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| SMD's DD-1 "Distortion Detector" vs. Velleman HPS50 Oscilloscope |
Many of you who follow my blog and videos, know I've had a Velleman HPS50 oscilloscope for a while now and keep adding components to enhance the capabilities of my test bench. My primary focus now is testing amplifiers for maximum continuous RMS wattage output. We all know most of the ratings we see on amps today are not RMS, but MAX output. This is a marketing ploy, not useful at all in determining the actual output of an amplifier. I'll soon get one of these amps on the bench and show you actual RMS wattage output vs. the value claimed on the amp. You may be amazed and not laugh so much at the old school amps and their low wattage ratings...
I recently decided to pick up a SMD DD-1 "Distortion Detector". This device was developed by the brains at D'Amore Engineering in conjunction with the KING of car audio on the Internet, Steve Meade (www.stevemeadedesigns.com). Steve Meade (meade916 on YouTube) is famous for his 30,000 watt custom Chevy Tahoe and has several hundred videos. Steve is also the largest car audio channel on Youtube with over 100,000 subscribers and over 100 MILLION video views. Impressive to say the least, but this DD-1 is not hype, it is a truly powerful and affordable tool for everyone from electronics enthusiasts to car audio shop installers and many in between.
So, what's the deal with this DD-1 and why might you want one? The SMD DD-1 is marketed as an amplifier gain matching tool. Matching your car audio head unit and amplifier has been a black art for many years. Without an oscilloscope and test tone, setting gains was really just a guess for most folks. The DD-1 costs only a fraction of most oscilloscopes and offers simplicity in setting/matching gains for your car audio equipment.
Here's what's included in the package:
- The Distortion Detector (DD-1)
- Protective silicon rubber boot
- Calibrated Test Tone CD
- Harness
- Printed owner's manual
According to the manual, the DD-1 has the following specs:
- The DD-1's circuitry is 100% analog
- Distortion Detection trigger level > 1.0% Harmonic Distortion
- Guaranteed operating range of input signal is 1.2Vrms - 125Vrms (15,000 Watts at 1 ohm) Autoranging
- Signal Present LED trigger voltage 750mVrms
- Low Battery LED trigger battery voltage < 5.6Vdc
- Auto shut-off timer 8-10 minutes after on button is pressed
Now, I must be honest. The unit's ability to match gains is a great feature, but I've had this ability with my Velleman HPS50 portable o'scope for a while. A recent video on Steve's channel about the upcoming AD-1 "amp dyno" got the wheels spinning in my old school head. This DD-1 can be used for more than just matching gains...it can be used to assist in amplifier output testing! This feature in a sub $200 device is unheard of. A bench version of a THD analyzer can cost MANY thousands of dollars. I've been watching eBay for a year or more hoping to find a deal on one of these THD analyzers so I could verify distortion during my amplifier tests. After seeing the AD-1 demo, I was convinced to buy the DD-1 to use as a tool in my RMS output tests.
The DD-1 has proved to be an invaluable tool and will ensure accuracy in my amplifier tests. I have MANY old school amps I plan on testing in the upcoming months. The DD-1 will ensure < 1% distortion in my results which is great. As I mentioned above, not only do many manufacturers rate amps by "Max" output, they also sometimes use distortion numbers up to 10% for their ratings. I think it's important to keep the distortion less than 1%, which should be inaudible for most people.
I have done some initial tests with the DD-1 and have been impressed with it's ease of use and ability to detect low levels of distortion. See some videos below and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay updated with the latest amplifier and car audio tests and demos.
Buy the DD-1 Direct at wccaraudio.com
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