Gains with a DMM

[Babs]

google steve meade designs dmm gain setting tool. About $150. Dont know anything about it other than it looks simple to use.

But then you would be supporting douchebaggery

Yeah I've got one of those SMD DD-1's.. So what it'll do is let you know when you reach a certain distortion threshold at the head unit (when it clips basically) and then at that level when the amp clips.. Running either 1khz or 40hz tone. So what's that tell you.. How far you can peg an SPL system.. So kind of a baseline. I still find it too noisy and I still use gains for driver balancing. Back them off to a level I want by ear. Results are the four things you want to achieve.. Clean, noise-free, balanced, loud-capable. Done.

Probably about as good as if I simply had one of the cheap pocket hand-held O-scopes.. I dunno. So would I recommend it? Eh, it's easy, but so are your ears if you know what solid-state clipping sounds like.

Also the thing is once you start tuning, you're backing off on "gain" anyway in the channels when level-matching anyway so it's kinda moot.. I suppose if I really needed more head-room I could easy push the envelop AFTER level-matching out to near-clip, but why? Just to have to deal with noise, and have 1/4 actual usable volume before it runs you out of the car?

In short.. Set your gains so it's quiet, clean and loud as you want it to be, using a good recording of music that isn't pegged from loudness-war engineering. Then you'll know if it plays "good" recordings cleanly at your personal "reference level" without issue or grain or strain, it'll rock about any music you throw in and on pegged recordings you can back off at the volume or consider a tad less gain.

[61ragtop]

Wow so much to learn lol. I like to be a DIY guy witch isn't bad but the fact that I over research things can be some times lol.

So so just to be clear if I make/ find something that will handle a 600w 4ohm load I can use it for both my sub and tweeter channels correct? And I will need two of what ever it is so I can load both tweeter channels? And then I will need another to handle a 250w @ 2 ohm load for my mid channels if I go that route otherwise I can use whatever I get for the other 4ohm channels.

[ca90ss]

Or.......you could just use your ears and be done with it.

[61ragtop]

Lol very true ca90ss but I tried that and it didn't go so well lol. Until I train my ears I will have to resort to some sort of technology....

[ca90ss]

What specifically was the problem you encountered while trying to set them by ear?

[61ragtop]

Well I started with the sub and I couldn't really hear when it started to clip. I didn't get to the other channels but I was also told by the Audison rep not to set the tweeters that was as the tweeter can blow really easily. Here is his quote...

"Ahhh. I would definitely not recommend tuning tweeters by ear without a passive crossover. Although you can technically hear the clip point, due to the size and nature of a tweeter it’s *very* easy to blow them up. They can’t handle the power/clipped signal like a door speaker or subwoofer can. So my recommendation obviously would be using an oscilloscope. But if you can’t do that then you’ll need test tones in the correct frequency bandwidth, a steady and quick hand for the gain controls and a good ear."

this is just made me really nervous as I don't want to have to come up with more money I don't have to be replacing speakers.

[chad]

why does everyone need to know when something clips? If this is such a widely treasured piece of information then amps should just have clip lights.

[ca90ss]

Because everyone seems to think clipping is what blows speakers.

[Hillbilly SQ]

Solution...power is cheap. Buy enough to make your speakers run you out of the car before the amp clips. Or blows something up before the amp clips. I prefer to do what Scott does and set the gains to where the system will reach desired max volume with a little wiggle room left for really low recordings. I've also been known to set gains lower than needed to protect me from myself. It ain't a party until you have enough power to launch the coil out of the gap when the mood strikes

[Babs]

Solution...power is cheap. Buy enough to make your speakers run you out of the car before the amp clips. Or blows something up before the amp clips. I prefer to do what Scott does and set the gains to where the system will reach desired max volume with a little wiggle room left for really low recordings. I've also been known to set gains lower than needed to protect me from myself. It ain't a party until you have enough power to launch the coil out of the gap when the mood strikes

Yep, as I've discovered with the higher output through the optical input on the DSP, it'll sit my butt right down and make me run for cover and make me fear for the life of the drivers before any clipping.. Headroom is a great thing. And I'm just running a couple PDX's. Nothin' special. 200w to each mid, 100w to each tweet.