Clipping is what exactly?

[michaellane 5,000+ posts]

Clipping is basically sending too much voltage through your amp or headunit. I'm taking about AC volts, not the DC voltage that comes from your battery.
You need to find what volume your head unit clips at first. Say your HU clips once you turn it to 25 out of 30. That means the max you want to play it at is 24 out of 30. Then you turn your amp up until you hear distortion or the clip light comes on.

Each song is different though but for the most part should be around the same volume. Some songs are just louder than others.

And to the guys saying low DC voltage could cause clipping; my car some times just sits at 12.6v. Idk why. Even while I'm driving it'll sometimes be at 14.5 but I decelerate and it'll go down to like 13.5 or 12.8 etc. it's a brand new car too. I read that the PCM basically modulates battery voltages depending on the demands from the car... But does going from 14.4 to 12.6 make a difference in what volume on the amp you clip at? Say I play a 50hz tone, I'm at 12.6v just because that's what the car wants it to be at... I turn up the gain until right before it clips. Would that point on the gain change if my car would be sitting at 14.4?

I would say yes the clipping point would be different because power output would be different at those different voltages.

 

[tymoto21 10+ year member]

Generally amps put out 20% more power at 14v vs 12v

So if you set your gain for 14v and it drops to 12v you could be clipping the amp a lot

Also leds don't dim like regular bulbs so it can be harder to tell if your voltage is getting low but I would say it is

 

[Chalo_209]

Generally amps put out 20% more power at 14v vs 12vSo if you set your gain for 14v and it drops to 12v you could be clipping the amp a lot

Also leds don't dim like regular bulbs so it can be harder to tell if your voltage is getting low but I would say it is

I have a capacitor that tells me the volts so next time I turn it up ill take a look and let you guys know what volt it starts at and what it goes down to

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[JohnKuthe]

Clipping means the signal wave is getting distorted from a sine wave to a square wave. Clipping will kill a sub very quickly so avoid it. Running larger power wire will help them get louder without clipping because the amp will be getting more power so it can send out more power

A little more power output maybe. Clipping is like the amp is trying to produce a higher level voltage/power output but cannot, so the trace of the signal at that instant/short interval hits the ceiling of the amp's capability producing a flattened out squarish wave rather than a smooth wave curve up to the desired amplitude.

John Kuthe...

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

A little more power output maybe. Clipping is like the amp is trying to produce a higher level voltage/power output but cannot, so the trace of the signal at that instant/short interval hits the ceiling of the amp's capability producing a flattened out squarish wave rather than a smooth wave curve up to the desired amplitude.
John Kuthe...

Amperage. The rail voltage is limited buy the transformers not the transistors. The power supply is current limited so is the switching supply

 

[JohnKuthe]

Amperage. The rail voltage is limited buy the transformers not the transistors. The power supply is current limited so is the switching supply

BULLS HIT!!

It's ALL LIMITING! All Technology has it's limits.

John Kuthe...

 

[Based]

Generally amps put out 20% more power at 14v vs 12vSo if you set your gain for 14v and it drops to 12v you could be clipping the amp a lot

Also leds don't dim like regular bulbs so it can be harder to tell if your voltage is getting low but I would say it is

**** that's somethin. I'm missing out on some power then. Idk why my voltage is just random. My battery voltage with the car off sitting over night is 12.43v. I turned the car on this morning and it jumped to 14.9, then dropped to 13.2, then gradually went up as the car warmed up. It stopped at 14.56v. But I bet if I started driving it would go down.

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

BULLS HIT!!
It's ALL LIMITING! All Technology has it's limits.

John Kuthe...

Transistors are current limited. The rail voltage is limited but the current limits are defined by the transistors current limits.

An amp dedigned to run at lower loads is inherantly going to be current limited. Thats why you dont need suler high rail voltages.

While if i where to venture into my own design id use very high voltage because its inherantly more efficent but its also alot trickier to do so(leakage etc).

Also powersupplies are often not regulated for maximum output. That being said some are.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

I have a capacitor that tells me the volts so next time I turn it up ill take a look and let you guys know what volt it starts at and what it goes down to
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Get rid of that capacitor.

 

[Chalo_209]

Get rid of that capacitor.

Does the capacitor harm the system?

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[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Well...no but still un-needed once you get a stronger electrical.

 

[Chalo_209]

Well...no but still un-needed once you get a stronger electrical.

I won't needed once I run 0 guage wire? It does seem to be pretty useless

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[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

I won't needed once I run 0 guage wire? It does seem to be pretty useless
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That's correct.

 

[tymoto21 10+ year member]

I won't needed once I run 0 guage wire? It does seem to be pretty useless
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Search for "big 3"

It sounds like that has not been done

You will need to do this and possibly add a second battery or get one decent battery up front

 

[Chalo_209]

Search for "big 3"It sounds like that has not been done

You will need to do this and possibly add a second battery or get one decent battery up front

I have a optima yellow top up front

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