ILuvJDM

that's what I needed to hear. This is clipping right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_(audio) actually a pretty good explanation... -John

1. I have no idea where that is 2. I assume you're speaking of Chernobyl 3. Russia has not been abandoned haha I meant that area, I think it was 30 square miles... I read an article about it in Time magazine at the dentist today -John

So when you set the HU to 3/4 volume, is this assuming when you want to 'bump' you can turn it up to 3/4 volume? Or do you tune to 3/4 so that when you listen at 1/2 you're safe? I've always had trouble with this, because my headunit is loud enough at 1/2 volume. Also, why turn all the EQ settings off? If you listen to music with them on, shouldn't you tune with them on, otherwise it'll throw the balance off right? -John

is that in that country that had a nuclear disaster and has been abandoned since '86? -John

alright, here's a pic of the o-scope screen. that's tuned conservatively at the volume that I usually 'bump' at. Now is that 4th number 15.93V the voltage of the output? Like is that the number that I need to get to 31.6 like the DMM techinque? if so, I'm way undertuned... when I keep turning the volume up, the sub gets louder and louder but never sounds like crap... I just can't stand how loud it is with the rest of the music. Maybe you can't reach the full potential of the woofer without either losing your hearing from the rest of the system, or having a higher output headunit? the ICON is finally starting to move like in the videos on their website, so maybe I just need to quit being a pansy and turn it up...? I feel bad cranking the gains so high, but then again if the input voltage is low (.4V) then that would explain the high gain settings. what do you guys think? -John

Is clipping when the wave goes flat like a plateau? I need to get this figured out ASAP cause my truck is torn apart with the windows down -John

alright, quick question. I'm using this o-scope http://cgi.ebay.com/HPS10SE-PERSONAL-SCOPE...VQQcmdZViewItem when I'm setting the gains, I'm just using the 'AUTO' function, is this okay? My question is, when I'm turning the gains up, the screen auto adjusts so that it can fit the entire sine wave in the picture. What worries me is I read that whenever the tops and bottoms of the wave are cut off by the screen, that means the signal is clipping, is this true? -John

get the idea? haha sounds like a nice set-up, but get some pics up -John

I hope this isn't whats expected in a review, I didn't know what he was talking about half the time haha Mine will be much less detailed, but still informative. -John

nah the way they made all the posts disappear and they're all at the bottom? Am I the only one seeing this? wtf... -John nvm, fixed it. At the top of the first post on the page there's an option tab, click that and hit switch to: outline. That's what I was seeing, and it really really sucks. I don't know how that happened.... Standard is what it should be set at. -John

nah the way they made all the posts disappear and they're all at the bottom? Am I the only one seeing this? wtf... -John

Anyone else hate the new SSA layout besides me?? -John

ok, when the truck is on it never drops below probably 13.5-13.8 volts... That's a rough estimate, but the needle barely moves when the bass is going full tilt, so I think I'm fine... I hope -John

So having the voltage drop can damage the amplifier? I figured it would limit the power but I had no idea that could do damage... can anyone else not see posts? Mine are all arranged at the bottom of the page and it sucks really bad. -John

anyone know? I really want to start enjoying music again without thinking in the back of my mind that I'm about to blow the speaker or fry the amplifier... -John

I guess they're people too, but damn not wearing a seatbelt... should've done a citizens arrest -John

I read somewhere that the gain should be no mor than 1/2 turned up and at a maximum like 3/4. Mine is almost all the way turned up before I see signs of clipping so I was wondering if this is ok, or if I'm causing harm to the amplifier. I'm pretty sure my factory headunit has a low output voltage compared to aftermarket headunits, which is why I'm having to turn the gain up so much. I guess what I'm trying to ask is as long as the amplifier isn't clipping it should be 100% right? I'm just worried that because the gains are so high that the amp will overwork itself because I've heard the input sensitivity referred to as a 'volume knob' It sure sounds like 1000 watts now though. I even saw my roof flex on the drivers side right above the woofer, so that was cool. -John

ok, so what exactly am I going to do with that information? If the load is very low, does that mean I cannot safely use my amp to it's full potential until I get a higher output headunit? Or is there a way to compensate with the amp? That's all I'm confused about is why exactly I need to measure the RCA voltage... I know something's wrong though, so maybe this will let me know what needs to be done? sorry, I'm still learning -John

I've got a JBL 601.1 that's brand new and has your name on it -John

^top -John

I need a quick answer. I used the o-scope to set the gains yesterday and I was able to turn the gain knob almost to the max before I saw any signs of clipping, and I was wondering if this is ok? I have the factory BOSE headunit so I think it has a low output voltage, which would cause for the low amplification numbers... anyone have any input and is this ok, or should I invest in a new headunit? -John

8+0 = 8 I win -John

ok, so generic radioshack RCA connects would work for this application? What's inside an RCA cable? Is it just one wire for each + and - ? -John

Yep, make sure your HU isn't into clipping when trying to set the gains on the amp. so I could just buy like 6" of RCA cable and expose some wire so that I can attatch the leads? Could I just use RCA cable from radioshack since it won't be permanent? I have a feeling the factory BLOSE is gonna have chitty results -John

If you want to check the signal coming from the HU then you need to make an RCA probe well if I'm using it to set the gains on the amplifier which do I need to measure, the output voltage from the HU or the output voltage from the amplifier? -John