Another Headlite question

poundround · #1 09-05-2010, 04:59 PM

Yesterday I asked could I use any poweramp with my headlite and so I took my crown xls 2000 and tried it out. I sent it into the headlite into a Eden 410xlt at 4ohms and it was glorious. Tone, volume, and I was thrilled. But (yes there is a but) the power clip light on the headlite goes off a little when I start to slap hard on the open E. Im not really sure why it happens at all when the headlites power section is not even being used. Got any ideas anybody?

JimmyM · #2 09-05-2010, 05:20 PM

who cares? does it sound good? leave it. does it sound bad? turn your gain knob down a little. use your ears and not the idiot lights.

having said that, it's not at all unusual for a clip light to light a little on the harder attacks. that usually means you have your gain set perfectly for your bass. but always use your ears, and if the lights disagree with your ears, trust your ears over all.

poundround · #3 09-05-2010, 05:41 PM

Thanks JimmyM. Now that you mentioned it, without looking at it myself or the guys in my band would not know it was clipping. But I do wonder why it does.

JimmyM · #4 09-05-2010, 05:47 PM

it does that because of 2 reasons...

1, it has a "danger zone" that warns you you're about to get into clipping if you go too much farther.

OR

b. it's clipping briefly but too briefly to hear.

but brief flashes of the light are harmless, whether you're actually clipping or not.

I Forget · #5 09-05-2010, 05:53 PM

Just a guess but it may be the way the clipping detection circuit works in that amp. If the signal exceeds a certain threshold that would cause the internal power amp to clip, it lights up the clip led. So it might not be looking at the actual internal poweramp itself but monitoring the preamp at various points for an overly hot signal.

Or not.

poundround · #6 09-05-2010, 06:48 PM

I will say that there is a pre and power clip light but I have not got the pre clip yet.

behndy · #7 09-05-2010, 07:01 PM

that's interesting. i just picked up an Amplite and with the settings i had running into a QSC GX-5 the Amplite was lighting up into the 0db light when i had the Amplite's volume turned up to about halfway. i adjusted the level of the signal coming out of the VT Deluxe so that it would only go into the 0db range when turned up 80% of the way.

i didn't hear any clipping or anything happening to the signal, but the manual says if it goes over the 0db into the +3db light too often the amp will shutdown. and that scares the beejesbuses out of me.

the lights on the AMPlite go -20db, -10db, 0db, +3db. again, the manual says stay at around 0db.

but i have the AMPlite so i don't have a pre section. I_FOrgeT's answer seems pretty logical to me tho.