Newbie here: Do I need voltmeter in my basic audio set up?

[ericson21]

sorry i'm a newbie regarding into car audio.

i had my 2011 toyota innova G installed with a firland audio EV 602 separates, NV-10-A-480 4ch amplifier and a 12' Firland Audio 1280 series subwoofer last wednesday. i am currently using the stock HU of my car which has a maximum volume of 63. my subwoofer is currently in the break in period.

my questions are:

1.) the maximum volume of my HU is 63, so what must be the volume of the HU while i'm listening to the songs and the subwoofer is in the break in period?

2.) someone told me about the voltmeter, do i really need this one in the kind of set up i have? the maximum volume of the HU is 63, so to be safe and to avoid burning while i still don't have that voltmeter, what is the safest volume while i'm listening to the music? is the 70% of the maximum volume of the HU will do?

you know, i love to listen to the song's bass, so sometimes i am being tempt to increase the volume for more. :D

sorry for the ignorant questions, hehe. thanks for those who will answer these. :D

[jhnkvn]

sorry i'm a newbie regarding into car audio.

i had my 2011 toyota innova G installed with a firland audio EV 602 separates, NV-10-A-480 4ch amplifier and a 12' Firland Audio 1280 series subwoofer last wednesday. i am currently using the stock HU of my car which has a maximum volume of 63. my subwoofer is currently in the break in period.

my questions are:

1.) the maximum volume of my HU is 63, so what must be the volume of the HU while i'm listening to the songs and the subwoofer is in the break in period?

2.) someone told me about the voltmeter, do i really need this one in the kind of set up i have? the maximum volume of the HU is 63, so to be safe and to avoid burning while i still don't have that voltmeter, what is the safest volume while i'm listening to the music? is the 70% of the maximum volume of the HU will do?

you know, i love to listen to the song's bass, so sometimes i am being tempt to increase the volume for more. :D

sorry for the ignorant questions, hehe. thanks for those who will answer these. :D

1. First of all, do proper level matching. Your amplifier gain setting isn't a volume knob. Neglect this and you'll risk frying your equipments. It is to adjust the speakers so that they output more or less the same decibels given their sensitivity (just google DIY level matching).

The answer to this question is just don't exceed your "clipping" volume level too much. This isn't any set value of volume but a good metric is when hearing distortion from the speakers, time to tone it down. Minor distortion is hard to perceive with an untrained ear, however moderate to major distortion is easy.. parang cracking sound siya. Once you hear it, just turn the volume knob a bit less than usual and set that as your new "max volume" from now on.

As for break-in period, wala naman talaga rules governing breaking in. Just listen to it while doing your daily driving. Different drivers have different break-in periods. However, the first few hours (mga 4-8 hours) of break-in is crucial as you can really perceive the mechanical break-in.. more than that, it harder to notice.

2. You won't be needing a volt-meter. Even if you have, it's a waste of money. I did buy one in the past and nagsisi ako sa few thousand of pesos it costs. Again, there is no set volume.. however, a good rule of thumb is not to exceed ear-deafening levels. Remember that you only have a single amplifier... there's a limit on how loud you can play it. Also, if you're worried about your electricals, do the Big Three 4GA upgrade to lessen the resistance flow.. this upgrade sure beats a voltmeter in usefulness.

[ericson21]

what level matching sir? can you please elaborate it to me? sorry sir, newbie, really. :D

i'm not doing anything to my amp, when sir david of david's street sounds tuned my amp, i am really not touching the controls in there. :D

also sir what "clipping" volume level sir? i cannot hear any distortion or the craking sound that you've mentioned. for my ears, the voice and the bass is still clear even if the volume is in the 50's but i'm not doing that too long, i'm just doing 50's for 3 secons i think just to try the sounds a bit.

what do you mean by mechanical break-in sir?

what do you think is my max volume sir? although the max volume of my HU is 63. just to avoid burning my speakers?

also what is the big three 4GA uograde sir?

i am really sorry for too many questions sir, you're talking in to a super newbie.

so i won't buy the voltmeter anymore, just proper volume would be enough to avoid burning. do you think sir 47 is enough for my maximum volume? or 43? :D

because i computed for the 70% of tha maximum volume 63 was 43.1 but sir david told me it is ok if the volume is 47. aww, i am really confused.

[ecneret]

level matching sir, eto ang pagkakaintindi ko dyan... try mo off yung bass mo, then set mo sa 75% ng max volume ng HU mo, i-zero m naman yung gain ng amp mo, then i-adjust mo pataas dahan-dahan yung gain ng amp mo then pag pansin mo na basag na sa pandinig yung sound galing sa seps mo, tigil mo na or ibalik mo kung saan yung pinaka-last na ok sa pandinig mo. pero dapat may maganda kang pandinig para makuha mo yung perfect na tunog. correct me if im wrong na lang don sa mga mas nakakaalam. paki-check mo sa youtube baka meron demo ng pag-level match don.

[ericson21]

^

awww, i don't think i will be able to do that sir hahaha. di pa magaling tenga ko sa ngayon dyan sir eh. 1st time ko lang po kasi magpa audio setup sa car. :D

thanks for the info sir, i'll watch the vid later. :D

[jhnkvn]

Volume and clipping
If you have an installer, David, then it's probably level-matched na. It's one of those very important to-dos for an installer.

If David said that volume 47 is fine, then it probably is. If you want to really know where your maximum volume is, go back to him and ask that he test the clipping volume using an oscilloscope. This is probably the best way since it's fool-proof.

Clipping is inevitable as everybody will clip at one point in their lives. So don't really freak out over it.. It isn't bad per se but its effects are. Duration and severity also plays a role.. for example, I sometimes turn the knob on my volume above clipping just to hear a damn-soft track but I don't mind it at all. As for the mentioned effects, it simply sends uhh... erratic signals for the amplifier.. which in turn generates excess heat.. and poof! that's how you blow amps and speakers

Some people say that 70% of the max volume would be your limit. However, this is not a standard rule as it's simply an approximation.. I believe this belief stemmed from the fact that most installers match their gains using the 70% volume rule. I've encountered head units that clip at 50% and I've seen head units not enter clipping just a notch below their maximum or even not at all! Take my Sonata for example, my maximum volume is 32 but my head unit starts giving out whacky waves (aka clipping) at 30.

Break-in
Mechanical break-in is the same as break-in... it's simply a more technical term. What break-in does is that it loosens up the speaker internals (voice coil, surrounds, etc.) hence "mechanical" so it's reaches its optimum sound. There are pro-break in camps and anti-break in believers. On what I believe it, I'm pro-break in.

Big Three Upgrade
I won't delve into the steps as you can simply Google it. But the Big Three upgrade simply improves the flow of electricity by upgrading three wire capacities of your system. Remember that your stock electrical system is designed to handle STOCK loads. Personally, my rule of thumb is that if I'm running 500W and above, I'd recommend this upgrade. In an analogy, think of it like getting water where water here is your electrical flow: your stock electrical wires is like getting water from your typical garden hose. Doing the Big Three with 0GA wires is like getting water from a fire truck's hose.

(Of course, unless you have an upgraded alternator doing the upgrade using 0GA is pointless.. for cars like yours, 4GA is fine)

Level Matching and Gain Controls
What level matching does is that it "normalizes" the music. Different speakers have different sensitivity ratings. For example, give a horn drive 20W of power and it'll scream at you. If you give a subwoofer 20W of power, it'd hardly move. But you're not an installer, so you shouldn't fret about this. Everything should have been done by your installer already *wink*

[lowrider17]

sorry i'm a newbie regarding into car audio.

i had my 2011 toyota innova G installed with a firland audio EV 602 separates, NV-10-A-480 4ch amplifier and a 12' Firland Audio 1280 series subwoofer last wednesday. i am currently using the stock HU of my car which has a maximum volume of 63. my subwoofer is currently in the break in period.

my questions are:

1.) the maximum volume of my HU is 63, so what must be the volume of the HU while i'm listening to the songs and the subwoofer is in the break in period?

2.) someone told me about the voltmeter, do i really need this one in the kind of set up i have? the maximum volume of the HU is 63, so to be safe and to avoid burning while i still don't have that voltmeter, what is the safest volume while i'm listening to the music? is the 70% of the maximum volume of the HU will do?

you know, i love to listen to the song's bass, so sometimes i am being tempt to increase the volume for more. :D

sorry for the ignorant questions, hehe. thanks for those who will answer these. :D

Ericson post ka naman ng pix ng set up mo. Taga sta rosa ka d ba? Pm mo naman ako how much inabot at san shop ka nagpaset up. Ive been thinking na mag upgrade ng audio. TNx

[ericson21]

Volume and clipping
If you have an installer, David, then it's probably level-matched na. It's one of those very important to-dos for an installer.

If David said that volume 47 is fine, then it probably is. If you want to really know where your maximum volume is, go back to him and ask that he test the clipping volume using an oscilloscope. This is probably the best way since it's fool-proof.

Clipping is inevitable as everybody will clip at one point in their lives. So don't really freak out over it.. It isn't bad per se but its effects are. Duration and severity also plays a role.. for example, I sometimes turn the knob on my volume above clipping just to hear a damn-soft track but I don't mind it at all. As for the mentioned effects, it simply sends uhh... erratic signals for the amplifier.. which in turn generates excess heat.. and poof! that's how you blow amps and speakers

Some people say that 70% of the max volume would be your limit. However, this is not a standard rule as it's simply an approximation.. I believe this belief stemmed from the fact that most installers match their gains using the 70% volume rule. I've encountered head units that clip at 50% and I've seen head units not enter clipping just a notch below their maximum or even not at all! Take my Sonata for example, my maximum volume is 32 but my head unit starts giving out whacky waves (aka clipping) at 30.

Break-in
Mechanical break-in is the same as break-in... it's simply a more technical term. What break-in does is that it loosens up the speaker internals (voice coil, surrounds, etc.) hence "mechanical" so it's reaches its optimum sound. There are pro-break in camps and anti-break in believers. On what I believe it, I'm pro-break in.

Big Three Upgrade
I won't delve into the steps as you can simply Google it. But the Big Three upgrade simply improves the flow of electricity by upgrading three wire capacities of your system. Remember that your stock electrical system is designed to handle STOCK loads. Personally, my rule of thumb is that if I'm running 500W and above, I'd recommend this upgrade. In an analogy, think of it like getting water where water here is your electrical flow: your stock electrical wires is like getting water from your typical garden hose. Doing the Big Three with 0GA wires is like getting water from a fire truck's hose.

(Of course, unless you have an upgraded alternator doing the upgrade using 0GA is pointless.. for cars like yours, 4GA is fine)

Level Matching and Gain Controls
What level matching does is that it "normalizes" the music. Different speakers have different sensitivity ratings. For example, give a horn drive 20W of power and it'll scream at you. If you give a subwoofer 20W of power, it'd hardly move. But you're not an installer, so you shouldn't fret about this. Everything should have been done by your installer already *wink*

super thanks sir jhnkvn! your post enlightened me so much. i'll review you post most of the time for me to do it correct, thank you!

Ericson post ka naman ng pix ng set up mo. Taga sta rosa ka d ba? Pm mo naman ako how much inabot at san shop ka nagpaset up. Ive been thinking na mag upgrade ng audio. TNx

david's street sound po ako nagpaset up sir sa pasig hehe. di po ako taga sta.rosa sir, i'm from angono rizal po.