Setting Gain

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

how do i explain, ac current means it switches back and forth between + and - with the same amplitude and period depending on the input signal. all im say is if you test it with dc its wrong. the amps puts out ac to the speakers thats all. you can do it your way if you like. i bought an oscope for $400 that has a meter built into it and i love it. it helps me test alts. using the hall effect clamps its so worth it. just a suggestion dude.

lol, what in gods name are you talking about? I'm an electrical engineer, I don't need you to explain what AC Current means, when did I ever tell him to measure DC? I literally JUST SAID, that he's not measuring the current output, he's measuring the VOLTAGE output. You do understand the relationship between current and voltage right?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I never said it would. But for the bajillion noobs out there who have no idea what distortion sounds like, what do you think they're going to do, spend a couple hundred bucks on a scope or just set the gain at "3/4" and call it done? Setting it with a DMM may not be the best way, but it's the best way to do it cheap and prevent damage to your equipment.

They should learn, instead of perpetuating bad & misleading practices //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[Justyn93 10+ year member]

So after i set with a 50hz -3db tone i had it going for about 45 mins and they started to smell tangy....The dust cap was not very warm...They have only been in use for about 15-25hours or so. Is that the VC burning up?

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

They should learn, instead of perpetuating bad & misleading practices //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

How is setting your gain with a DMM bad? Please enlighten me.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

can i clip my amp even if set with a DMM? - DIYMA.com

 

[Databyter 10+ year member]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/popcorn.gif.32dd9e22fd77e77bc3c907062768fcd2.gif

When in doubt follow the recommendations of the Amp manufacturer.

The last 2 I bought advise using a DMM on AC and a 0 DB sine wave at XX frequency depending on what your powering.

Since the target voltages in their chart are based on a 0 DB sine wave and not actual music I recommend using the recommended source with the recommended target.

Sine wave is important, not just frequency, because it affects load voltage.

Also if your doing gains by ear it's much easier to detect the clipping distortion threshold with a sine wave form as the texture of the sound contrasts much more audibly with the full waveform than it would with a non-sine or more square waveform, which is much closure in texture to what clipping sounds like to begin with.

Granted if you had a scope you could push the envelope, but if you got the right amp for the job, you shouldn't need to push it. You should be conservative and still have alot of extra power unused. At least that's how I approach it. I'm not competing, I'm drinking a beer at the beach or commuting, I want loud and clean, but mostly clean.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, I am here to learn.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

can i clip my amp even if set with a DMM? - DIYMA.com

You linked to another thread full of members bickering about the same thing. I'm at work and don't have time to read the entire thread, but is any actual evidence/test data presented? Because to me that just looks like a bunch of guys arguing...

Besides, I asked for YOU to explain how it's bad. I'm not saying it's the best method in the world, but setting your gain with a DMM using a 0db test tone is pretty much the idiot proof way for noobs to avoid clipping.

 

[orphe 10+ year member]

Justyn93

take a look at this

icixsound.com - A good demonstration from Alex at Elemental Designs showing very clearly what bass boost can do to your signal and how it kills speakers

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

You linked to another thread full of members bickering about the same thing. I'm at work and don't have time to read the entire thread, but is any actual evidence/test data presented? Because to me that just looks like a bunch of guys arguing...
Besides, I asked for YOU to explain how it's bad. I'm not saying it's the best method in the world, but setting your gain with a DMM using a 0db test tone is pretty much the idiot proof way for noobs to avoid clipping.

Read who is taking what positions, that's enlightening in itself //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Justyn93
take a look at this

icixsound.com - A good demonstration from Alex at Elemental Designs showing very clearly what bass boost can do to your signal and how it kills speakers

That's stupid, that's like saying "Hey if I crank the gain it clips and can destroy the speaker that's why the gain sucks". Using bass boost will boost the output, but if you don't adjust the gain as well it will clip. If he would have turned down the gain while he had the boost at max, he would have seen the waveform return to normal.

That being said, I still don't advocate using the boost since boosts around a centralized frequency and not all frequencies evenly, it basically distorts what the bass should actually sound like (by making certain frequencies louder than what they should have been).

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Read who is taking what positions, that's enlightening in itself //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

I don't know any of those people //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif