Does EVERYTHING clip?

[crunkjuice1]

Here's what I been doing using a tpi440 and a 50hz and 1khz test tone.

checked ipod with each tone for clipping and looking at screen on Oscope even with EQ set flat ipod doesn't APPEAR to clip with volume all the way up the wave goes to the highest and lowest parts of grid on screen and gets sharp so I back volume down just to round out the sharpness.

Ipod is source of media so from there I scope down the line,

head unit

EQ

bass amp (50hrz tone)

mid/high amp (1khz tone)

I check for clipping at each point and the only place I have seen it is on my bas amp (P1000- 1BD)

I am lost as to which wave I'm supposed to go by here are pics of different waves but they never square off.

smaller wave lower volume larger wave higher volume. So for topic question does everything clip? am I doing something wrong?

[OrionStang]

Sorry to thread jack, but when you check the head unit, what do you hook the leads to, speaker wire outputs or rca's?

[STEvil]

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/491338/exhuastive-analysis-of-harmonic-distortion

Make sure that your songs are not clipped too. Free program called "Audacity" can be used to theck for clipping in songs/source material.

[Autruche]

Sorry to thread jack, but when you check the head unit, what do you hook the leads to, speaker wire outputs or rca's?

RCAs man.

I usually see what volume treble is fine to first, the do bass and use the sub adjustment on the head unit to set it right. When I set up a system and the treble will be off of the head unit I usually test the speaker outputs then go to the sub RCAs, or just turn it up to just before the speakers distort and then check the sub RCAs. Depending on what the guy want's me to do.

[crunkjuice1]

Yes RCA's I take black boot off negative clips that come with scope and clip it to outer part of RCA then clip pos clip to post of same RCA.

I have been lead to believe to leave all EQ settings in headunit on flat as well as the pre amp EQ. Is this why I never see a clipped wave at the HU or out the clarion EQ?

And STevil I have that but am lost on how to use it. Is there anything wrong using the larger wave as apposed to the few videos I have seen on web they all show the smaller wave...

[skittlesRgood]

first off, just because of the scope you have, it'll be hard to see slight clipping because of the pixels.

if the wave isnt perfectly round then you are starting to clip. it wont square off until you get a hard clip. on my scope, you can see the wave start to look like the little hook of a fingernail cleaner on a nail clipper. you probably just cant see that kind of detail with your scope.

[crunkjuice1]

so then if I use smaller wave am I losing out or if I use bigger wave am I messing my stuff up?

[skittlesRgood]

by bigger and smaller do you mean longer or shorter? as in 50hz or 1000hz?

[crunkjuice1]

I have 4 pics two of each test tone one small and one larger wave for each tone. From the read on STEvil link the taller wave stands for something but don't know if its bad.

Going of STEvil link I don't want wave to oscillate too fast or amplitude too large on top of not squaring off.

[skittlesRgood]

uhh... the "taller" wave should just be more amplified... as long as its not clipping its better... is that what you are asking?