5 volt vs 4 volt pre outs
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=29605
Printed Date: August 27, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Topic: 5 volt vs 4 volt pre outs
Posted By: DarrinTay
Subject: 5 volt vs 4 volt pre outs
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 12:10 PM
my old eclipse deck with 5 volt pre outs broke so im switching to a clarion HU that has 4 volt pre outs. Will this drastically affect how loud my speakers and woofer will play? I know I can just turn the gain up, but I am just curious. thanks for any thought you can offer...
Replies:
Posted By: Alpine Guy
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 12:17 PM
You will definately notice a difference in quality betweent the 2 brands, the clarion will sound like a fisherprice deck compared to the eclipse. Even if they had the same voltage pre outs, you will notice the difference. Claron is a better sony, thats about it. ------------- 2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 1:15 PM
The difference in the voltage outputs is minor. After installing the new head unit, you should reset the gains from scratch, following the proper method of setting gains. For the product-bashers who look for opportunities to get their opinions out, you should consider the question being asked. Was this a question of opinions on Clarion? No, it was a question on output voltage. Very much of this type of feedback just turns people off to asking a good forum like this intelligent questions, like the one posted in this thread.
Posted By: forbidden
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 1:40 PM
Maybe so, but the question is properly answered with the fact that no two companies measure their output voltages anywhere near the same way. The difference in preout voltages is actually quite drastic from brand to brand. Any company that rates their preout voltage at 1000 hz can easily get 4 volts, but for a company that rates their preout voltage at 20-20000 hz, well that is a different ball game entirely. Don't buy a cd player based on the assumption that more voltage is better, until you know how the voltage is measured in comparison to the other brand. I know for fact that an Eclipse 8volt is measured fairly flat across the frequency spectrum, thus loss of voltage is not common vs an Alpine 4volt that drops like a rock down to 1.5 volts on the sub channel. There is adequate proof in the industry of this little fact, most people do not know about it. If you build a product to hit a price point, you get what you pay for, a product that is not built to hit a price point usually offers superior performance, be it a car or a car stereo.
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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 2:19 PM
Agreed 100% as usual, Rob. Anytime anything changes in your signal path to an amp, even swapping RCA cables, it is important to reset your gain. ESPECIALLY when changing head units or EQs or crossovers. Stevdart, I think the point Rob was making was not to bash Clarion (who builds some very nice equipment for the price) but to make the point that manufacturers rate their equipment differently from one another. So even though in theory you should be able to swap heads with the "same" voltage levels, in reality you cannot. Plus, just like you really cannot compare watts to watts between two different speaker or amplifier manufacturers, you certainly cannot compare electronics ratings between head unit manufacturers. All manufacturers will publish only those ratings that make them look the best (with the possible exception of McIntosh, who also publish some sort of bad ratings sometimes.) Since there is no agreed-to international standard, there is NO similarity between manufacturer ratings. This is one of the things the company I work for is trying to change, but so far with NO real success in the car audio market.
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: April 03, 2004 at 3:35 PM
As always, forbidden and DYohn, thanks for the continuing education in this fascinating field. I and countless others look for your posts to help us understand what we're dealing with in this electronic jungle. A lot of us who read this forum want to do the best with what we can afford, and not second-guess ourselves about brands after the fact. In some posts, the product has already been purchased. In others, an opinion on brands is requested. It's usually apparent when someone says " I have a...". This poster said " I'm switching to..." , which I can now see, at second glance, as possibly not purchased yet. Maybe this was a question on brands. If that's the case, my apology to Alpine Guy.
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