this. Always thought to do this for sub input but you dont really have to. What is your opinion on this?
Most people do not run 100% amplified systems. Which means even if they have subs and amps, they likely still have speakers being powered by their head unit. With that it is vitally important to check head unit clipping point. I always recommend doing that even if you can send a square wave into the amp.... why do that? If you don’t have to or need to. 75% head unit volume is plenty loud for most people, including me
What do you think about the dual head unit I think it’s great personally for the price point
I was impressed for the price. I bought it to do bench testing. Performing work for the price that’s for sure
Great info,going to give it a try..
Thanks
Wow thanks now I know what to listen for when it starts to clip thanks
What about tweeter speakers ? wjat tone is good to use to adjust them ? Thanks in advance
I have jbl bass pro SL 2 (small sub/amp combo) How would I go about tuning it with the oscilloscope?
You would have to pull out the subwoofer with everything still connected, and tap into the subs speaker wires. Pretty simple
If your satisfied with your volume before you even hit the max and no clip is it cool to just set the gain for that? I got after market speakers, tweeters, amp and subs and it gets super super loud at like 30. I'm hesitant to even go past that
Yes sir, that’s totally cool
I'm using a kenwood dpx505bt which has 13 band eq and also hpf and lpf crossovers. Head unit only for fronts and rears. Mono amp and a 10. So do I check for clipping with the eq flat or set where I want it? Also, crossovers on or off? Doesn't frequency affect clipping. I always thought clipping was the speaker not being able to handle the power. Are you saying it's actually a voltage issue from the source?
Set everything where you want it, then dial in gain last. Mismatch of preamp voltage and input sensitivity (gain) is what causes clipping. Gain needs to be set to match or be lower than the preamp voltage your head unit is sending out otherwise you will be getting A clipped signal regardless of power being out putted.
Great video, i actually bought the exact same Oscope to set my system up properly.. One question though, i always thought clipping meant the wave being squared off. In this video the wave only just looks a bit distorted... The graphics on this oscope is terrible. When i tested it at first i thought i was clipping even at really low volume as the lines are not perfectly straight, then re watched your video and realised its just the oscope... But because the wave is not graphically perfect on the screen it makes me question when is distortion really occuring..
Clipping is when the wave is “clipped” square top. Distortion is when the wave starts to “distort” from its true natural curve shape. I set my gear to not only knit clip, but to also be distortion free. Sounds VERY clean if you do it this way. I tell people If it’s not loud enough, don’t turn up the gain to compensate, get more amps and speakers.
@@NextLevelCarAudio Thanks for the reply -Ah fair enough yeah that makes sense. I tested all of my equiptment again and found that for some reason the sine waves look fine even at max volume on a 1khz test tone (testing mid speaker). But when i tapped into the underseat sub speaker wires (low pasesd by factory system) i could not get a clean sine wave at any volume - the sinewave wasnt distorted like in this video. However the top of the wave (although not squared/clipped) looked jaggedy like a mountain top.... Its wierd because the bass does sound very clear with no audible distortion :/
That is strange... that’s when tuning by ear really comes into play. Sometimes our ears can be better assets than gear
On this exact deck i turn the bass all the way down doesn't clip even at max volume? Mine doesn't seem to but you have the gadgets to see that
Can you please show us exactly how to set up the Ascope like you have it because I cannot figure out how to get the sign wave bigger like that so I can clearly see it clipping. I matched your settings exactly but what am I missing? I only have little small graph barely can see it. Please help. I just need step-by-step how to set it up so that when I do this test, I can see a larger sign wave.
quick question. can i test using the RCA's coming off the head unit BEFORE they are plugged into the amp too test for head unit clipping? in my car is near impossible to pull the speakers out of the door after they are installed. same with getting the head unit out. also if my head unit puts out at 5v preout do i set the o scope to 5v instead of the 2v you mentioned?
Interesting one interested to see what ppl say
Sure! Here Is another video of me doing just that and also explaining in depth settings on the scope
th-cam.com/video/nKQqcQ5q34I/w-d-xo.html
Different sources such as blutooth tuner aux input usb input and CD typically clip at different levels depending on the signal strength
That’s why it’s a good idea to use a SLA or get a unit that has one built in to equal out the input signal so that they are equal between sources
Question. I have an amp (DB ASA 4000.1) that does 4000 RMS, and 2 kicker solo x 15” subs wired down to 1 ohm to the amp. Gain set to right before distortion with 40hz -10db test tone and Crossovers set to 25hz of my 30hz tuned box, 80hz for LPF. Using the SMD DD-1 & CC-1. Have 350 amp HO alternator with a 2nd battery XS power 3100 with a 630F ultra cap bank. Im getting a soft clip at louder volumes 34/35 of 38. With Bass Knob turned half to 3/4 way up. I get soft clipping at dynamic kicks with like a flash of red clip light, and if i turn the volume or bass up more it will be more of a hard clip with a solid red clip light. Doesn’t clip with the more boomy bass, like 30-50hz . What’s the Best way to midigate to no clip without turning down gain and leaving power on the table.
You should do a video comparing this cheaper oscilloscope to the high dollar ones everyone is familiar with. I ordered one of these when you put the video out a while back showing it and I personally love it and I'm glad you made that video because I did not know it existed until then. Problem is a lot of people say they're no good and they do not at all compared to the real ones. I personally love mine and think that other people are not using it right perhaps. Great video, I have learned a LOT from your channel 😁👍🏼👊🏼🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊
Thanks man. Good idea for a video 😎
Great video. I've learned a lot from you. But my question is that I want to check my distortion volume on my factory head unit but it has a factory amp. Can I still get a accurate reading with factory amp
You would need to check the signal before it enters the amp
can you explain better? i have this same issue with a factory headunit with factory amp not sure how to go about it dont wanna f nun up
Check at speaker wire before it enters the amp. This can be done either at the factory amp, or behind the factory head unit
I played around with this and I get distortion at different volumes depending on what frequency of test tone is being played I normally play music right at around volume 27 or 28. Playing a 40hz test tone I heard distortion at volume 26 playing a 1000hz it was well above volume 26. I pkayed with other frequencies and it varied. What number do I go by?
I would go with the lowest volume that starts to distort. If you are running amplified, then you can adjust gains accordingly so that they all peak the Same
Your head unit was 2 volts. Is there a setting for 4 volts, or de we have to use another number?
Great video. I need help .. I also have a DS18 EQX7 7 band Stereo equalizer. How would I properly set that up in a system and check the gain On that ? Which volume do I use to control the volume of the system the radio or the equalizer ?
I would use the radio. Dial in the 7 band eg how you want it. Set your head unit volume to max clip or 75% if you don’t know. Then adjust gains properly. Should be all set
@@NextLevelCarAudio Thank you 😊 Keep up the good work...
Do you have a video on how to set the distortion gadget?
I learned a LOT from this video, and in fact I'm watching it for the third time in days right now! But what I can't believe I'm seeing is someone so into high-end car audio who actually has a Dual head unit on the bench! Dual??? Probably the lowest quality of car audio stuff out there? I'm baffled by this. Why would you even have that in your shop? I'm gonna guess you took it out of someone's vehicle to do a head unit upgrade and it's just tossed in a box of junk, because that's what Dual is. Oh sure, I'm 62 years old, so I remember when Dual made some of the best turntables out there back in the 70's. But, like so many other brands, like Phase Linear and more, their quality has gone from very high to extremely low over the years. Just thought I'd point this out. STILL an awesome, very informative video! And I'm going to set MY head unit's volume level max using this method. After what I spent on my Alpine mechless head unit, I want the cleanest sound I can get running through my equalizer and back to my amps. THIS little tool is certainly going to help!
Thanks for the support. A lot of my viewers are on a budget and have dual, Jensen, Pyle, etc head units. So i like using things that relate with my viewers for my testing. Now, in my Hummer/demo vehicle that’s a different story. I have a top of the line kenwood excelon.
@@NextLevelCarAudio I saw that! Nice deck! I've had a few Excelons in my years but none quite like that. When I had them, the cool thing was those dolphins swimming across the screen! LOL! But I had mine set to the spectrum analyzer screen which was more cool to watch. But yes, I understand the using lesser dollar brands for demonstration purposes. I was once a huge fan of Jensen speakers, and even had several Jensen amps over the years. Like many viewers, I too am on a budget. I have better gear than any of my friends or family, but it's all purchased after months of research. I know what I like, and I do a ton of comparisons before I rush out and purchase ANY piece of car audio. Then of course I look for the lowest prices on my choice on eBay! Got my Nakamichi 4-channel amp brand new on eBay for $150 but it would have cost me $300 directly from Nakamichi, so the money saved helped on other purchases. I'm waiting to find a video from you that explains the best connections for tweeters. That's my issue right now. In my previous couple cars I ran them right off the head unit and they sounded okay. Of course I use 5,000Hz bass blockers with them! Now days, I'm running a pair of Cerwin-Vega tweeters in parallel off both the front 6.5's and the rear 6x9's. They sound crystal clear, as I was hoping! I didn't do this until I found out the importance of a 20-watt 8-ohm resistor Cerwin-Vega says is needed if using high power amps. Trouble is, they still seem to shut down after 15-30 minutes of higher volume, but come right back on if I turn the volume down. I want to run all 4 tweeters off a second amp, but not sure on the best choice for a strictly high-frequency tweeter amp. I'll look through your channel and see if you explain tweeters more.
Nice! Lol, I’ll do a video specifically on tweeters. Have not done so yet really
Hey I have some questions for u. I’ve been purchasing alpine products from the ilx 407 head unit the type r 6x8 for doors the sa60 m amp for the r-sb12v and the kla power pack that attaches to head unit and the Rockville rxc4d 4 fared 12 c capacitor. Please give me some tips to install properly
Sorry for just getting back to you. Did you get going yet? What specifically would you like help with?
I'm having a system professional installed. I'm sure they'll do a great job tuning it and I promise I won't touch the gain knob haha. With that being said I'm sure I'll want to play around with the crossovers on the head unit and amp. Will I be safe doing so or is it just best to leave it alone? I'll be sure to take pictures before I touch anything in case I screw it up
Good idea with remembering the baseline settings. You should be ok as long as you stay away from bass boost and low frequency EQ settings
@@NextLevelCarAudio thank you
This is great keep up the good work bro
Thanks!
@@NextLevelCarAudio hey question? Testing an amp with an oscope is there a difference between a subwoofer connect and subwoofer disconnected
Slight rail voltage difference. But negligible. There will be a slight difference between the two... you can do it both ways and choose which one clips the signal sooner or split the difference.
@@NextLevelCarAudio thanks bro
Question just for clarification point, you said un-amplified head units only but what about the premium oem head units that are already powered with an external amplifier?
It works for those to. What I meant By external amplifiers were actual amplifier that you buy separate from your head unit
I tried with my 2015 Volvo XC60 OEM head unit, but I never actually heard clipping, even turned all the way up. I used an Oscope phone app and it never looked pointy and distorted. My car was rattling in some places but the audio overall sounded clean. Does this sound right? Does Volvo use magical head units?
There are in fact some heat units/ manufacturers that don’t clip! Looks like you got one. Awesome
When testing, where do you set your head unit crossovers if you don’t have a amp connected to them.
I like to set the head unit to where it will be playing normally.
Can I test the rca's from the head unit at the amp but I would disconnect them from the amp, that would be easiest for me to get to
Can any aftermarket head units let you set max volume? That would be a great feature to have.
That would be nice. But I don’t think I’ve seen that
My head unit clips at 45 percent volume... even with all the gains turned down. Someone I called for advice said they might have spliced into the head unit for power instead of the factory amp 😔 I hope that’s true. I have an appointment Saturday to get that checked. Car: Honda Accord 2018 sport. Stock head unit. Lc7i converter
Hey unit clipping at 45%? That sucks. Yeah, I’d have it checked out. It’s good you are taking it in
A question that hopefully makes sense...When setting the gain on a monoblock sub amp using a test sine wave ,does the output on the amp change depending on what tone is used? Like if you were to use a 50hz sine wave or a 40hz sine wave, would the voltage change? I tried the multimeter way to set the gain and I used a 50 hz sine wave at just before clipping point with head unit volume..Using the square root method my proper voltage setting should be around 34.6 volts coming out of amp..I used a 50 hz test tone ...so would using a 40 hz test tone alter the gain setting on the amp?? Probably confused right now but would appreciate the feed back🙏👋
Barevids says that its best to use the tuning frequency of your box. JL audio says to use 40hz as a generic frequency to fit most applications. Buck Pomerantz from Crutchfield says a 60hz tone is best as the multimeter will be more sensitive at that frequency.
@@hippo-potamus Damn😂Every name you mentioned are audio geniuses and now I gotta play pick one🤣Seriously though thanks for the info👍🙏💯
whit a cheap multimeter tour fine whit 60 ha thats right .👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😷
Thanks for the vid I have the same exact head unit