Yet another clipping question.

[fuggnore]

so i know you can tell is a sub is clipping by listining too it. or with a DMM. but can you tell by the lights in your car?

i put my new amp in tonight and when i was playing some bass tones to tune stuff in and i notice that after a little more then half on my gain my interior lights would dim. (mind you its dark out while im doing all this). and if im correct your sub get a clipped signal once there is not enough power going to your amplifier? so when my lights dim wouldent that mean my cars not producing enough power and there for that would be my clipping point? LOL or would it be wayyyy before that? but anyway i went to the point where my lights dim then backed it off slowly untill the undimmed, then went a tiny bit more. think im okay?

i was tuneing while listing to a 34HZ tone beacuse its the loudest in my car. should i not do that? or does it not matter what tone i use.

Edited August 10, 2010 by fuggnore

[Mr. Darkjustice]

lights dimming only means your voltage is droppin to low or at that point you have a high current draw

[dugee81]

yeah lights dimming doesnt necessarily mean the sub is being sent a clipped signal by the amp. i think clipping will generally begin to occur once your voltage starts dropping into the 11's, maybe even 10's. never happened to me though so im not sure. maybe consider purchasing one of those $17 stinger voltage meters?

[Rogers]

lights dimming only means your voltage is droppin to low or at that point you have a high current draw

this and i would like to add that voltage drop can cause clipping... but your headlights dimming isnt necessarily a sign of clipping... its a sign of voltage drop.... it goes hand in hand

[Mr. Darkjustice]

this and i would like to add that voltage drop can cause clipping... but your headlights dimming isnt necessarily a sign of clipping... its a sign of voltage drop.... it goes hand in hand

it can cause it, doesnt necessarily mean it will in every situation

[Rogers]

it can cause it, doesnt necessarily mean it will in every situation

agreed... i should have bolded "can"... for example if you had a large amp on stock elecrical.. say like a 7k amp... and have it tuned for like 3k... your voltage would drop but it most likely wouldnt clip... but say you had like a 1k amp and had it tuned for 1k then it would most likely clip when the voltage dropped... at least that is my understanding of the situation

[Mr. Darkjustice]

i overlooked the fact you tuned with a 34 hz tone, you have to use a 50 hz tone. youve probably set the gain too high and you clipped it AND got voltage drop lol

[fuggnore]

i overlooked the fact you tuned with a 34 hz tone, you have to use a 50 hz tone. youve probably set the gain too high and you clipped it AND got voltage drop lol

^^^^^

haha i was scrolling through all the posts waiting to see this answer

LOL OH SHIT yeah i was wayyyyy off on that. i gotta re tune that tomorrow haha and its not my headlights dimming. they have always done that even with my old amp. but its my interior lights. im sure my headlights were dimming too though i wasnt looking foward. i was looking at the amp. (not driving of course) but whats an idiot proof way of testing for clipping. tools and stuff? that arnt alot of money haha.

is it easier to hear a clipped signal at 50HZ?

Edited August 10, 2010 by fuggnore

[kirill007]

Well, you could be clipping severly or absolutely not.

You can't really tell if it's clipping or not by seeing lights dim.

[Mr. Darkjustice]

is it easier to hear a clipped signal at 50HZ?

unless you A. clip it so much it sounds boomy or kinda hollow or B. your amp blows up lol you cant hear clipping