Running HU at full volume

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

Hey guys, got a Pioneer headunit of some sort, can't remember the model name off the top of my head but it seems to go pretty hard, not running an amp in the front stage (yet) though.

Just wondering if turning it all the way up to full will cause any long term damage? Assuming the signal does not become clipped, and the speakers are up to it, would this be fine?

Asking because I am a guitarist and I know that running a solid state amp (valve amps don't seem to suffer from it) cranked right up can cause some damage over a period of time, namely loss of output volume.

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[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Running any HU at full volume will cause clipping.

 

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

running from rca's off my mp3 player seems to make for a lower input volume than that of a cd, so it gets to 96% before clipping. Will it be ok at this volume or is that slowly damaging the HU?

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

do u kno if ur clipping before this 96%

 

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

yes, I can work an oscilloscope, I just don't have a huge knowledge of how mosfet systems work. Do you mind if I rephrase my question, will my head unit only be damaging itself before the point of clipping? Or even after clipping?

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

The headunit isn't really being damaged by the clipping it's your speakers and subs that get the hit from it. Headunits that go up to 35 usually start clipping at 30 or 31, headunits that go up to 60 start clipping around 50. You can always run your headunit at like 28 or 48 and just set your amps there and be safe.

 

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

cheers thanks for that!

 

[i2ain2thunder 10+ year member]

If you don't hear distortion/clipping you're all good volume shouldn't matter.....or rather you can play at any volume that is not clipping and there will be no damage to your speakers, either way I'm no expert but from my understanding that will not hurt your headunit at all. I highly doubt you'd have a loss of output, I would however look into a deck that has multiple input levels for auxillary connections, as you stated most MP3 players and MP3 files in general can play at a lower volume this is determined by the input level of the headunit. Some middle-higher end units have that level adjustable.

 

[d77543020 10+ year member]

there are some pioneer units that you can take up to 60 out of 62 before clipping

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

JVC had some decks where you could change your volume range for people that liked to run full volume...it cut down the clipping quite a bit...they should of made it a little harder to get to this feature in menus so the average person couldn't get to it to change it back....it was something like hi low volume level

 

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

JVC had some decks where you could change your volume range for people that liked to run full volume...it cut down the clipping quite a bit...they should of made it a little harder to get to this feature in menus so the average person couldn't get to it to change it back....it was something like hi low volume level

That would be so ideal, I can't stand when my mates jump in and turn it up past the point of clipping; "I do it all the time in my car though and its fine"

Unfortunately I have had nothing but bad experiences with every single piece of JVC equipment I've come into contact with, so not exactly my first choice of gear.

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

pioneer at full volume=fail. Alpine and Kenwood if you're careful.

 

[jolly_26 10+ year member]

pioneer at full volume=fail

cool story bro

 

[Flastrongman 10+ year member]

just sayin

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

Running any HU at full volume will cause clipping.

That is as wrong as wrong can be.......