Interesting video on LOC's

I was reading some recent discussion about the passive line out converters many people use to keep the factory HU but have aftermarket speakers and amps. I ran across this video on the Audio Control LC2i and will be ordering one Monday. I couldn't believe the stock HU only puts out less than 1 volt!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEoqLbgKNu0

 

That video contains a lot of misinformation. The absolute signal strength has no effect on the sound quality. That data is found in the signal to noise ratio that he didn't address. This is not to say Audio Control makes a poor product - I ran a pair of their graphic equalizers for a few years.

If all someone is looking for is a LOC, then the best price/performance ratio I know of is with the David Navone products.

David Navone is an old school audio engineer who advanced sound quality signifcantly in his prime. Once he teamed up with Richard Clark to try their hand at SPL contests and were promptly banned. Can't quite figure out why, maybe you can see something in the photo to give you a hint.

 

Yeah i've actually ran across some stuff online about that guy and that GINORMOUS driver. The audio control piece in the video just had a few features that fit into my setup. I am curious to know how the accubass feature will address the bass roll of on my factory HU. Other than that the separate bass output was a plus. Also the signal strength wouldn't affect the sound quality at all? I am not arguing just wondering. Seems like it would have some effect if just letting the amps run more efficiently.?

 

Signal strength is certainly something I look for when choosing a headunit or a processor. Lets you keep the gain on your amps conservative. Conservative gains = lower noise floor.

 

The amplifier gain control is expressly made to match the output of the device (in this case a LOC) to the input of an amp. That an old mid-level Eclipse head unit put out 8 volts definitely did not make it a better device than the Alpine F1 Status at 4volts.

In theory a higher signal strength like in the Audio Control box is of no value. However, in the real world it does have some value as pointed out by the knowledgeable post above. That is with noise being constant, more signal means lower signal to noise ratio, a good thing. The follow-on real-world question is, can the noise level be heard. My old Xtant amp birth sheet showed 0.04% Total Harmonic Distortion over the 20-20K Hz bandwidth at rated power. But many would say any value below 1% is inaudible. How much is enough is a hard question to answer.

The video implies just because one is louder, it is better. Since they are the "pros" they should know better than that. Over the years I have frequently gone into a shop and asked questions such as in the video and if I get a BS answer back I either walk out, or turn off the rest of what they say. I mean if one part of it is BS, why not assume the stuff I don't know about the product is BS too. Since this guy is the front man for the video they posted, I'm 99.999% certain I'd never buy there.

As to the rest of the questions, I loved the Audio Control products I owned, and I don't think you can go wrong if you are looking for those extra features. Took me long enough to get around to that endorsement huh?

 

HAHA thanks! I think I understand. I will report back when it's installed and let you know if I hear any improvement.

 

I think you mean HIGHER signal to noise ratio? Looked like a typo but just wanted to make sure.

And don't confuse signal to noise ratio with THD. They're two totally different things. I agree though, THD below 1% is really all that matters in terms of audible effects. If people had any idea how much THD their SPEAKERS have they'd probably shit themselves.

 

Thanks, yes - and yes, I knew -- it was just an example of how much is enough.

For all the efforts my teachers spent on me, I still manage to write & speak as if English was a second language.

 

I Have an AudioControl DQL-8 for sale if anybody is interested pm me

 

Results posted here.