dmm or o-scope?

[hockeytoker 10+ year member]

im guessing the dmm is a digital multimeter?

whats the difference and is one better then the other to set amp gains with?

thanks!!

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[phemps 10+ year member]

if you can afford the o scope you want that. that is the best way to set your gains becuase it shows you your sine wave and when it starts to clip

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

A DMM (or at the very least, a VOM - volt-ohmmeter) is a requirement if you want to do your own work on any kind of car audio installation. There's simply no excuse not to have one.

And not for setting gains, either.

 

[hockeytoker 10+ year member]

if you can afford the o scope you want that. that is the best way to set your gains becuase it shows you your sine wave and when it starts to clip

well i found some on the internet for only 110 or 220 so do u think there shitty?

 

[phemps 10+ year member]

A DMM (or at the very least, a VOM - volt-ohmmeter) is a requirement if you want to do your own work on any kind of car audio installation. There's simply no excuse not to have one.
And not for setting gains, either.

x2 you will find yourself using a dmm all the time with various instalations. the o scopes you may want to look at are portable hand held ones. they have some good ones on parts express.com and i believe most of those portable ones will include your other need feature, voltage read, ohm read, etc.

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

2 totally different tools, only get an o-scope if you want this to be a profession, hobbyists don't really need one. a DMM with probes or a clamp works just fine for just about every application you'll encounter

 

[Stephen_c 10+ year member]

2 totally different tools, only get an o-scope if you want this to be a profession, hobbyists don't really need one. a DMM with probes or a clamp works just fine for just about every application you'll encounter

meh

 

[phemps 10+ year member]

if you can afford a portable one theres no reason not to get one. a full oscilliscope is a little overboard to set your gains but either way the dmm and clamps method is never 100 percent perfect and nothings easier and gives better results then seeing the sine wave on the o scope, and that you have clean unclipped power

 

[MakeshiftAudio 10+ year member]

If you know how to calculate the RMS voltage slopes of the signal, you will know roughly when you're clipping with a DMM. Thank you trig/calc.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

If you know how to calculate the RMS voltage slopes of the signal, you will know roughly when you're clipping with a DMM. Thank you trig/calc.

Only if you can trust the amp's specs are 100% accurate. An o-scope will tell you when it clips no matter what the manufacturer says. But most of the replies above about needing a DMM anyway, and an o-scope not really being essential unless you are a pro or serious hobbiest, are correct imo.

 

[FatPat*da*Ratt 10+ year member]

just get both

 

[BassAddictJ 5,000+ posts]

where can one find the relatively cheapest o scope that still gets the job done?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I think those Vellemans are jsut over a 100 bucks. PE...? I dont remember where they are sold.

 

[FatPat*da*Ratt 10+ year member]

try ebay

 

[FatPat*da*Ratt 10+ year member]

try ebay