Bose set up / clipping

[MrSevs]

I am helping a buddy of mine with an install and after running all his wires and making everything look nice, I go to see where he is clipping on his factory Bose head unit before moving to his LC2i. But for whatever crazy reason his damn Bose head unit does not have any numbers and or ways to mark his clipping point. So at this point I decided to go a head and say heck with it and move on to his LC2i just to see if he is clipping with his volume all the way up... but with everything all the way up still no clip at the LC2i. At this point I am stumped because you can hear that the signal is dirty but figure I would move on after setting the LC2i a little less then all the way up and start to check his amp with my DD1. The amp I was able to get a response from with my DD1 so I set that with the -5 db track. I then decided to play some music and watch his clipping light from his knob and that thing lights up instantly. So I backed down the gain from his LC2i and play some more music but it still clips. I definitely know it has to do with his head unit but how in the world will he be able to control that point other than watching for his light to turn on?

Any advise you all can give is appreciated!!!

Just a note... all units were checked with a DD1 and amp was checked with a DD1 and CC1.

[bassl0va]

Is there any way you can get hold of an o-scope to check it out?

Also, being Bose it wouldn't surprise me if they use some weird non-standard setup and it's having trouble driving the LC2i or something.

Most audio stuff gets on just fine without constantly monitoring for clipping though. I'd set the amp for the speakers so it clips around the same point the subs do. Half the fucking music is clipped these days anyway, you shouldn't blow anything up without being really stupid. The clip light on the amp, along with your ears, nose and judgement should be just fine.

Ideally though, get a proper headunit

[Broke_Audio_Addict]

What type of vehicle and where did you pull the signal from that you're feeding the lc2i with?

[bassl0va]

What type of vehicle and where did you pull the signal from that you're feeding the lc2i with?

Probably some spastic Bose output. Idk why those people can't just make a normal product.

Love your sig btw lol. Fits perfect with my post.

[Jhunt94]

that's kind of odd, in my experience every bose system I've worked with distorted super early. The ford systems are the ones that I could never get to distort. As far as knowing where

it clips, I've just had to count hash marks on the head unit, and then show the person the max volume that they can turn it up to.

[MrSevs]

Is there any way you can get hold of an o-scope to check it out?

Also, being Bose it wouldn't surprise me if they use some weird non-standard setup and it's having trouble driving the LC2i or something.

Most audio stuff gets on just fine without constantly monitoring for clipping though. I'd set the amp for the speakers so it clips around the same point the subs do. Half the fucking music is clipped these days anyway, you shouldn't blow anything up without being really stupid. The clip light on the amp, along with your ears, nose and judgement should be just fine.

Ideally though, get a proper headunit

Yeah I can get a hold of one and try that.

And of course when I used the DD1 on it we can detect clipping but on the actual head unit itself there is no mark point to stop and or back off from. The volume knob just turns and turns and turns. Of course the head unit will only go so loud but the volume goes from one extreme to the next on that Bose head unit.

That is why I thought if I stopped clipping from the LC2i to the amp it would help preserve the life of his amp and subs a bit. But the damn signal gets so dirty quickly the the LC2i keeps sending that signal to the amp.

I suggested to him to swap out his head unit but he doesnt want to swap out all his speakers too being that all of them are set a lower ohm impedance being that they are Bose.

[MrSevs]

What type of vehicle and where did you pull the signal from that you're feeding the lc2i with?

He has a 2012 Tahoe. I pulled it from the rear door speaker. His Bose set up did not come with a factory sub.

[MrSevs]

that's kind of odd, in my experience every bose system I've worked with distorted super early. The ford systems are the ones that I could never get to distort. As far as knowing where

it clips, I've just had to count hash marks on the head unit, and then show the person the max volume that they can turn it up to.

I have a Bose head unit in my Armada and the same as you mentioned... I have hash marks that I can use as a marker point. Fortunately I did not have the same issue he is having with his vehicle and I was able to use my DD1 with success.

[bassl0va]

Is there any way you can get hold of an o-scope to check it out?

Also, being Bose it wouldn't surprise me if they use some weird non-standard setup and it's having trouble driving the LC2i or something.

Most audio stuff gets on just fine without constantly monitoring for clipping though. I'd set the amp for the speakers so it clips around the same point the subs do. Half the fucking music is clipped these days anyway, you shouldn't blow anything up without being really stupid. The clip light on the amp, along with your ears, nose and judgement should be just fine.

Ideally though, get a proper headunit

Yeah I can get a hold of one and try that.

And of course when I used the DD1 on it we can detect clipping but on the actual head unit itself there is no mark point to stop and or back off from. The volume knob just turns and turns and turns. Of course the head unit will only go so loud but the volume goes from one extreme to the next on that Bose head unit.

That is why I thought if I stopped clipping from the LC2i to the amp it would help preserve the life of his amp and subs a bit. But the damn signal gets so dirty quickly the the LC2i keeps sending that signal to the amp.

I suggested to him to swap out his head unit but he doesnt want to swap out all his speakers too being that all of them are set a lower ohm impedance being that they are Bose.

So the headunit does reach a point where the DD1 detects clipping? Just back the volume down a little from there, then set the other stuff. That way if he's really going for it he'll get the clip light as warning before any sound degradation.

Will lose a tiny bit of potential output from the door speakers but it won't be an audible difference, and there will be more variation between the levels of different songs anyway.

[MrSevs]

Is there any way you can get hold of an o-scope to check it out?

Also, being Bose it wouldn't surprise me if they use some weird non-standard setup and it's having trouble driving the LC2i or something.

Most audio stuff gets on just fine without constantly monitoring for clipping though. I'd set the amp for the speakers so it clips around the same point the subs do. Half the fucking music is clipped these days anyway, you shouldn't blow anything up without being really stupid. The clip light on the amp, along with your ears, nose and judgement should be just fine.

Ideally though, get a proper headunit

Yeah I can get a hold of one and try that.

And of course when I used the DD1 on it we can detect clipping but on the actual head unit itself there is no mark point to stop and or back off from. The volume knob just turns and turns and turns. Of course the head unit will only go so loud but the volume goes from one extreme to the next on that Bose head unit.

That is why I thought if I stopped clipping from the LC2i to the amp it would help preserve the life of his amp and subs a bit. But the damn signal gets so dirty quickly the the LC2i keeps sending that signal to the amp.

I suggested to him to swap out his head unit but he doesnt want to swap out all his speakers too being that all of them are set a lower ohm impedance being that they are Bose.

So the headunit does reach a point where the DD1 detects clipping? Just back the volume down a little from there, then set the other stuff. That way if he's really going for it he'll get the clip light as warning before any sound degradation.

Will lose a tiny bit of potential output from the door speakers but it won't be an audible difference, and there will be more variation between the levels of different songs anyway.

Well there is 2 issues with that... There is no marker point and it seems like the head unit sends a dirty signal regardless so even when we think we have reached that point the clip light should come on, it is already on. I started off from square one multiple times and still get the same results.

I am sure he is just going to have to swap that head unit out.