whats the differecne betweeen 12v and 14.4?

[Mr. Opportunist 10+ year member]

i was wrong its running at 13.4v so if i get a redtop tomorrow will that push me up 1v you think?

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

i was wrong its running at 13.4v so if i get a redtop tomorrow will that push me up 1v you think?

I doubt it.

You just happen to have an alternator that's regulated at 13.4V.

Even if you did manage to get it to 14.4, outside of psychoacoustics - it's not likely you'd hear an improvement.

 

[Mr. Opportunist 10+ year member]

yea with redtop im at 14.4 and i can hear the emprovement, big change from 350w each to 500w ea, when im idle its at 13.4 when i have fut on pedal im at 14.4-14.6 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Trancer 10+ year member]

just rev your engine and you will get 14.4

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

If you're getting 350w at 13.4v and current stays even relatively constant there's no way you're getting much over 400w at 14.4v.

Psychoacoustics can be a beautiful thing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Mr. Opportunist 10+ year member]

i get 350w at 12v which is what i had prior to the big 3 and batt.

 

[ElCaudillo]

This is probably a REALLY stupid question, but I just got a digital multimeter to properly set my amp's gains, could I use it to test how much voltage my car is putting out, i.e. by connecting the test leads directly to the battery, or better yet to the power wire that's going to my amp and to a chassis ground? (The second option would give me more accurate results, right?)

Can I do this and not electrocute myself/blow something up?

Would I use the ACV~ 200 setting? Sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance for help.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Use the DC volts setting...

You're exactly right, you'd test the power wire at the amp and a chassis ground to get the actual voltage going to the amp; you could compare that by checking the voltage right at the battery.

 

[Decipha 10+ year member]

and no need to be worried about getting zapped... DC isin't as sensative as AC, the only

time i ever heard of people getting zapped by a car is when they touch the distro block (for plugs) with their hands wet. I think the coils spit something like 10,000 volts DC

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Fortunately,

DC voltage will only snap you a good one.

AC voltage, on the other hand, will grab you by your balls, swing you around over it's head, and puntkick you a few yards. And then when you can see again, it's hard to get off the floor, and you're dizzy.

I love appliance voltage.

 

[ieatdrt 10+ year member]

It's the voltage regulator not the alternator itself. A bigger alt. is more amps not more volts. Have the unit checked at a garage and you may have a faulty regulator which on that vehicle will probably mean replacing the whole unit.

 

[ElCaudillo]

So I would do it at these settings?

Thanks again guys.

 

[ElCaudillo]

Allright well I did that, looks like my car is making 12.5volts with the engine off and about 13.9 with the engine at idle. A lot of amps actually make their rated power at 14.4 volts though, right? Can I expect to see that while on the throttle? Is 13.9 volts actually more common in your typical car? Will the big three boost me to 14.4?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

DC voltage will only snap you a good one.
AC voltage, on the other hand, will grab you by your balls, swing you around over it's head, and puntkick you a few yards. And then when you can see again, it's hard to get off the floor, and you're dizzy.

My old EL84/6BQ5 amp ran with 300+vdc on the plates. I've worked on an HF amplifier that ran around 4000vdc to power the final tubes. DC can most definitely kick you in the ***. It's just a matter of the voltage and amperage we're talking about //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

DC sucks because it "clamps" you to the circuit, where as you can feel the 60Hz AC "pulses"...

To the above poster, are you measuring that at the battery?

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Allright well I did that, looks like my car is making 12.5volts with the engine off and about 13.9 with the engine at idle. A lot of amps actually make their rated power at 14.4 volts though, right? Can I expect to see that while on the throttle? Is 13.9 volts actually more common in your typical car? Will the big three boost me to 14.4?

Half a volt will make absolutely ZERO difference in anything you can hear. Your charging system is working just fine, don't fuk with it.

You people need to review Decibels 101 and stop fidgiting over a couple watts.