Issues with clipping

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Seems like a strong place to start. Being that the 2v head unit I have is normally bad, would I need to get a better head unit as well or just installing a LOC should be the solution? I know promises can't be made but I am certainly willing to give it a shot.

If you have it in the budget to be able to get a new head unit, I would.

 

[WillisMyName]

If you have it in the budget to be able to get a new head unit, I would.

Okay I am going to do a bit of research and look into getting one. If I were to get a good/proper head unit would that eliminate the need for a LOC/Line Driver?

I really do appreciate all of the help and advice I will update you guys.

 

[Firewalker]

Yes a good proper head unit with 4 or 5v would eliminate the need for that line driver or loc. Stick with the name brands as well. Supply is hard to get at this point in time with head units because of the chip shortages so watch that as well. Look at sonicelectronix and crutchfield and compare the prices. Both should come with free install kits and harnesses usually. All depends on the vehicle. Good quality RCA cables & install kits are a must as well, if you are using a cheapo walmart install kit then dump the whole thing as that stuff is also junk from the get go.

 

[WillisMyName]

Yes a good proper head unit with 4 or 5v would eliminate the need for that line driver or loc. Stick with the name brands as well. Supply is hard to get at this point in time with head units because of the chip shortages so watch that as well. Look at sonicelectronix and crutchfield and compare the prices. Both should come with free install kits and harnesses usually. All depends on the vehicle. Good quality RCA cables & install kits are a must as well, if you are using a cheapo walmart install kit then dump the whole thing as that stuff is also junk from the get go.

Okay I was looking around and would like to get an opinion on this unit
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-GLDuua0qRJf/p_105KDX370B/JVC-KD-X370BTS.html?
6-channel preamp outputs (4-volt front, rear, sub)
It seems remarkably cheap for it to offer what I need. The harness I got from best buy though I don't remember the brand right now. The wiring kit is Skar's 1/0 Gauge kit.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

If you have it in the budget to be able to get a new head unit, I would.

x2

 

[Firewalker]

Do you have cd's you want to play? Also JVC is the same as Kenwood. I would only go up a little more if you can afford to say something like this below. Otherwise that other one is fine just that it is a basic head unit and has 4v the others below have extra stuff that is nice to have in the long run.

JVC KD-T915BTS

CD receiver

www.crutchfield.com

Or

JVC KD-X470BHS

Digital media receiver (does not play CDs)

www.crutchfield.com

And do not forget about sonic they do a lot of stereos as well

Pioneer MVH-S720BHS (mvhs720bhs) Single DIN Short Chasis Digital

www.sonicelectronix.com

Even amazon has a lot in stock. 5v will be worth it but 4v will get you a lot better sound. Also Skar isn't exactly the greatest or known for quality products and the wire idk some say its okay. I would also at least replace the RCA's with something better then Skar's that I know I wouldn't trust the wire as I said idk.

Amazon.com

 

[WillisMyName]

Do you have cd's you want to play? Also JVC is the same as Kenwood. I would only go up a little more if you can afford to say something like this below. Otherwise that other one is fine just that it is a basic head unit and has 4v the others below have extra stuff that is nice to have in the long run.

http://[URL]https://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDT915B/JVC-KD-T915BTS.html?tp=5684

[/URL]

Or

http://[URL]https://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDX470B/JVC-KD-X470BHS.html?tp=5684

[/URL]

And do not forget about sonic they do a lot of stereos as well

http://[URL]https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-175621-Pioneer-MVH-S720BHS.html

[/URL]

Even amazon has a lot in stock. 5v will be worth it but 4v will get you a lot better sound. Also Skar isn't exactly the greatest or known for quality products and the wire idk some say its okay. I would also at least replace the RCA's with something better then Skar's that I know I wouldn't trust the wire as I said idk.

http://[URL]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ6CR3S/?tag=caraudiocom-20

[/URL]

Though I don't plan on playing any CDs, I think I will be good with the JVC you linked from Amazon. I did look on Sonic first but they had basically nothing in stock after I filtered by preamp output voltage. Maybe I should try replacing RCA's first being that would be much cheaper although I still want a different HU even if I get this fixed without it.

I can't say how much I appreciate the help though I can only imagine it is saving me countless hours of trial and error. I'm sure I'll still have some trial and error to do but the info I am getting is undeniably useful.

 

[Firewalker]

I would do both that head unit with 2v is just too low. JVC is Kenwood so they are good head units.

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

This very well could be your problem. Try a hardwired connection and play a MP3 file, if you can, and see if you run into the same issues.

I use this YT Music/BT method with no issues. Difference is I use an old Pioneer Appradio. Now, some songs are recorded with excessive distorted bass, but these are usually DJ Mickey Mouse sort of uploaders.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I use this YT Music/BT method with no issues. Difference is I use an old Pioneer Appradio. Now, some songs are recorded with excessive distorted bass, but these are usually DJ Mickey Mouse sort of uploaders.

He's just gotta see if it's an issue or not. Not saying it won't or doesn't work, it just could be a potential issue. There's a lot of varying quality factors when using streaming and BT together.

 

[bajbass]

Not saying that the rest are wrong about the line voltage of the deck being cause of the issue that you have, I've never dealt with a sony head unit but most 2v max head units (reputable ones) are more than enough to get the most out of the amp just need to set the gains higher than what you usually do on a 5-4v head unit .I will say this you may need more wattage to push that sub specially to combat box rise if u really want it to slam...

 

[SlugButter]

I have the same head unit. I didn’t like the 2 volt preouts either, but I’m running a DSP that lets me get up to 8 volts to my amps so I didn’t care so much about the low voltage from the head unit. Other than the rca voltage it’s a good unit.

 

[WillisMyName]

He's just gotta see if it's an issue or not. Not saying it won't or doesn't work, it just could be a potential issue. There's a lot of varying quality factors when using streaming and BT together.

Not sure if I downloaded the best quality test tones/songs but there didn't seem to be a noticeable difference. Certainly worth a shot. I managed to get a little more bass from my sub before "clipping" by turning the subwoofer eq levels on my HU all the way down and upping the gain a tad bit on my amp. Still though I am going to continue with other suggestions to hopefully inch it closer to perfection lol.

 

[WillisMyName]

I have the same head unit. I didn’t like the 2 volt preouts either, but I’m running a DSP that lets me get up to 8 volts to my amps so I didn’t care so much about the low voltage from the head unit. Other than the rca voltage it’s a good unit.

What DSP do you have and do you think it is worth having one? From a quick search it seemed they started around $300 and only went up but I didn't look very hard yet.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I’m personally not a big fan or the clipping indicators on bass knobs. Distortion is present in any system. The key is to be able to hear and notice when your sub is not sounding correctly, IMO.

I’ll say too that a bad box and bad box placement can cause distortion, because the box helps control woofer impedance, so if your sub is unloading and you’re getting large impedance spikes, that can stress the system, as well.

Sound is complicated, and literally every factor matters. You always need: the best, clean signal, solid voltage to feed your amps, and a solid box that will control your woofer properly. Those sundowns have so much xmax, too, that those woofers might be able to stress the amp more than other 1500w 12’s, just depends. There’s a lot of factors that can come into play here when it comes to clipping and distortions.