2v to 4.5v - Interesting

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

So the GF's car has a budget/hand me down system that's nothing special, but sounded decent and she was happy.

Pioneer 4700mp

Profile 4 channel

Crystal comps

Polk coax's rear

15" Q

PG Octane R15 sub amp

Again, nothing special, but for about $800 is was pretty decent, although to me it never sounded right. No matter how much I tweaked things, etc... it just always sounded hollow/flat. Using Loudness helped the front/rear speakers, but made the sub muddy.

Well I slapped in my old eXcelon the other day (more hand me down stuff) which has 4.5v pre outs vs the 2v of the Pioneer. OMFG the diff is night and day. Clarity/detail in the speakers is amazing, Q hits hard and low, but plays clean as can be. Whole system seems about twice as loud as before.

When she heard it the next day she seriously thought I put new amps/speakers/sub in her car.

I've always read that the only diff should be possibly less noise and not having to turn gains up as high, so I'm kind of wondering why I experienced such a drastic improvement, not that I'm complaining...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Click to read more...

 

[mavster 10+ year member]

increased signal output = louder amplified signal....

 

[tez4life Premium Member]

I have to agree with you on that one, adding the Audiocontrol Four1 to my setup both times (when I had my stock HU running off a aftermarket LOC and my lil Pioneer CD player) made a huge difference in my setup. Both the LOC and the Pioneer only put out about 2v throught the preamps. The linedriver in the audiocontrol made a big difference for me.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Sounds to me as though you either didn't adjust the gains for the new headunit, or if you did adjust them you adjusted them "differently" (output for a given volume level) than when the Pioneer was in the car so you are now getting more power from the amp for a given volume setting.

That and it depends on what other features are on both headunits and how you had them set.

Simple settings issue......not a "higher voltage sounds better" issue.

 

[prochobo 10+ year member]

Yeah, I went from a 2v unit to a 5v unit and didn't notice a difference.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Squeak,

Didn't touch anything, just swapped HU's. Gains were the same and EQ was flat on the eXcelon. After tweaking it sounds even better. Just wonder if the Pio was somehow defective.

I had even bridged the 4 channel amp to the Crystals off the Pio and that was no where near as loud/clean as the eXcelon unbridged.

Since an increase in pre out voltage doesn't seem to exhibit the changes I noticed I'm seriously thinking the Pio was fubared....

 

[gijoe 10+ year member]

You mentioned that you didn't change the gains at all between the two head units. That is why there is a difference in sound. You should have changed the gains according to each hu. The gains should have been set differently. The voltage on the preouts isn't going to make a big auidible (if any) difference as long as the gains were set up properly. So, i don't doubt at all that the new hu sounds better, but most of the difference is because of the improper gain adjustment. As well as other settings. Either way, I'm glad it sounds better.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Squeak,
Didn't touch anything, just swapped HU's. Gains were the same and EQ was flat on the eXcelon. After tweaking it sounds even better. Just wonder if the Pio was somehow defective.

I had even bridged the 4 channel amp to the Crystals off the Pio and that was no where near as loud/clean as the eXcelon unbridged.

Since an increase in pre out voltage doesn't seem to exhibit the changes I noticed I'm seriously thinking the Pio was fubared....

Switching to a higher voltage IS the reason for the change in sound that you hear. But it's because you didn't properly readjust the gains as is necessary for the higher voltage headunit.

As was mentioned in the post just above mine, you must readjust the gains to account for the higher preout voltage of the new headunit. You "hear" a difference because you now have the gains set incorrectly (too high) for your new headunit.

With proper gain readjustment there won't be any difference in sound that can be attributed to the Kenwood having a higher preout voltage.

 

[audiowizard 10+ year member]

Switching to a higher voltage IS the reason for the change in sound that you hear. But it's because you didn't properly readjust the gains as is necessary for the higher voltage headunit.
As was mentioned in the post just above mine, you must readjust the gains to account for the higher preout voltage of the new headunit. You "hear" a difference because you now have the gains set incorrectly (too high) for your new headunit.

With proper gain readjustment there won't be any difference in sound that can be attributed to the Kenwood having a higher preout voltage.

Should the gain be lower than is was before? I went from half to 1/4 on my sundown due to the increase in voltage. Would it hurt anything to have the gains half way up though? I notice that when they are the sub is louder. But since I don't have a DMM ATM, I just left it at 1/4. Even though you don't really like me Squeak, could you please explain

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

Should the gain be lower than is was before? I went from half to 1/4 on my sundown due to the increase in voltage. Would it hurt anything to have the gains half way up though? I notice that when they are the sub is louder. But since I don't have a DMM ATM, I just left it at 1/4. Even though you don't really like me Squeak, could you please explain

That was me on a friend's name....

 

[Paddy McTaint 10+ year member]

My change from my old pioneer to my Eclipse was night and day. I did have to adjust the gains down from the previous pioneer setting but after that the difference was very noticable and the sound quality is better on FM and Sirius but most importantly it is much much cleaner on CD's. There were sounds in songs I had no idea were there because you couldn't hear them on the pioneer.

Don't listen to the pioneer die hards. Your ears heard right and the difference is in the quality of the HU and not the adjustment of your gains.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Should the gain be lower than is was before? I went from half to 1/4 on my sundown due to the increase in voltage. Would it hurt anything to have the gains half way up though? I notice that when they are the sub is louder. But since I don't have a DMM ATM, I just left it at 1/4. Even though you don't really like me Squeak, could you please explain

Without knowing what headunit you have, it's hard to say.

If you set the gains properly with a DMM with the first headunit, then yes with a higher voltage headunit the gains would be set lower.

But depending on the headunit or which method you subscribe to as for gain setting.....setting it to the "half way" point very well may be fine.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Your ears heard right and the difference is in the quality of the HU and not the adjustment of your gains.

Yeah....because switching to a higher voltage headunit without readjusting the gain isn't going to result in a difference in sound, right ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[its_bacon12 10+ year member]

you tell em squeak.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Well I could understand the gain effecting the comps, but when she still had the Pio I swapped a sub/amp from my car with the eXcelon and it wasn't even close to the same output, even after setting the gain for her HU. It was like the sub wasn't even turned on, unless I used Loudness.

Either way NO more 2v HU's for me...