Clipping vs distortion

 

Bronze Member
Username: Schinner

Post Number: 50
Registered: May-07
hey guys idk what happens if i turn up the gain the subs will cut then play a little...then cut then play a little.....is this clipping?

what does clipping mean?

idk what distortion sounds like...
 

Silver Member
Username: Warlok

Orlando, FL USA

Post Number: 288
Registered: Dec-05
Jesus Christ man. Your goin to kill your equipment. Any time something sounds like that, its not good! You are a victim of either distorion, and/or major electrical problems, & just general user error. It's really hard to say what the prob is without being there to hear & evaluate the situation. Is this volume dependant? Does it do it all the time when you turn it up, or just after you've been listening for a while, and how much time we talkin here ? And can you make it do it all the time, or does it just happen intermitantly ?

But to be safe, Turn your gain down, set it properly, & make sure the amp is of proper size to drive the load, not to mentions your charging system needs to be adequate. I dont know what you are running, but it sounds like you have problems. Anyways . ..

Technicaly, Clipping is a form of distortion.
When an amplifier is pushed to create a signal with more power than it can support, in english, reaches its maximum output capacity, yet tries to keep up with the input signal gain ratio between the signal source "HU" and Amp. The amp hits an imaginary wall whereby the output signal is no longer a symetrical replication of the input signal. So when you do this, your Fu*king up the way the artist intended you to hear it ! The wave form in, does not match the wave form out in shape or amplitude. (you can see this easily if you had an O-scope). You can amplify a signal only up to its maximum capacity, at which point the signal will be amplified no further. And the signal simply "cuts" or "clips" at the maximum capacity of the amplifier. That signal is said to be "clipping". The extra signal which is beyond the capability of the amplifier is simply cut off, resulting in Frequencies with flat spots at the top, resulting in a distorted waveform.

In power amplifiers, the signal from an amplifier that is "clipping" has 2 characteristics that could damage a connected speaker(s):

Because the clipped waveform has more area underneath it than the smaller unclipped waveform, the amplifier produces more power. This extra power can cause over-excursion & can overheat the voice coil, which again, leads to death. This exece heat can make your amp go into protection mode. This "could" be your issue.

This all likely to be represented as a sudden stop or flat spot at the point of your supposed and normally smooth sine wave. When the sine wave peaks, your speaker is extended outward (90 degrees), as you roll through the 180 degree mark, it is at rest. (270) pushed inward, and so one and so forth. So instead of getting a smooth in and outward movements at the peak of extension, you get a momentary over extension, then a sudden stop in movement, at the end of the flat spot, then you resume to go back inward (your sub that is). This will appear to sound as as quick pop, or a break in sound, which could, but is unlikely your uproblem. But it could be too. What cha go in there ?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Schinner

Post Number: 51
Registered: May-07
well you see ive got two 10" compvr on a zx 750.1

im trying to set the gain so i can get the most possible out of these subs. when it cuts out its right away, always at that certain gain setting, and doesnt matter if its warmed up or not. its makes kind of like a clicking noise that sounds like from the amp.

when setting the gain i should put vol to 3/4 and turn the bass boost remote...all the way up right?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Chuck78

Post Number: 32
Registered: Mar-07
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/support_pages.php?page_id=143
http://www.subwoofertools.com/forum/setgain.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm4aaC87ARg

http://realmofexcursion.com/ <--go to downloads at the top of the page and find a 50hz test tone 0db, download it and put it on a cd.

If you want to get the most out of your subs, set the gain the right way. No bass boost, and yes volume at 3/4.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Chuck78

Post Number: 33
Registered: Mar-07
Also turn off all EQ settings on your head unit, loudness/bass boost and anything else you have. If your head unit has a sub level control(if you don't know what it is then you don't have one) turn that all the way up.

A DMM will run you $10-15 at walmart, and yes it is worth it.

Any other questions just ask.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Schinner

Post Number: 58
Registered: May-07
if i set it with bass boost off....then when i use it wouldnt it give too much to the subs?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Chuck78

Post Number: 35
Registered: Mar-07
most people would agree that for a daily driver you really shouldn't use bass boost, and yes you would be giving "too much" to the subs if you used it after setting your gain properly. So don't use it.
 

Silver Member
Username: Jkidder

Spring hill, Florida Usa

Post Number: 803
Registered: Nov-05
bass boost does nothing but elongate the soundwaves and make it muddy or distorted but gives the illusion of being louder.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Schinner

Post Number: 59
Registered: May-07
alright then i wish i would have never used it...shoot...that and i think one of the subs is starting to blow because when its thumping it sounds kinda like something is loose on the one sub...

lastly after setting the gain with my dmm.... i cant turn the volume up to 75%... i hear a kind of click like noise and the bass will cut after like 5 miliseconds on each hit...like i was explaining in my first post............im wondering if my car cant feed the amp the power it tries to send the subs...my headlights and other lights do dimm when the volume is about 62-65%

BTW thanks for all of the info guys
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