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

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

Thanks man.

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.

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback

Hell yeah 😎

The loudness effect should fade out as the volume level increases. Maybe some headunits don't?

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

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: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pLGBpMaCmteXZH0.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

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.

Hey, thanks for the comment and for supporting the channel. If you need any help with anything let me know ;)

No you're thinking of older alpine units. Pioneer aka PICOneer...

Heck yeah! 😎

Definitely is. I got mine on eBay for 26 bucks

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback

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

You bet. Thanks for the feedback

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...

Awesome feedback man! Thanks for sharing!

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

Thanks for the feedback. Good idea

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

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback! 😎

Thanks

Awesome!

Sure thing

You bet! Thanks for the support!

Thanks man

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

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback

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

No problem

No problem 👍

Thanks

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

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

Thanks man

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback 😎

@@NextLevelCarAudio GREAT VIDEO, BUT HOW TO TEST THIS ON THE RCA OUTPUTS OF MY HEAD UNIT? THIS WAY WONT WORK?

Can’t test low level outputs in this manner. Test the high level and that will give you the max volume for your low level outs too.

Your head unit clip point will still be the same. Tho you can adjust the output of the signal via gain on your amp if using low level. If running speakers of your head unit only (no external amp) this test is a must to not blow your gear.

this actually just answered my question. so it has to be done off of the speaker wire and not the RCA's got it! i i guess i could test of the wires from the hu going back to the 4ch amp before they are actually plugged into the amp.

@@r3d1911 yes do that. Technically, like NLCA said commented before, you can actually max out your headunit because your 4 channel amp is just running off RCA and just tune the gain of amplifier to the volume but some people like me don’t like going that high it just feels wrong. So find out the headunit clip at speaker wire then dial in your gain for your 4 channel amplifier

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

Thanks man. Good idea for a video 😎

Lol. Yep 😎

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.

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

Yes, they should be set first how you want it

@@NextLevelCarAudio Thanks man!

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.

There are in fact some heat units/ manufacturers that don’t clip! Looks like you got one. Awesome

Not sure. Would be a good test

Thanks. It very well could if that source level was not set with the bass boost on

I’ll see if I can add that to the mix

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

Totally possible. Most rca preamp outputs on modern head units don’t clip tho. But worth checking. Put one on inside and one on outside of rca

@@NextLevelCarAudio Thanks put one on inside and one on outside of rca ??? what exactly do you mean by that. Sorry, I do not understand

@@NextLevelCarAudio I always listen to music via cell phone Bluetooth. then play test tones via mobile phone or via usb. I don't have a cd drive in the head units.

The rca plug has 2 parts. The inner pin and the outer shield. Touch a probe on each

@@NextLevelCarAudioi understand. thanks my friend. can you maybe answer the other question? only listen to cell phone via bluetooth. Play teston via cell phone or USB? my head unit doesn't have a cd drive

Lol. Awesome man

He burns them.. distortion = heat.

@@lassediscovers1813 yup I told him several times but oh well

Thanks!

Ok.... with that “quality” you get just a red indicator light instead of seeing the entire sine wave and the exact point of where the signal clips.

Hey unit clipping at 45%? That sucks. Yeah, I’d have it checked out. It’s good you are taking it in