[Guest]

Let me start off by saying that I'm an "old schooler" through and through. Started in car audio back in the late 80's/early 90's. It's always been a hobby. I spent many years out of the hobby and in the last few years, I have gradually gotten back into it. I've read tons of forum posts, articles, etc... lately on tuning. I am in the process of upgrading/building a full active set up. I am wanting to play with the tuning extensively, using a lot of the latest technology. I want to make sure my drivers are all in phase, determine the ideal crossover points, set amp gains properly with no clipping, etc. From what I've read and watched on youtube, it appears I will need the following to accomplish my goal:
1. A good digital multimeter/clamp meter
2. An oscilloscope
3. Various test tones
4. Lots of time
5. A dummy test load for my amp testing/settings
6. An RTA

I have a cheap DMM, but would like to get something a little better quality.
I do not have an oscilloscope. I have a **** ton of test tones (AS2K disc set and a Focal JMLab disc set). I have the time. I do not have dummy loads (or the knowledge to build them) and I do not have an RTA.

I am not a professional installer and never will be. All equipment will be used primarily for tuning my own stuff, and potentially to help some friends with theirs at the most. For that reason, I'm looking for the best bang for the buck. I don't want cheap junk that will not give accurate readings. But, I don't want to spend $500 on something that I could buy for $100 and get the same results.

For the oscilloscope, DMM and RTA; what would you recommend or what is everyone using? I have a windows PC and an Ipad, so anything PC or mobile based is fine as long as it is accurate.

For the dummy loads, I found these which will handle my 4 channel amps just fine. My sub amp will be running 1500 watts max @ 1 ohm. It's a Sundown SAE1000d, and the highest clamp tests I have seen for it is in the neighborhood of 1200 watts. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to get a dummy load for the sub amp? If someone could tell me how to build one, I would be willing to give it a try, but I am very, very ignorant when it comes to resistors, etc. My ultimate goal is to initially set the limits of all my gear and then fine tune for my own preference and sound quality. In the end, I'll have about $3500 invested in audio gear. That may not seem like a lot to many, but it is to me. Spending a little more time and money to prevent damage, clipping, blowing equipment is worth it to me. I would love to get some input on this stuff, including links of where to buy what. You can PM me as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[Justin Zazzi]

1. A good digital multimeter/clamp meter
Doesn't have to be a really good one, just has to have a true RMS rating. Shouldn't be that hard to find or unusually expensive.

2. An oscilloscope
You don't absolutely need one of these, and a lot of people here will argue they are useless for car audio. However since I have one, I love using it. You can get away without using one for setting gains by using a volt meter instead, or using your ears if you trust your ability to hear distortion. If you're confident with building small circuits, there is a trick you can used a diode/capacitor/resistor combination to set gains with. Let me know if you're interested and I'll find a diagram of it.

3. Various test tones
Pink noise is the most useful tone you'll need, then a few tones in the sub/mid/treble range for setting gains. My favorite tones are bandwidth limited pink noise for centering the stereo image.

4. Lots of time
True story.

5. A dummy test load for my amp testing/settings
These are more of a luxury and best used if you have a 'scope. You don't absolutely need them.

6. An RTA
Perhaps the most important tool of the group, and the one you will not feel bad spending some money on. Software is free if you use Room EQ Wizard (and you should). A microphone from CrossSpectrumLabs will run about $60-$80, and then you'll need a two channel external sound card with microphone preamps built in (another $50-$150). Maybe other people can help you with suggestions for a preamp, it's been a while since I've shopped for one.

 

[Guest]

I'm looking at getting a fluke RMS meter. I know the brand is well respected and reliable. I've seen dmm's range from $15 at Walmart to $300+ online. I know there HAS to be accuracy differences among them. I do want to use an oscope. As I've aged, my ears aren't as sensitive as they once were due to loud music, guns (hearing protection was never used in my younger years) and race cars lol. Again, with scopes, I've seen them range from $60-$70 clear up to $500. What would be a good one to use (accurate enough to trust on my investment, at the lowest cost possible). I have pink noise tracks both on disc and iPod (using lossless of course) as well as test tones in many frequencies including each band of the MS8 eq band. Dummy loads would be to protect drivers while sitting amps. In other words, use oscope and dummy loads to set gains with no clip. Then hook up drivers and tune. Gains will be set at upper limit and will only be turned down rather than up. Also use dummy loads with dmm to test output of amps. Honestly, that part will only be for ****s and giggles & personal knowledge. Thank you for the RTA info. Would like a recommendation on the sound card if anyone has one.

 

[sqnut]

Tuners Survival Kit

1. Basic Model:

SPL meter
Pink Noise Tracks
Tuning disc with staging and SQ tracks
Lots of time training your ears
Learning how to use the eq

2. Deluxe Model

RTA + Mic
Lots of time learning to use it properly
Pink Noise Tracks
Tuning disc with staging and SQ tracks
Lots of time training your ears
Learning how to use the eq