How to set your gains using the best tool, an oscilloscope. - Tech Stuff Tuesday

Nice vid. Thank you.

In my experience:
Oscilloscope>DD1>DMM>Capacitor+speaker.
A cheap DSO (digital oscilloscope) is the your best bet. but takes a small learning curve that is easy to grasp. If you're using a DD1: Once you get a clip light, turn the gain back just a tad bit to be safe. Depending on the amp sometimes clipping happens a tad bit before the DD1 fully detects it (a Fluke DSO showed me this).

Wouldn't it be easier to max out your EQ and turn up the Bass, Mid, Treble......................Tune for this maximum clipping on the sweeping track, to be safe?

Then set the gains on the amp and be done with it.

Do you have the have the speakers connected in order to get the load on the amp to set with an oscilloscope?

Rambles to much... Get to the point

So what do you do if you want to go louder than the 25 volume? Fukn bullshit that the head unit clips losing so much volume potential. On my pioneer head unit volume 1-30 is so damn low it's pointless, then in distorts at 45 with 60 being the max volume. So I'm stuck in a volume zone that is not loud enough for my preferences. What is the solution to this??? Thanks for your reply. -Cheers

I picked up a $40 o-scope on Amazon and its a nice little unit. I originally set my amp gains via DMM. I was surprised how much more power was in my Alpine PDX-V9 once I could see clipping on the o-scope. I compared the new o-scope gain setting side by side with my DMM and noticed there was a about a 5.5 volt difference between the o-scope and the DMM (example oscope: 24.33V DMM: 19.0V. The o-scope was higher on all channels. Any idea why it was approx 5 volts higher?

Where did you get the test tones from

ok, this was cool stuff. I got an o-scope from a friend and adjusted the maximum clipping volume (with my equalizer on) using the a sweep tone. When I plugged back in teh RCA plugs and then did a channel on my amp, it already was clipping with the gain all the way down. Obviously, I did something wrong, but not sure what. Help is appreciated..

@EMF Audio... this video made me pay attention to the reality that treble can cause clipping.
Thanks for the good educational information & keep up the good work.
😎👍😎

Where can I get this O scope

@ EMF Audio thanks for the detailed information this has helped a lot. Living on a small island not much people now how to do stuff like this properly so all of what you shared is a big help. If you do another video on this could you show how to do it with an equalizer and crossover.

Good Video Man, I love people that have the balls to tell it like is.. 👍

bro, where can we download the file?

Thanks for all these great videos

It's on Amazon right now for 37 bucks

Excellent info...just what I needed.. thanks🙏👍

amazing info, so very well explained, from head unit to all, sadly you do not have much likes, because the YT algorithm sucks so bad.

This is fantastic. I’m wondering, what would the process be if I have an eq between the head unit and amplifier?

Very good video and very useful information

How’s it going brother!

Been learning so much from you and your vids, thank you for your time and effort!

Got a request: I’m someone who has a factory head unit, an Audiocontrol Lc2i, an Audiocontrol bass restorer, and an aftermarket amplifier. I’m sure I’m not the only one with the extra bells and whistles :)

Can you please teach us where to start checking for clipping, and where to go after each step until we’re done tuning for clipping?

Thanks again brother!!

I am an electronic repair person so I own quite a few Osciloscopes. The cheap small hand held Osciloscopes work fine for setting gains. I've used them for years. I also usually do not use in line with a speaker... Any quality amplifiers rated rms power is achieved by setting the amp to pre clipping. Different music and speakers all cause changes to the clipping point BUT as one who listens to almost every kind of music.... Why am I going to take the chance of sending a clipped signal to my $500 worth of Subs? Or any speaker for that matter... If you want more bump out of it, add to it or increase amp size... There are more than enough options and when you consider the cost of speakers and time invested in changing component sets (which I have installed in factory locations)... This will pan out to be cheaper and more beneficial in the long run. Just food for thought from a guy who's been around stereos since 1992

Having not used a scope before which one we're you using. Maybe a short video to show what connects to where and what settings on the scope to use please

Very informative way to put everything needed to know in one video

Can we use oscilloscope apps which are available on playstore.? I wish to tune the dsp and set rhe gains on amp..thanks

the best way to set your gains!

Very useful and informative. Thank you!

If I'm trying to determine if my HU is clipping and it's an OEM unit without RCAs and just speaker-level outputs, should I hook the leads to the speaker outputs after the factory amp? Or can I check the actual RCA outputs from my my DSP before the amps?

O'scopes don't detect or show distortion in any way. They show voltage vs time only. They will show clipping, but not distortion caused from things other than clipping.

hi, i am confused with the osci, when i try to turn the gain, the
recommended voltage for a 2000 watts under 1.5 ohm is 54.7v. but the
osci does not detech distortion until 65v. what gain should I set? the
osci wave form that clips over 60v or the voltage calculator that is
54.7v?

I saw other videos checking the head unit , most say always flat , nada treble mid at 0 , but what you mentioned once I set the treble mid and bass I can create the clipping at the recorded volume mark for clipping at flat level settings, so bottom line I should check for clipping with my settings set to my usual settings?

Very informative, thank you.

is it possible to check your true watts going out of your amp at a certain setting with an oscope?

Do you have a recommendation on an o-scope for a beginner looking to get into this? Also, may be used for automotive diagnosis in the future?

What settings are you using on the scope? Thanks

Can you do a video setting amps using oscilloscope and external crossover

I know this video is old but I’m having an issue. So when I hook my scope up to the rca and get a clean waveform up to 42. So I leave the volume at 42 and hook up to the amp. The oscope goes crazy and gets all over the place. I wasn’t sure if that was just from bad noise or what?

Without knowing decaf songs can hurt your subs I just about damaged mine they started stinking really bad and it took me a min to put 2+2 together and back off slowly and not all at once but when I metered them the resistance was right so I’m lucky I feel

I really like the way you explain not just how, but why. Can you please do a vid on how to properly add a dsp to that setup?

Is it possible to read a crossover freq?❤️

Where do I connect the oscilloscope if my amps are strapped?

So what if im using a stock head unit that doesnt have rca outputs? Can i use the speaker wires to attach the leads from the oscope?

This video was super informative and will help me tune my radio/2amps once I get my o scope. However I did have a question: I keep seeing in multiple videos when we test the clip point to keep the EQ on flat. Do we keep it there afterwards as well? Asking because wouldn’t changing the treble or htz on the radio after the fact also change its clipping point?

if you set gains at flat, just always use 0db on your equalizer as max....always cut signals you want quieter, dont boost signals you want louder.

Hey, amazing video. Where can I get these test tones?

Can i use the same technique on my av reciever to identify the sub out rca clipping point ?
And instead of the sweep can i use multiple bass frequency tones ?
For example 20 to all the way 200 ?

How do I set the voltage from my EQ to my amp? My amp don't like More than 2 volts

Does this method work on full bridge amps like the taramps