I swear watching your videos made me forget the time of day my fiance was in labor and before I knew it I was holding my baby girl. Thanks man ! Good stuff here.
This is a great video. 5 years old and better than anything else I've seen on youtube. I was watching another video where they were just measuring the output of the amp and matching that expected output or the subs rated output... I was like that's not how it works! There has to be a better way, and here it is. Thanks!
LOVE Your videos. A few things I noticed from a Pro Audio Perspective: Behringer is junk. I get this is car audio vs pro audio, but in the end.. it's junk when compared to other units such as Ashley. I'm guessing you have a DC to AC converter for the Behringer? Almost every unit runs on 12V. Open it up, chase the leads from the IEC in and you'll find the AC to DC converter built into the unit. Once you find the output to the board, confirm it's 12V and bypass it. Alas- less energy being wasted!
Hey Exo. Just wanted to thank you for this video. While i didn't have access to an adjustable TPI-oscope I did have access to a manual scope that ended up working well. With your helpful knowledge on deck and gain matching i was able to tune my system far better than i ever could have by ear. Thanks. Keep up the great work.
Hey Exo if you ever get the time I'd love to see you bring back the old Q and A vids you used to do, and loving the small builds you've been doing and finally getting back on franky
Thank you so much for this video. I just got an O-scope and was about to start setting my gains. Completely forgot about different recording levels. My music collection literally varies from Rock to Heavy Bass, even some Jazz and Classical. The recording levels and quality are all over the place- can even vary on the same exact song on different albums. If I set my gains for the album Woofer Wrecker, then a lot of other music has too little Bass. I guess it's hard to find a happy medium. Anyway, thanks for all your videos. P. S. As far as loud commercials- yes they are designed to get your attention. Originally though, before DVR when we had to watch LIVE TV, people would get up during commercials to get a drink or use the bathroom, etc. The commercials were louder to make sure you still heard them even while you were out of the room. Sneaky huh?
THANK YOU EXO, i swear like the vast majority of people, especially the people that follow SMD hard, think that setting their gain will always prevent clipping, even steve replied to one of my comments a while back saying clipping indicators were worthless, COME ON NOW, and one thing i can tell you is that the DD1 is not worth $150 i can go put a small opamp notch filter together (filters out 40hz with a very sharp attenuation and allows the harmonic distortion frequencies to pass right through), and it will do the same thing that the DD1 does... for around $10-20 lol
Good video EXO. Certainly helps to understand the testing process. One note however is that the system should be set with the equalizers set at the normal listening position. If you run the head unit eq flat, that is fine but many don't. The problem is that once they boost any signal in the eq, they will clip the signal at full volume if they follow your instructions to a T. Another note it that modern EDM music and many other genres are hard limited at 0dB so it would be much safer to use the 0dB test signal than the ones noted.
nice video man, but i want to mention that in volts x amperes is for dc voltage, for AC voltage you have to know the power factor because the voltage usually is slightly out of phase with amperes, so you multiply volts x amperes x power factor= watts. :)
Hey EXO your head unit only hit 2.74 volts because of the -5db track. If you were using a 0db track, you would have gotten the full voltage your head unit can put out. I used a 0db track to find the maximum clean volume and voltage on my head unit.
hey one thing I always wondered is do you normalize your music etc, because i listen to modified music and normal music and have no clipping indicator on my bass knob yet so i set my gains with a -5db test tone and a lot of the music today varies some the bass is as high as -1.5db and sometimes -3db, and sometimes -8db, so i adjust my bass knob on the fly to compensate but ive also heard that the music will effect the voltage on rca differently? i just feel like im always readjusting man, id love to pick your brain about it.
Excellent video as always exo, i wish i had an o scope. Hey maybe you can come out to Salem next weekend for Oktober fest? heh? well if not maybe i could just drive up to maine and check out franky up there. Talk to you soon brother.
I have a kicker Comp R and kicker 800.1 mono block amp, 4 alpine 6-1/2 front and rear, 4 tweeters placed up high front and back. 2 Memphis 3.25 midrange in front doors and a 150 watt x4 channel amp with low and high pass filters. JVC double din head unit and kicker bass knob on my dash in my Jeep Cherokee Sport. It's all set up perfectly no clipping and no distortion. Every kind of music sounds perfect no matter if I'm listening to Metallica, Notorious BIG, or whatever music. I have setting presets so all I have to do is play a song, find what preset sounds the best and crank it up. No problem. 👍 as long as you have the right sounds and tones playing through the right speakers you'll get clean sound from just about any decent system. 🤷♂️👍
Thank you sir. You provide excellent information, clearly. I'm an electrical engineer. I will investigate how my amplifier behaves under load though...as someone suggested.
I have 800 - 1000 watts now on my sub and 150 -260 watts on my 4 - 6-1/2 + 2 midrange and 4 super tweeters in all 4 corners of my Jeep. 👍 hits pretty hard and sounds loud and clean as can be. So I'm satisfied. As long as I can play it loud as I want and my music sounds the best it can I'm happy. 🤷♂️👍
When adjusting the gain on the amp do I have the knob on the lc-1 completely turned up or in the middle? That’s where I get confused. I have loc converter tapped into a rear speaker and have the lc-1 going from the loc to the amp? Would appreciate the help. Btw keep up the great content. I’ve learned a lot watching your videos.
I'm concerned about the fact that the meter read 2.74 volts on the head-unit, but on Pioneer's website it say's that your head-unit, the AVH-P3200DVD is suppose to have 4 volt outputs. I need to know what that's about because I'm head-unit shopping and I want to know the truth about it all. Thank you or anyone in advance.
Exo, my question is, how do I do this with my stock radio? I have a epicenter micro as my line output converter and then rca to amp. Can you provide any guidance please?
You have to read the voltage output of your HU at the highest volume before clipping/distortion. That will be the best clean signal to your LOC. BTW go to Steve Meade and D'amore's YT channel and watch their videos on LOCs. Audio Control, Wavetech, and Kicker were the ones I remembered that actually worked. I would think Epicenter is one of the best top shelf as well. My audio control LOC shows my max output from my HU before distortion. I just adjusted the HU by my LOC.
I know this video was from a while ago Bruce, but the reason why your rca pre out voltage on the scope was less than you thought it should have been at 2:58 was because you were using the -5db tone. When I check for my max undistorted head unit volume I always use the 0db track (=
You always check for clipping level on the head unit with a 0 db tone. Then set sub amp gains with the appropriate tone based on music preferences. Nowadays most bass music ends up between -3 and -7 db
@@SigmaBallistics well you'll be further below clipping then you might want then. If you're using non boosted music I'd do -5 if you're using all boosted maybe -3 to 0 really depends. Saying "always" set it to 0 is kinda silly.
Question about wires. I'm running 4 Rockford fosgate p2d2-12's on 2 5000 watt pyramid amps. Do I need to have 1/0g wire or is it ok to just stick with 2g wire?
Awesome vid Ex......I'm really starting to understand how input voltage and gain setting works and also how important it is to tuning a full sound system. So after you got the processor to pump out 5v unclipped you still turned the gain on the amp up slightly.If an amps input sensitivity range is 5v max wouldn't that be grounds to not turn the dial at all if your giving it 5v? In other words,how are you able to give it 5v and still crank the gain a little without clipping?
I am pretty sure you should have an load of a given ohms to be sure the amplifier will actually put out a clean wave form for that given amplitude/voltage range. The load resistance will change your readings. Just saying.
Hey Exo nice vid!! I love it. Super helpful!! Can you do another video on how to tune mids and highs? I assume it's very similar but I'd still like to know every step and how to properly do it! Thanks!!!
I only have one problem with this video, i like your method, but the oscope can't have an impeadance (4 ohms, 2 ohms etc.), can it? I didn't see a selector on it, nor did i see you setting in the video. So how does it work?
hi EXO i watched all of your videos and i really like them. but can you make a video show how to connect two or more amps to bass knob,head unit. i dont know for a pre amplifier. thanks
Hey exo. I just put in a new deck in my car, I wasn't happy with my previous one. I know I installed everything properly. I want to see at what point my deck clips. However when I play a test tone to do so, I am not getting much sound even at full volume. Is it okay to increase the source volume until it clips, and then set my gains?
You need to test distortion at load. Oscilloscopes have a high impedance input so there's no load on the outputs. The behavior at load will be very different.
So I'm guessing it doesn't matter the ohm load ? I mean if u set the gain is it going to be the same "clean signal" whether 4 ohm or 1 ohm?? Sorry kinda new using a tool and not eats to set amps
Whats up EXO I just come across this vid and I have basically the same headunit just the 7'' version AVH-P4300 and was curious as to what your sub output was set @? I usually run mine @ -5 but don't have the equipment to test with. and also would that raise output voltage if it's set higher?
Hey i need a help with this formula. I have amp of 1000W sony, with the following specification not really known what should i insert that in formula. The maximum output power of this system is 170 W x 4 with an impedance of 4 OHM, 500 W x 2 with 4 OHM - BTL and 250 W x 4 with 2 OHM. The rated output power is 70 W x 4 with 4 OHM, 175 W x 2 with 4 OHM - BTL and 85 W x 4 with 2 OHM.
Nice instruction! I have a pioneer DEH-S6010BS and Orion XTR2500.1Dz. I simply need to send a flat signal to the RCA jacks and then measure from the amp output right? I have no signal processor between. I'll be using an auto ranging multimeter and Rigol DS2702A oscilloscope to check.
Wish I can afford those tools !! I been adjusting my amp by ear but I can't ever get it the way I like. I don't care for how loud it can get I just want that chest pounding feeling. I have a Skar zvx 15 wired 1ohm to skar skv2 1500 amp.
When I set all the settings of the main unit and amplifier as zero, lowest and video, when I set the speed from the amplifier and the main unit, the volt rises. How to do?
I have a single 10 getting 600w rms, amp is tuned at -5db and it just hits weak, would -10 or-15db be better? Also have a bx-10x processor for the songs with little to no bass, I use pandora more than anything.
Pandora songs are usually at -15 or -20, this is just guessing but I remember years ago I compared regular songs I downloaded and put thru audacity and they were all -20 even rap songs with heavy bass. I always set my gains to -5 or -7.5 and bass knob 3/4 of the way up, that way when I wanna switch to regular music that’s recorded at -30 I still have 1/4 I can turn up on the bass knob making up for any difference
I don't know the RMS on those subs but judging by the size I'm sure they are well over 1000 RMS. So does this mean your actually only able to hit 448W clean meaning 500W of more potential wattage cannot be obtained?
Hello, how do you intergrate your behringer in your system? I suppose that you use à converter. What kind of converter? How many watt.. that you for your help.
Dude I love you! Awesome video and great attitude. Keep the videos coming. My daughter said are you watching big city greens? I was like no it’s a RU-vid, she said you sound like cricket green, lol. Thought that was funny coming from a 4ur old. Keep up the vids! Thanks for the help!
Also when you said everything to a flatwave or too flat on all your settings and you move on to your amplifier what do you have your Hertz set to when you have from 20 to 500???????another question that I've got I have a really big system and I'm trying to build a box that is ported for four 12 inch subwoofers four did that one frequency and then four more also ported but at a different frequency I have a higher frequency!! I'm trying to Port four of the twelve at about 24 Hertz and then I want the other four ported somewhere between 40 and 65 Hertz not sure where to go with the high number!! Any suggestions??? I know it's basically doing the same thing as a 6th order but in two separate enclosures LOL trying to figure it out so I have the real hard-hitting high bass and the deep moaning low Bass!! Can you help me out??
Could anyone explain why in Audacity those tones are not what they say they are? For example, the 40 hz -2.5db I downloaded from the description shows 3.4db while one I made myself shows exactly -2.5b? That's a whole 6db difference so im not sure which to use.
My head unit is set to 0db ,front and back amps -10db that's because at -5db it didn't get load enough. Sub amp-5db just to get a better balance. Love to hear from car audio junkies like me (cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 👍).
So your only getting 477w RMS out of the 1k amp? And that doesn't even include box rise and stuff? Is this normal? How much wattage would you expect the Subs to see after box rise? Or does the 477w figure account for box rise?
That includes box rise. Basically in the rule of thumb world, if you divide those numbers (ACA and ACV), which would be 42.3/10.6 = 3.99 ohms. Granted, the formula in the video is related to DC laws, where as amplifier outputs deal with AC voltage. So they are more ballpark figures. So in reality, he is getting about 400w @ 4 ohms (if you use 0.85 as power factor). So yes, he is getting decreased output, but that is not because the amp isn't doing power, the impedance rise (or box rise) is raising his impedance (load) to where it is only outputting "477 watts." The amp if on a resistive load (which is prone to "box rise"), at 1 ohm, you would probably get a solid 1000 watts or more out of the amplifier.
hey exo, i have 4 amps but only have 1 pre out on my head unit, so i daisy chain them through te amps pre outputts. but how do i set the gains proper on all 4 amps. cause i only have 1 rca cable coming from my headunit, hope you can help me out.
i see you used the outside speaker terminals on the amp? if my amp has 2 sets should i be using the outsides or the first 2? idk if your amp is ++ -- mine is +- +- though
Why exactly do you use a 40 Hz Tone as Reference? And not for Example 50, 60, 70, 80 Hz? Is 40 the Frequency, where Amplifiers have to work the most, or what?
Hey EXO let me ask you this you had your subwoofer RCA's turned on on the headunit!! But my question is on mine you have from 0 to 15 when you turn it on to set it to, so what did you have yours set at??????
The reason I'm asking this question is I'm using an Alpine head unit that has an IC chip and it lets you said your RCA levels from 0 to 15 on all three sets of RCA's front rear and subwoofer??
When trying to set this particular Alpine head unit up with DD.1 SMD tool. I am getting feedback on the tool saying I've got distortion add as little of a volume as 7 on my head unit??? Any ideas?? Anybody else out there any ideas??
JD DD are you talking about head unit speaker outputs or rca cables? Are you testing with no speaker connected? Are all cables you’re using tested and working properly, ie no damage or shorts. Distorted head unit volume at 7 suggests either testing error, or cable damage.
Are processors/drivers necessary for car audio? My head unit is definately not putting out a very high voltage. Does this matter for the average joe? running 2 1200rms 15's and some 4 100w door speakers..... Just wondering if it is worth the money or not..
I always assumed he mostly uses it for turning down his speakers at SPL competitions without touching the headunit for convenience sake. Oh and its cool to have for custom active crossover settings.
FrAuSkY I would especially use a driver if you running a 4 ch on mids and highs and different one for the subs to get everything tuned to it's best ablity plus it also works as a kill switch just in case lol
Still trying to figure this out when you set bass, mid, treble flat in headunit when checking for distortion can we put them back up after it's done or we have to leave them flat?
I installed a 12" sub in a friends car and he had an aux input and also a bluetooth receiver. When i connected to them, i found that (at the same head unit volume) the sub was very noticeably quieter when using an aux cord, compared to bluetooth. Just be sure you take that into consideration. Don't tune the amp while connected to an aux if you plan to use bluetooth and vice versa.
would an oscilloscope app on my phone be sufficient? and if i put my bass boost to zero when doing this, what if i turn up my bass boost later on and it starts clipping?
+paperboi714 It doesn't really matter where the oscilloscope is. What matters is it's accuracy. As for bass boost. Leave it off. Typically once a system is tuned, you only want to turn frequencies (like those from an equalizer, processor, etc) down. Never up. Adding or boosting frequencies (something bass boost does) will make the signal clip and result in unwanted distortion. However, if you absolutely want to be able to turn bass boost on and off safely, tune your system with it turned on from the beginning. This ensure that the frequencies adjusted by the bass boost are within safe working limits when turned on.
