Christian Murace Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Yo SMD, Just wondering a quick question. I got a powered subwoofer god knows how old it is. I have no idea the specs of it and I need to know how much watts it outputs. Now I know voltage times current = watts but is there any way that I can measure the amp output with a multi meter? also does a speaker output DC amps or AC amps or something else? just a casual noob here. thanks guys, any feedback at all appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broke_Audio_Addict Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Voltage × amps does not equal watts, it equals VA (volt amps). No you can not measure wattage with a traditional multimeter but D'amore engineering does offer a audio multi meter capable of doing so, cost is around $400. A speaker outputs sound not amps of any kind, an amplifier outputs Ac voltage. That being said a lot of people's definition of "music" is a clipped 30 hz sine wave with some 80 IQ knuckle head grunting about committing crimes and his genitals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullz Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 What brand and model? Often times you can just google the brand and model number and you'll get a page with the specs on it. 01 Ford focus ZX3 Pioneer AVH-X491BHS PPI PC 4800.2 Morel Maximo 6.5" x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwz Posted June 17, 2016 Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 People used to post this chart all over the place, when I frequented here a few years ago. Now everyone just pushes DD's $400 clamp without alternative advice? Yeah, very helpful. This chart will work fine for people self-installing... No point in scaring away newbies. PS: The wattage there is RMS. You want your amp to read approximately the voltage in the chart depending on the sub's RMS capability & resistance in ohms of the wiring to the coils of the sub. So for example 1500wRMS @ 2ohms, your amp's speaker outputs should read approximately 54.77v with a multimeter, while using a proper test tone for the setup & the headunit turned up to the highest volume level # BEFORE the signal starts to clip. And subwoofer volume level +15 or possibly lower depending on that particular headunit. Headunit also has to have any LPF taken account for and any EQ settings set to 0. Loudness off & no bass boost whatsoever. After you set this, you'll have a general maximum range to go for. Always play music lower than what you set, because depending on the music and if the headunit's RCA output is clipping, it's still just a general range you're going for. That's why people push clamps instead but IMO use your head and use mp3gain and only clean 128kbps+ music, a safe test tone (not 40hz 0db for example, -5db or -10), and never send any sort of clipped signal to your amp if you can help it. Sometimes it's unavoidable. But clipping and any headunit boosts will show you how much more voltage is being output from the amp. Like, dramatically. Leading to some issues with your equipment. Set the gain (voltage) to the max below in the chart then just play it safe. Personally in my first setup I used this chart and found that if I did not adhere to the above guidelines, I always managed to blow equipment. But I'm glad I learned that way cause now I can diagnose anything XD.http://imgur.com/foaoyhY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meade916 Posted June 17, 2016 Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 Voltage × amps does not equal watts, it equals VA (volt amps). No you can not measure wattage with a traditional multimeter but SMD D'amore engineering does offer a audio multi meter capable of doing so, cost is around $400. A speaker outputs sound not amps of any kind, an amplifier outputs Ac voltage. All SMD products + MORE available at my store here! https://wccaraudio.com/ Subscribe to My Youtube Channel! Over 1,000,000 subscribers strong! Turn on your notifications! http://www.youtube.com/meade916 Follow My Instagram! Daily live feeds from the shop, exclusive content way before it hits my Youtube channel...and little squares with photo's in them http://www.instagram.com/meade916 The Official SMD Facebook fan Page https://www.facebook.com/SteveMeadeDesigns/ Follow my Tweet (Twitter) http://www.Twitter.com/meade916 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwz Posted June 17, 2016 Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 Voltage × amps does not equal watts, it equals VA (volt amps). No you can not measure wattage with a traditional multimeter but SMD D'amore engineering does offer a audio multi meter capable of doing so, cost is around $400. A speaker outputs sound not amps of any kind, an amplifier outputs Ac voltage. Oh my bad Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broke_Audio_Addict Posted June 17, 2016 Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 People used to post this chart all over the place, when I frequented here a few years ago. Now everyone just pushes DD's $400 clamp without alternative advice? Yeah, very helpful. This chart will work fine for people self-installing... No point in scaring away newbies. PS: The wattage there is RMS. You want your amp to read approximately the voltage in the chart depending on the sub's RMS capability & resistance in ohms of the wiring to the coils of the sub. So for example 1500wRMS @ 2ohms, your amp's speaker outputs should read approximately 54.77v with a multimeter, while using a proper test tone for the setup & the headunit turned up to the highest volume level # BEFORE the signal starts to clip. And subwoofer volume level +15 or possibly lower depending on that particular headunit. Headunit also has to have any LPF taken account for and any EQ settings set to 0. Loudness off & no bass boost whatsoever. After you set this, you'll have a general maximum range to go for. Always play music lower than what you set, because depending on the music and if the headunit's RCA output is clipping, it's still just a general range you're going for. That's why people push clamps instead but IMO use your head and use mp3gain and only clean 128kbps+ music, a safe test tone (not 40hz 0db for example, -5db or -10), and never send any sort of clipped signal to your amp if you can help it. Sometimes it's unavoidable. But clipping and any headunit boosts will show you how much more voltage is being output from the amp. Like, dramatically. Leading to some issues with your equipment. Set the gain (voltage) to the max below in the chart then just play it safe. Personally in my first setup I used this chart and found that if I did not adhere to the above guidelines, I always managed to blow equipment. But I'm glad I learned that way cause now I can diagnose anything XD.http://imgur.com/foaoyhY See the problem with that is the ohm load does not remain constant and a multi-meter cannot detect clipping or distortion. This is a bullshit incorrect method. That being said a lot of people's definition of "music" is a clipped 30 hz sine wave with some 80 IQ knuckle head grunting about committing crimes and his genitals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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