CLIPPING: WHERE DOES IT START, HOW DO YOU PREVENT IT? 

I also was getting my system tuned by these " People who say they can tune your audio system by ear. Dude told me he's been in car audio for 30 yrs. and my sub still blew. So I bought the SDM DD1.

It's entirely possible to tune by ear without damaging stuff and you shouldn't tune amps to never clip. There's a reason the DD1 disc comes with -5db, -10db, etc tracks. If you're not clipping at all you're leaving a massive amount of power on the table. If the only time you're getting the full power out of the amp is when a 0db note plays consider every other note is nowhere near the amp's real output and music is dynamic.

I put togethee my own system, nothing fanzy. 800w rms 1 ohm sub and matched it with amp with same rms. Running good for 3 years. Now the big mistake is also to bush it too hard. Sound pressure level? Think that is where some of the problem is. I personally do my builds on sound quality and keep the volume down a little to save my ears.

Tuned mine by ear it was just fine you could turn up to 40 🤷‍♂️

So true.

how does a distorted audio signal clip a amplifiers output? If you match the max signal output voltage (Clean or distorted) to the amplifier input section with the gain you should never have clipping. A amplifier does not care what the signal looks like coming in, It only cares about the voltage and frequency

Tuning an amp to never clip is also a colossal waste of power and thus money.

@@Thezuule1 u say that because you didn’t get the proper amp to power your setup so without clipping ur bass is poor. So u have to clip to get it loud. U basically are going backwards in life sir..

@@Carlossteezyblunts I say that because it's the case with any amp in any setup. Music is dynamic and if you tune an amp to never clip at 0 db you're leaving a ton of power on the table. An amp should be tuned around -5 db generally, sub amps can be pushed more toward -10 db.

facts

true. that's why I tell people to never use an oscilloscope or multimeter to set the gains on your amp. you need to know the maximum clean output of the head unit and you can't find that number without a DD-1 or DD-1+

If you watch Barevids on youtube, he showed an example of this, he proved that even if the head unit put out a clipped signal the amplifier if the amp has a low pass filter it will out any noise and re smooths the signal. this is because clipping adds high frequency noise to your signal so if the amp has a low pass that filters them out.

@@mr_killjoy4205 wow you couldn't be so much further from the truth. A oscilloscope is literally looking at electricity and waveforms You should learn a oscop and throw the DD1 in the trash.

@@livingthelife2wice he also sends a squarewave into the amp and it poops out a sinewave magically. People are so sold on the waveform shape they dont even understand what a waveform is. He litteraly shows you and people are still like "nuuu uhh" while gripping their beloved dd1 and in smd we trust pamphlet of how to be another basshead sheep

Subwoofers never really play at the ohm load on the box either so you're never going to get 1 ohm power for more than a split second and the bulk of the time the subs will be at 1.8 or 2.1 ohms anyway while they're playing.

I was thinking of running a 1200 watt amp with some 800-1000 watt speakers soon. Should I go a little higher? I don't think so tbh.

@@sergioh2015 it will be ok

The amp don't know what the subs are rated for.

Hmmmm so I have the sundown zv6 12 on a sundown 4k that’s almost 50 but still clips

Well if you didn't tune it right don't blame the amp. My SFB-1000 is tuned to soft clip on purpose and it's been running strong for like a year.

@@Thezuule1 I've been soft clipping the original Sundown SAZ1500 for years with no issues. Decent amplifier for sure.

Kid you can’t run SFBS below 1 ohm. You will have to get a salt 4 and run it at half ohm. You’ll need a high output alternator and some good batteries

@@dretey9072 how would he run a single D2 sub at 0.5 ohm? Kid...

I would check the gain and also make sure things like bass boost are turned off. You don't need any speakers hooked up for the output on the amp to be clipped. I would imagine 80% of people have their gain set too high. Maybe by a lot or maybe just a little but it is a very common thing and a lot of people just kind of guess at it. They fry equipment and lose interest in the hobby when it was just a matter of matching the gain to the source. Generally, once everything is setup properly, bass boost just isn't necessary and lots of people fry subs with it.

they make the JP8 which is an 800W @1ohm amplifier

JP8 would be great for you then

I have a JP8 and it is nice. It would suit your needs. You typically want more amp than sub because of impedance rise and other factors, a sub will never see the full power of the amp pushing it. At least no for more than a brief moments when playing music. Some channels on youtube show real time numbers while playing music and it is not unusual for a 3k amp to push between a couple of hundred watts up to maybe a bit over 2k while playing music. It is a whole rabbit hole to go down but if you try to match numbers, you will sell yourself short and possibly wind up clipping because it doesn't sound that loud. I have had my JP8 for a while now and love the clip light. I don't think I will ever get an amp again without a clip light. Songs are recorded at all sorts of different levels and picking one for setting your gains makes the others a bit, or a lot, sub-optimal. This gives some wiggle room and I can just nudge things up to just before clipping and roll with it without worrying. Not sure on your setup but if you think your ride could handle it, I would almost say get the JP23. Gives you room to upgrade and no one is ever "finished" with their system it seems. Always wanting a bit more power and volume. If not you can get a second JP8 later. It is strappable and gives 2300w @2 ohms.

hence why you should always work on your electrical first; before you even power the system on for the first time.

@@mr_killjoy4205 I bump at 15volts and I'm not clipping

@BEATING NCP93 I plan on adding a 320 alt with big 3 .. nothing happened yet I just don't turn it passed half way on the knob yet

@BEATING NCP93 I have the the D4S lithium battery 🔋 😎 and 0 gauge wire running to the amp already. My other battery is a Optima yellow top 👏 But yeah I wanna get a new alt next most deff. What's a good brand?

Back it down if it flickers

@BEATING NCP93 no dimming lights. Just the yellow clip light kinda flashes like every 10 seconds sorta flocker

@BEATING NCP93 yeah my setup is 4 SKAR EVL 8" with a jp23 amp. Still hits but I can't turn the gain up high or the voltage drops. (Hope the new alt solves that) What system u running?

I believe that is extra power for the sub. Take this with a grain of salt but I have a headunit that has the similar volume thing, but I just leave it at 0. I believe it’s just for those who want to add more volume to your subwoofer.. I think it depends on your power and your subs limits… Just use your maximum undistorted headunit volume and leave the bass thing at 0 and I think you should be good. But I used a -10 sub test tone for my sub, on the amp gain. Basically see what works for you and what sounds good. Experiment with it until you get it right. Hope this helps as I see no one has replied to you.

what do mean low voltage???? there is no one running amps at 10 volts in a car NOT POSSIBLE THE AMP WILL NOT SWITCH ON PERIOD IT IS AMPS FROM THE ALT/SUPPORT BATTS BANKS THAT RUNS IT.

@@________GHOST________ like when the voltage drops because there isn't enough current available.. the fuck with the caps and the attitude?

yes. If your voltage is going down, its usually good to cut the volume back a bit.

You need a bigger amp. The DD1 is just to match the head unit and the gain on the amp. Your ZV5 are under powered

@@shaunkimberling214 so that explains the clipping? Wat else can i get thats Korean board besides that db aak4000 that would be better?

@@bashns7743 Taramps makes a really good amp but it’s Brazilian board the MD8000.1

yeah , i have the jp95 also . Can't wait to install it . Did you watch the video by Williston Audio Labs ? He explains what you're asking about . Have you installed any of your equipment yet ?

@@HighVybeTribe yes I have and yes I have lol thanks brother

@@jasonwelborn1903 Np 👌 sorry for the late info😎 How are you liking it so far ? I'm stoked about bass knob & clipping indicator

@@HighVybeTribe I like the clip light too. I'm happy with the amp but ready for more power but I've gotta get a ho alt first. One thing at a time

A lot of it depends up your setup. I drive about a half hour to work and a half hour home and go full tilt most of the time. I don't give it a second thought when I do. I occasionally will go out for and hour or two with it and will glance at the temp on my bass knob but it is just habit. My present amp (JP8) has always stayed at a reasonable temp and has a cooling fan. My kids(one is a teenager and the other in early 20s) both love it so we will roll around 4 or 5 hours playing it sometimes with occasional stops for the restroom or something like that. My setup is behind the seats and I will sometimes reach back and feel the dustcap on the sub. In a lot of subs they are designed to help whisk heat of the coil and help air move around the coil. If it feels like its getting more than just warm, I will maybe play something that isn't as bass heavy or even load up a tone generator app on my phone and push a tone at moderate volume for a minute to get good airflow on the coil. If you smell the coil, its best to get a tone going or some moderate music , just not so loud that it continues warming. I have had a lot of different setups over the years and you really get to know the quirks of yours after a while. Those inverted mounts allow better cooling to the voice coil and a sealed enclosure gives the least, I believe as its the same air that is heating up inside the enclosure. You don't get a chance to smell the coil, at least not in time, on a sealed enclosure with a regular mount so it is something to be aware of. Theres no reason most setups couldn't go for a few hours but you probably wouldn't want to go full tilt the whole time and maybe strategically select your playlist. I listen to a bit of everything and the old 90s "mini-truck bass" stuff like Techmaster PEB, Bass Cube, Bass Boy, Magic Mike, and others of that sort can be pretty hard on a sub. The "rebassed" stuff is probably even harder but I don't typically play any of that. I would not expect to play either of those all out and non-stop for hours unless maybe you have a supplemental cooling system for everything. I would also suggest you get bigger wire than you think you will need. 500 watts sounds huge, and it is good power, but most people get used to even a 3000 watt amp and start craving more. It can be an addictive hobby and there is no harm in good wiring, plus if you upgrade, you have that in place and aren't pulling the whole install just to upgrade the power line. Some people don't get like that and you may be one of those but it is just something to consider. I have so many old wires laying around because I just kept buying the minimum of what I needed. Last time I ran 2/0 and put a reducer on the wire to fit it to my amp. Check out Williston Audio Labs and there was a channel called "Budget Gems or Budget Bust" (he hasn't been active in a while but really liked his specializing on budget friendly amps), they both do amplifier tests on an amp dyno to see if they hit their listed numbers. You can do a 500w setup or more without breaking the bank now days. Parker the Basshead used to show more subs and is a decent channel as well. Not sure if you are looking for a budget build but I would say get the next model up from the Skar SDR(seems really popular with people starting out, used to be $99 but not sure now) if you go that route. Its not a terrible sub but after doing a side by side with the Skar SVR(was $139 last time I looked but could be had for $125 with a coupon code), it was worth the extra extra $25 for it. More musical and hit lower. Sometimes there are coupon codes if you poke around online and sometimes not. I am not necessarily recommending you go or not go with Skar, just an example on the lower priced side of things.