pre-out voltage
Tourer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 315
Likes: 1
100% wrong! The output voltage on a HU has nothing to do with much. It's all about what the amp needs to drive full power. Higher voltage only means that he'll need to turn the gains down. Thus achieving nothing with the higher voltage. Same HU....2 different amps...2 different gain settings. Run the high outputs into the wrong amp and you have nothing but noise. Both the amp and the HU need to be considered. To say "more is better" is uneducated and bad advice. There are amps that will drive full power at 1 volt. Others won't. A 4 volt output with right amp will outperform a 7 or 8 volt out with the wrong amp.
OP: You need to really talk to someone that knows what he's talking about. Trying to mix and match is going to keep you chasing your tail. If you want a system that's going to sound really nice you want to set it up so you're never going beyond 60 or 70%. You never want to go "bigger is better" if you don't have the right amp. The first consideration is what the amp needs to drive full power. If your amp only needs 2 volts to run at it's peak then anything above that is pure noise and you will hear it. Take your time and do some research. Doing it once will save you a ton in the long run.
OP: You need to really talk to someone that knows what he's talking about. Trying to mix and match is going to keep you chasing your tail. If you want a system that's going to sound really nice you want to set it up so you're never going beyond 60 or 70%. You never want to go "bigger is better" if you don't have the right amp. The first consideration is what the amp needs to drive full power. If your amp only needs 2 volts to run at it's peak then anything above that is pure noise and you will hear it. Take your time and do some research. Doing it once will save you a ton in the long run.
Tourer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 315
Likes: 1
What does your amp need to run peak? Gain adjustments are not all created equal. You need to start with your amp and work backwards unless you want to start all over again with another amp. If your amp sucks (specs) no HU will change that.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Sony has several units that are 4v outputs and in reality a lot of the newer stuff will have 4v outputs. As GP and MM pointed out, when it comes to RCAs, more is better but too much can also be detrimental. You want to stay between 4 and probably no more than 7 (you won't get 7 without a line driver).
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
just so everyone knows.. It's very uncommon to find aftermarket headunits that supply or amps that require any more than 4v. 4v and 2v are the norm for both. Anything above 4, you're very hard pressed to find.
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