I am planning on getting a new head unit. My old one had 5V preamp outputs. Some of the ones I am looking at now have 2.5V to 4V.

What difference am I looking at when it comes to sound? Is there a huge difference from the 5V to the 2.5V?

 

meh, big difference? it'll make a difference. it will be a bit louder, and some argue that the higher the preout voltage, the cleaner the signal, but im not sure if its been proven..

 

I figured it would make the bass less distorted and more precise but didn't know if it would be a noticable difference.
So it shouldn't make or break weather I buy a certain hu?

 

It is definately a noticeable difference. A signal in the 2v range powering say a stock oem amped system vs a 5v signal powering the same stock amped system makes a huge difference in output.

If you are designing a system from scratch it would be best to get a unit that best suits the demands of your amplifiers. Some amps require a higher signal to reach their correct output level effectively. With a lower signal you may find yourself turning the gains past 3/4s when they could be at 1/4 with the higher voltage hu.

 

I didn't even think of what the amp needed. I see what you mean with the amp gain. I will have to go see what the gain is on now. I haven't touched it since I had the 5V hu in there.

 

It shouldn't pose a problem, but you shoud notice higher volume levels at lower volume settings on the HU with a higher voltage HU vs a lower voltage HU.

 

yeah . thats what i was trying to muster up, i was just too tired last night.

the higher the preout voltage the better.

 

I am hopefully getting the eclipse3000 for xmas. It has 5v output. because it might be louder at lower volume levels than my stock HU, could I turn the volume up more without worrying about busting my speakers?

 

if you add an external amp and its tuned properly, then yes. but if not, you'll get distortion at some point, its inevitable (it'll be at a louder level than stock tho, probably).

 

I am just always afraid to blast my stereo with my stock HU. I don't want to worry about blowing my speakers. I would just like to be able to turn it up a little more.

 

if you really wanna step up the voltage the eclipse 5000 has 8V outputs, that will really help your system, most amps can handle a 8v input, but make sure yours can if you decide on that particular HU, and good luck with your system...

 

haha, yeah but if i got the 5000, that's all I would probably get cause my parents aren't spending as much this year b/c we are going on a ski trip to Colorado. I have to have clothes to wear while im there haha.