With the age of technology, shouldnt amps be more suited?

[JoeK 10+ year member]

inb4 i broke my amp again, i did not

With the digital technology we have available, would it be too much to ask for little extras in quality amps? I'm talking automatic gain setting and protection error messages!

These arent difficult concepts, gain setting is as simple as setting your HU volume and then allow the amplifier to set the internal gain until it sees clipping. Simple as that.

And protection error messages.. well yeah, you know the gist.

need moar digitals

Click to read more...

 

[Dirtrider4eva 10+ year member]

not really. car audio really hasnt advanced progressively since the market isnt huge. the fosgated bd2500cp have voltage gauges and what not. it just isnt enough of a market for them to make such big upgrades. because then prices will rise, and sales probably fall.

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

And with mass usage of Kicker/Sony/Power Akoustik/Dual etc, I would think that there would be little room to market such a product because your everyday average user has no idea what clipping, gain setting, bass boost, etc is doing. If they're loud or sound ok(in their eyes), they're content.

 

[quackhead 10+ year member]

bad *** amps, but very expensive..

JBL MS-A1004 (MSA1004) 400W 4-Channel Amp w/ Digital Input Mixer

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

bad *** amps, but very expensive..JBL MS-A1004 (MSA1004) 400W 4-Channel Amp w/ Digital Input Mixer

I have seen those and do agree quacker.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Automatic gain setting has been implemented in the past, but it wasn't put into car amplifiers. As with any forum discussion, this thread I'm linking is not the final word on the subject, but it's insightful:

why dont amp companies make amps that automatically adjust the output ? - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

this has been done already. company called BBE made an anti-clipping circuit. it would detect when the output got near the rail voltage and would turn the gain down for you.
so you could set the gain all the way up and crank sine waves all you want, it would not clip. best part is it really worked! worst part is, it really worked! it took out all the dynamics of music since it wouldnt allow any clipping. beleive it or not, we listen to clipping all the time and cant hear it until it gets to ridiculous levels.

bottom line, it didnt sound very good and only low end amplifiers used it.

Like the quote mentions, clipping on music is not all bad. The industry knows this, but the public generally believes that clipping kills speakers all day every day, so it must be avoided at all costs.

Moving on to the suggestion of a digital readout describing error messages. Amplifiers are getting progressively smaller all the time. We're just starting to see Class T getting into car amplifiers. As the cases get smaller there's less room for frivolous extras. Even adding one knob to the typical row of knobs can throw off the whole circuit board design. People don't want to pay for a product that's more expensive to design and build.

 

[JoeK 10+ year member]

Automatic gain setting has been implemented in the past, but it wasn't put into car amplifiers. As with any forum discussion, this thread I'm linking is not the final word on the subject, but it's insightful:why dont amp companies make amps that automatically adjust the output ? - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

Like the quote mentions, clipping on music is not all bad. The industry knows this, but the public generally believes that clipping kills speakers all day every day, so it must be avoided at all costs.

Moving on to the suggestion of a digital readout describing error messages. Amplifiers are getting progressively smaller all the time. We're just starting to see Class T getting into car amplifiers. As the cases get smaller there's less room for frivolous extras. Even adding one knob to the typical row of knobs can throw off the whole circuit board design. People don't want to pay for a product that's more expensive to design and build.

Even making the protect light blink a certain number of times would be better. Red solid, red slow blink, red quick blink, even have the green light blink with the red light for a combination of.. at least 6 errors

 

[Loudmp5 10+ year member]

then every rich idiot that knows nothing about anything but money would be all in our bizz i vote NO i like it how it is it would take the fun out of the hobby

 

[naughtyca 10+ year member]

Headunits always progress much faster than amp and subs since that's what you see and touch everyday, and as technology advances the headunit needs to cope up.

 

[JoeK 10+ year member]

Headunits always progress much faster than amp and subs since that's what you see and touch everyday, and as technology advances the headunit needs to cope up.

headunits are mopre used by a broader category of people. thats why they are more advanced

 

---------- Post added at 02:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------

 

then every rich idiot that knows nothing about anything but money would be all in our bizz i vote NO i like it how it is it would take the fun out of the hobby

arent they already?

 

[Loudmp5 10+ year member]

well yes but thats ok cause they pay some car installer to blow there chit anyways causing them to buy more equipment which is a plus for the market but if the amp set its own gain they could keep it forever anyways ppl would be like i dont hear clipping turn it up a little more override that shiz yo

 

[JoeK 10+ year member]

well yes but thats ok cause they pay some car installer to blow there chit anyways causing them to buy more equipment which is a plus for the market but if the amp set its own gain they could keep it forever anyways ppl would be like i dont hear clipping turn it up a little more override that shiz yo

thats the whole idea -- keeping your stuff for as long as you want and not blowing it up

 

[skylineTT 10+ year member]

JBL's new auto amps for the win.

 

[Loudmp5 10+ year member]

but when you blow something it gives you the opportunity or the reason to try something new

 

---------- Post added at 02:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:59 PM ----------

 

but i do get where you are coming from

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

then every rich idiot that knows nothing about anything but money would be all in our bizz i vote NO i like it how it is it would take the fun out of the hobby

Note : *Reference Johnathan Price