SMD DD-1 vs Built-in clipping indicator on a 2011 Hifonics Colossus

[Wolf4Life]

http://www.youtube.com/embed/qezbbQSCcL4 - I would have of added/linked the video but not sure how.

Sorry about not saying anything but don’t want to listen to myself.

I HU clips on 35-35 or 33-35 depending on voltage so to be
safe I set it at 32.

The amp is not right on the money or the DD-1 is not on the
money but nonethe less I love it and it is a great fast and easy tool and
I have yet to have anyissues. I know it says to put the remote at ½ and set your
gain but it seems like if you do that and have a little play and are not careful
you may still damage your sub(s) from clipping/heat. I have not tested it though
but I set mine at max when setting my gain so I can always go lower but not to
high.

The built-in light has a soft-clip at 31 and a hard-clip at
32, the DD-1 comes on at 33 so that’s close enough for me to belive in it.
Although I did before I just wanted another video besides an o-scope showing that
it works correctly.

The other issue I had was not so much the DD-1 itself but
different Head unit or processors can change how it may read the test tones. I say
this because almost no song unless recorded to high or has been modified gets
any higher then around 0db.

Anything past 0db is considered clipping. You may get +3db
from a port or whatever or a change in db to
space but that is after the amp and is not really clipping it more

about being efficient. I say all of that because I used to always use
-10db to get it to sound what I was used to when I used a o-scope at 0db, in
that I could use the DD-1 at 0bd and was not happy and kind of knocked it as no
good like some people do.

That is not the case though as I found today I figured I would turn off my crossover and let
everything go through my head unit as it was recorded to do, then I set my infrasonic and
crossover the best I could with out Steve’s gadget I played test tones and adjusted until it
sounded right to me. Then when making this video for fun I saw that what was once
set with -10db Is now reading the same at 0db, so just because you do not
think it works like they say It could be you do not know as much as you thought you did.
Well I am done with my little rant.

Thanks D'Amore Engineering and Steve for a great tool and way less than a o-scope you may only drag out once in a great while.

[soundstream15]

Dd-1 will always be correct, compare to a clipping light on a amp or knob..so your saying -10db is actually 0db..got me confused on that one...I use -10db

[Ballen194]

basically the clip indicator on the amp is "playing it safe". kind of a good thing for those that actually rely on the clip indcator light if you ask me.

[REVOofRustler]

I did something pretty similar a couple months ago with my Crescendo clippping indicator

[audiofanaticz]

Clipping indicators on amplifiers are triggered to turn on when the amplifier rail voltage meets or exceeds a certain number, Every amp I ever seen and tested with my dd-1 and my old snap-on oscilloscope had the light blink before the amplifier was clipping.

So if you tune your amp going off the clipping indicator on your amps or remote knobs, your not getting full useful power from it.

[REVOofRustler]

Clipping indicators on amplifiers are triggered to turn on when the amplifier rail voltage meets or exceeds a certain number, Every amp I ever seen and tested with my dd-1 and my old snap-on oscilloscope had the light blink before the amplifier was clipping.

So if you tune your amp going off the clipping indicator on your amps or remote knobs, your not getting full useful power from it.

Could you explain a bit on what rail voltage actually is? Does it take the input voltage, multiplied by amperage and then factors in some sort of pre-set efficiency? Or is it simply just an estimate by the amp?

[Ballen194]

Clipping indicators on amplifiers are triggered to turn on when the amplifier rail voltage meets or exceeds a certain number, Every amp I ever seen and tested with my dd-1 and my old snap-on oscilloscope had the light blink before the amplifier was clipping.

So if you tune your amp going off the clipping indicator on your amps or remote knobs, your not getting full useful power from it.

right. but its pretty damn close though isnt it? (atleast with these videos) and with seeing these it makes me trust a clipping light more especially when its playing it safe and showing clip when its not clipping. or is it still wrong to trust the light?

[bassinyerface]

Idk. About you guys but I'd rather be a tad under then clipping you know?

[Alvi45]

Clipping indicators on amplifiers are triggered to turn on when the amplifier rail voltage meets or exceeds a certain number, Every amp I ever seen and tested with my dd-1 and my old snap-on oscilloscope had the light blink before the amplifier was clipping.

So if you tune your amp going off the clipping indicator on your amps or remote knobs, your not getting full useful power from it.

right. but its pretty damn close though isnt it? (atleast with these videos) and with seeing these it makes me trust a clipping light more especially when its playing it safe and showing clip when its not clipping. or is it still wrong to trust the light?

I don't about u but I would like to get the best out of what I have not 90 percent .. I would not trust the clipping light on these amps to the fullest they are just ment to give u an idea.. I would not trust those lights over the dd-1

[Alvi45]

Idk. About you guys but I'd rather be a tad under then clipping you know?

I can understand that but what I don't agree on is to trust a clipping light on a amp over the dd-1