Gain remotes with clipping lights

[timma100 10+ year member]

With the majority of songs having different -db levels for the bass, I adjust the gain my self with my remote knob. After doing it enough its easy to get it "roughly" on the power with out distortion, but there is always a chance its clipping. I know DC amps (and probably others) have the clipping light on the Gain remotes.. I have an SD amp, so no clipping light for me. Just wondering why more amps don't have this feature? Seems like it would be really useful :|

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

You don't see clipping indicators much because people don't understand clipping. Even if it was explained in the manual I don't think people would "get it". Clipping in small amounts is OK and ideal to get the most out of your amplifiers. This is part of why you don't want to set the gain with 0 dB test tones. In addition to not having any volume adjustment left for quieter sources(sine waves are much harder on the amplifier than music, plus good recordings are not going to hit 0 dB for more than brief moments, if ever) there's no room to bump up the level above your "0". That comes from a bit of clipping, but just the transient peaks. We don't want the goal to be "clipping the hell out of it".

How do you know you're getting the gain set "on the power"(??) without distortion? Do you set your gain with a volt meter? Distortion brings out harmonics, which a subwoofer's voice coil will filter. Distortion is not an issue with subs when it's coming from the amp. The enemy is too much heat over time, which can happen when people follow the advice of doubling subwoofer RMS power thinking it's necessary to get the most bang for their buck out of the subs.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

The indicators are sensitive. My amps set at -10 db and my knob gives a small light show on very heavy tracks