Signal Voltage Question and Discussion

[Burts 10+ year member]

Im running a kenwood kdc deck I think it has over 3.5 volts going to a audiocontrol Four.1 i Eq which is able to push voltage up to 13, if it then goes to a kenwood kds-p110 digital processor unit which has only 1-2 volts is there a way to push that voltage back up for the signal? Does the benefits of having a high signal voltage matter so much as that I should eliminate my 1-2 volt processor?

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[draarong2004 10+ year member]

Im running a kenwood kdc deck I think it has over 3.5 volts going to a audiocontrol Four.1 i Eq which is able to push voltage up to 13, if it then goes to a kenwood kds-p110 digital processor unit which has only 1-2 volts is there a way to push that voltage back up for the signal? Does the benefits of having a high signal voltage matter so much as that I should eliminate my 1-2 volt processor?

i would think so, otherwise, you risk damaging the 1-2 volt processor.

 

[thch 10+ year member]

not sure on logistics. if the DSP can go in the trunk, just put it there. the benefit of high voltage transmission is acheived, and the amp will accept a 2V signal just fine. assuming the DSP accepts the high voltage inputs.

 

[draarong2004 10+ year member]

not sure on logistics. if the DSP can go in the trunk, just put it there. the benefit of high voltage transmission is acheived, and the amp will accept a 2V signal just fine. assuming the DSP accepts the high voltage inputs.

ever heardx the difference between a 2v signal and a 13 volt signal? yea big difference in amp performance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[thch 10+ year member]

there is no inflection online. i don't know if this is sarcasm.

suffice to say its my strong opinion that the DSP can have more effect on sound then the line driver, and the benefits of the DSP almost certainly outweigh any benefits lost from the lack of a line driver.

/me waits for someone to make a 1kV preout...

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

ever heardx the difference between a 2v signal and a 13 volt signal? yea big difference in amp performance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

There is no sonic difference, unless you are using a very poorly designed amplifier that has some sort of noise/hiss with a relatively higher gain setting. In which case, the problem is the amplifier, not the signal voltage.

 

[prochobo 10+ year member]

/me waits for someone to make a 1kV preout...

I'm waiting for someone to make a HU with 110v preout, so I can play a 60hz tone and plug sh!t in //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

 

[GrnEydDvl 10+ year member]

Does the benefits of having a high signal voltage matter so much as that I should eliminate my 1-2 volt processor?

If you are not getting any noise then you dont need to worry about the drop in input voltage.

Lower voltages require that you raise the gain on your amps relative to the gain used with a higher input voltage. This can amplify noise in the system and this can be annoying if present at audible levels.

If you like your digital proc I say keep it as long as you don't have audible, annoying noise.

 

[thch 10+ year member]

/me wonders if line drivers help amps out so much, why don't you ever seen amp's markted with "built in line driver"?

i mean, i know the answer, but its still fun to ask the question.

 

[dantheman8328 10+ year member]

there isnt going to be any noticable or audible difference between a high level preamp output or lower lever output.

unless a headunit has a switching power supply or balanced outputs id prefer the 2volt outputs which theoretically would have a cleaner output.

does anyone know what kind of internal preamps the newer headunits use, specifically alpine or eclipse?