dmm gain setting

[TeamHT]

LOL. I think sanis just been trying to go against the grain because jumping on the wagon is what everyone does. I don't really fault him, he just wants to go against traffic. If sani was a caveman when the wheel was invented, he would rather chase down a dinosaur, domesticate it, train it, and then use that as transportation not because its better or he hates a more efficient, clean, timely method of traveling...but only because everyone else would be getting wheels. But apparently I missed an active thread and now go to page 1

[audiofanaticz]

He is far from going against the grain.. He talks mad crap about sundown and how the woofers are made in china.. You point out the same fact that is true about his beloved audio que woofers and he calls you a nut hugger (even if you dont even own sundown woofers). Like I said, far from against the grain, and I can be pretty sure more people will vouch for this.

[TeamHT]

Ha ha, I know...just trying...to give him the benefit, lol.

[Team Bassick - Kimo]

My Turn..........

Thanks for dragging me into this thread Bill.

Old man talk. Back in the day none of us gave a Fuck about clipping, distortion or maximizing gain output. All that mattered was that your shit knocked. As we evolved over the years so has the car audio industry and the amount of bang for your buck. The ear o metered worked for years but, eventually we all ended up picking up TL's to measure our db's. The DD-1 is just part of the evolution of the car audio industry. DDM and O-scope are not only for "car audio" they are necessary tools for electrical Engineers. TL and DD-1 easily can be speciality tools for car audio installers/enthusiasts.

Look at it this way. When I was salesman for Car Audio a rule of thumb was you should expect to spend about 10-15% in accessories. So if you are spending almost $2000 for an amp what is $150 to maximize it. If your spending $7000 in your System what's $700 for a TL at this point.

[n8ball2013]

Kimo had more patience than i did to type that out. For those of you talking about using the dmm method a year ago. no we used o scopes. something faster and easier has come along and for this specific purpose its used for its incredible. Skittles Id like to see you dd-1 your amps and see if it makes a difference.

[meade916]

Wow. Never thought this discussion would be about trying to compare a dmm to the dd-1. To say you can measure the dame AC line condition with a dmm over a scope based unit is crazy. At least there is some room for discussion between the dd1 and scope. But even a scope isn't designed to set a limit on what percentage you are seeing. So why not use the right tool for the job? Ignorance is bliss

never once compared the two. again, all i said was that the dmm method is effective.

dude, you are IMPOSSIBLE. You have No clue on why a gain is on the side of an amp. You keep thinking your way is proper, and i will keep teaching people the RIGHT WAY. The DMM is a joke for setting gains just like using the clip-light.

.... ok... so i ask nicely for a technical explanation and thats your reply? you know... there is such a thing as a friendly argument.

i dont think its a secret, on this forum, that I know a thing or two. i think you yourself know that im not some idiot, as you like to portray me.

as this has clearly turned sour, ill just leave this thread alone, regardless of your next comment.

you never answered MY question. How do you find out where the head unit distorts or clips with a DMM? What about any line drivers, EQ's or processors before the amp? You say its not necessary to know that because it doesn't matter........and that makes you sound like a FOOL. That is precisely what a gain is for. A gain is for MATCHING THE AMP INPUT TO THE SOURCE OUTPUT. You are basically saying, "who needs it to be at 33 out of 35 when you can have it do the same thing @ 20 out of 35". Well if you set it to where your system is balls-out at 20, what do you think is going to happen? Its going to get too loud, too fast. On top of that, if you set the gains for a customer like that, what do you think is going to happen? Thats right, he is going to still try to turn it up WAY past 20. Now you have problems. Your cool "formula" has the amp pegged when his deck is only @ 20. He goes to 25 while bumping some shit for his buddies and guess what? Time for some smoke. If he goes to 30, its OVER Johnny. But if the gains were set right, he could take the system to 33 CLEANLY and not worry about it. It doesn't just sound better when you do that, its also SAFER...especially if you hand the keys to a stereo NOOB who just spent good money on an install and has a heavy volume hand.

Ok, lets say you set up the amps to put out full power with the deck @ 20 out of 35....no clipping, or distortion there, obviously, since the deck is so low. Well now, you get to turn the gain up on the amp twice as high to make up for lack of input voltage. We all know that the higher the gain the better the SQ.......right? LOL. Personally, if i have a deck that is 4v out, i want to send as much of that (clean) power to the amp and keep the gain as low as possible. What you are basically saying is that its better to send 1/2 a volt out and then crank up the gain.

So the deck is still set at 20, because in your eyes it doesn't matter. What about the processor in the middle? Line driver? EQ? what's your "formula" for that? You saying "it doesn't matter" doesn't cut it because it DOES matter.

bottom line using a DMM to set gains is about as "effective" as using your ears and is still "guessing" at best.

[kingsuv]

Any time Kimo

Look at one point all of us didn't know. We all started at the 3/4 because that's all we knew. Times changed, tools got better and more affordable to more people. When I got my scope, it changed the game on how I was able to work. Trust me, I wanted the dd-1 to not be as effective as it was. That way I could justify the money I spent on a real nice scope. Sure I could of picked up a more cost effective unit, but when given the chance, I want to best tool in my toolbox I can afford.

Just cause the 3/4 or trying to math out on a dmm works for you, doesn't make it right. Standing on a soap box pounding your drum about it as such is irresponsible. It's like saying who needs a job when you can live life on welfare. It's just like working without doing the work for it

[ZachG]

Interesting thread