Why does this song clip my amp?

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

So far, it only happens on one song, Young Jeezy - Hypontize. It only happens on the second bass drop... The low one. I figured maybe the LPF on my amp was up too high so I dropped it down, still does it. The gain is just a hair over 3/4 of the way up and it looks like the LPF appears to be set right around 40 or so, give or take. The subs are Kicker CVR and the amp is a Directed D2400. They are in a pre fab sealed enclosure with seperate chambers.

Thanks.

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[grimreper912003 5,000+ posts]

is it a clean copy of the song, Ie orig. CD?

 

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

is it a clean copy of the song, Ie orig. CD?

Negative. It is a downloaded copy from LimeWire.

 

[jco1385 5,000+ posts]

impedance too low for amp?

 

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

impedance too low for amp?

Negative also, the amp puts out 1200 rms @ 1, 800 rms @ 2, and 600 rms @ 4

The subs are dual 2's wired to 2 ohm. Subs are rated at 400 rms. Those rms ratings on the amp are @ 14.4v.

 

[grimreper912003 5,000+ posts]

maybe the recording of the song is just really dirty. I would DL or Buy a new copy if you want it to sound good.

 

[528hz 10+ year member]

Maybe it's recorded at a higher DB level. Is it a hell of a lot louder than any of your other CDs?

 

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

Well, it plays pretty loud but I wouldn't say louder than the others, if a clean copy still clips the amp should I go lower on the LPF? Maybe higher? I'm not even real sure what they do. I have read about them but don't really understand what it is I'm reading lol.

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

turn your gain down.

Silly.

 

[Team Maxxsonics 10+ year member]

How do you know that it is actually clipping?

when you say it "clipped", is it actually going into the protect mode?

What is atually happening when the problem occurs?

Does the amp have Bass EQ and possibly turned up too high?

 

[Rashaddd 5,000+ posts]

Well, it plays pretty loud but I wouldn't say louder than the others, if a clean copy still clips the amp should I go lower on the LPF? Maybe higher? I'm not even real sure what they do. I have read about them but don't really understand what it is I'm reading lol.

Different songs have different levels on their mastering, this especially comes into play if you have your gains on your amp set to barely before clipping. Just turn down your bass or volume on that song a few notches and it should be fine, unless its recorded way above normal levels. Either way, get a clean version of it.

 

[BEAVER.989 10+ year member]

If you know for a fact it's clipping, the real question is... why haven't you fixed it?

 

[thch 10+ year member]

thus far, from the thread, the "clipping" claim needs to be explained. Given the general difficulty for an objective measurement of clipping, and the general acceptance of mild clipping, it seems likely the term is being applied wrong.

the following are problems and solutions:

1.) the amplifier is occasionally entering protect mode. a reduction in gains, or correction of wiring errors can fix this, with the latter being preferred.

2.) an inprecise tool, such as a DMM, is being misapplied to infer the form of distortion caused when the amplifier cannot force the speaker any further inward or outward due to its design limitations. this limitation is called "clipping".

3.) audible distortion is present. this may be an issue with any element in the audio system including the human and the speaker and the amp and the HU, and ect... A speaker bottoming out will certainly sound unplesant regardless of how clean the amplifier is.

4.) a precision instrument is used to determine clipping. Because the amplifier is set using a sine wave, and music is comprised of many sounds, some of which are delayed and reduced by filters, it may be possible that the summation of these filtered sounds will exceed the peak capabilities of the amplifier (even though the average power may be reduced).

in general, #2 may be a non issue. #3 may mean you need a highpass/subsonic filter to prevent overexcursion. #4 is generally not solvable except by purchasing a larger amplifier, but it is also not terribly important either.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

songs don't clip....people do FYI

 

[trebor 10+ year member]

My guess is like some one else stated, you probably got your gains turned up to much.

songs don't clip....people do FYI

Guess you haven't heard Madonna's new album then! lol

Man, that whole album clips worse than any other recordings I've heard. I know studio clipping is the "in" thing but it's getting rediculous!

 

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

Okay guys I got it fixed. I just turned down (torwards the lower number) the LPF a bit more and since have played the song 3 times with no issues at all. It was not going into protect mode, it would just stop producing sound for 2-4 seconds, then come right back on. Sorry for using the wrong term, I was never quite sure what clipping meant but figured that's what was happening. I actually came up a hair on the gains since the subs should be pretty well broken in by now (per Kicker tech recommendations), and it's sounding great! Which leads me to my next question... As long as I cant smell any heat from the subs they should be ok with the gains where they are right? I played them for 25-30 minutes straight last night with no cutting out and no funny smells. Thanks for all the help, once again! You guys are great!

 

[BEAVER.989 10+ year member]

My rule of thumb... turn up the gain until the very first hint of audible distortion and then back it off just a little.

The only problem with this is that all music is not recorded equally. If you have a subwoofer voulme control on your head unit, you may find that you need to use it to tone down bass heavy songs and crank it up on lesser recordings.

 

[SmokeEater850 10+ year member]

I do, and the sub controls do make it louder with the gains down, but it doesn't give it that deep bass, the stuff that vibrates the roof and makes your throat tickle.

Also, setting the gains with the music up is near impossible. There really is nowhere around here where I can be sitting still with the music crunk up without someone saying something about it. I may just end up doing it anyways and letting them ***** about it... It needs to be done. I am not the greatest at sniffing out distortion, my wife on the other hand can hear even the slightest bit... Maybe I will get her to do it, it's her car we're talking about anyways lol. The subs I'm getting for my truck are still not available for purchase. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif