800 watts to my idMAX

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

hey ive got a modded mtx 1501d running my 12" idMAX. i set the gain on it using a DMM and i set the amp to produce roughly 56.56 volts (800 watts) with a -0db 50 hz sine wave with the volume of my ALPINE 7995 at 30/35 and the SUBWOOFER LEVEL at 15/15. when i play Music with the sub level on +15, the bass doesnt sound right and im not sure if its clipping. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif i usually have the sub level at +6 for SQ listening purposes (when it blends nicely with the mids) but sometimes i wanna crank it up some to get some SPL going.. haha. ive never clipped a sub before so im not sure as to how it sounds.. is it possible i could be clipping if i did what i did correctly as stated above? ive read that high-end alpine units dont clip at full volume and i dont even have the gain set with the HU at full volume.

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[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

any alpine unit will clip its output starting at like 22. now on the other hand---your amp is supplying power to the sub which has absolutely nothing to do with the alpine's internal amp. sounds like you have a crossover issue or eq type issue or possibly an enclosure issue

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

any alpine unit will clip its output starting at like 22. now on the other hand---your amp is supplying power to the sub which has absolutely nothing to do with the alpine's internal amp. sounds like you have a crossover issue or eq type issue or possibly an enclosure issue

i dont think the pre-outs clip with the volume at 22. i dont think they would clip at 30 either.

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

moe lester built my enclosure. is it because the box is ported? i DO know that there is a slight noticeable peak in certain sub-frequencies (due to ported enclosure). not a wide peak though.

 

[blackgeltabs 5,000+ posts]

When it clips it will usually shut off for a second. It could be packed full of distortion.

With Alpines I tune MAX daily listening to 25/35 with normal listening levels around 20/35.

My sub level would not be 15/15 for daily. I tune mine to 10/15.

You set it with everything high, but that should not be this listen levels used daily. I never use the gain tutorial, I just play it by ear. But then again I just like to tweak everything all the time.

 

[DFW40 10+ year member]

any alpine unit will clip its output starting at like 22. now on the other hand---your amp is supplying power to the sub which has absolutely nothing to do with the alpine's internal amp. sounds like you have a crossover issue or eq type issue or possibly an enclosure issue

I have a hard time believing they do at 22/35. Do the pre-outs on Alpines lose sound quality as they are drivin higher? Does anyone here have any documented experience with this, I would be interested to know. Thanks

 

[blackgeltabs 5,000+ posts]

Most HU's create distortion when their volume is set above 2/3 to 3/4

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

I have a hard time believing they do at 22/35. Do the pre-outs on Alpines lose sound quality as they are drivin higher? Does anyone here have any documented experience with this, I would be interested to know. Thanks

its true-------but notice that i didn't say the preouts clip........i said the internal amp clips. the preout signal isn't amplified until it hits your amp...so if its clipping its because of YOUR amp.

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

its true-------but notice that i didn't say the preouts clip........i said the internal amp clips. the preout signal isn't amplified until it hits your amp...so if its clipping its because of YOUR amp.

So you're saying pre-outs will not clip now?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

its true-------but notice that i didn't say the preouts clip........i said the internal amp clips. the preout signal isn't amplified until it hits your amp...so if its clipping its because of YOUR amp.

-No-

Preouts can clip.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

welll.............welllll...........screw you squeak. we can argue this at showgirls3

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

welll.............welllll...........screw you squeak. we can argue this at showgirls3

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsupwink.gif.129404938effda6ad9cca39e7f4b58a3.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Decipha 10+ year member]

how can you tell when a pre out is clipping?

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

with an o-scope?

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

hey guys. ive done a lot of research on google googling alpine head units at various car audio forums and ive read a LOT of people saying that the HIGHER-END alpine units pre-outs DO NOT clip at full volume.. i've gathered that IF ANYTHING, they'll clip around 31+ but they should not clip at 30. i've also read that ALPINE's head units are designed so that having a subwoofer level of +15 is 0 db and everything below that is just cutting the signal. so having a subwoofer level of +14 is actually a -1 db gain on the subwoofer output. so if alpines clip with the sub level at +15 thats pretty dammn gay considering they're suppose to be the 0db sub level point.

i also did some extensive testing on the outputs on my alpine 7995. well, if you call testing the front and sub output with 50hz sine waves, 1khz sine waves, and a DMM, then yes extensive testing. i'll post results if someone wants to see them.