The Ultimate Car Audio Voltmeter Shootout!
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2023
- Affiliate links for the products in the video
Taramps Voltmeter Sequencer
amzn.to/3LGkKdT
Stetsom Voltmeter
amzn.to/3PyZ5FH
Dyno Racing Voltmeter
amzn.to/3ryHG80
Recoil Bass Knob
amzn.to/46nW5Tu
Stinger Voltmeter
amzn.to/46ctVLp
SMD VM-1
amzn.to/3ZB6vwC
Sparked Innovations voltmeter
rb.gy/eg1dn
Sparked innovations usb charger w/meter
lddy.no/1i1ht
Unboxing
0:16
Testing Parameters
6:47
Out of Box Accuracy
7:24
Display Quality
13:40
Build Quality & Features
24:16
Final Thoughts
31:44
Help support my channel
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Down4Sound
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CT Sounds
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NVX (use coupon code HIFIVEGA10 for 10% off)
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Car Audio Products I Dig
SMD DD-1
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Sundown LCS 12
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Savard Hi-Q 6.5
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Sony ZV-1
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Canon m200
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Canon 22mm
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Led mat light
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Aputure led mini light
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Robert Vega
4300 Rogers Ave STE 20 - 137
Fort Smith Arkansas 72903
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the vm-1 isn't off. Sending it in won't change anything. They are pre-calibrated with an Audio Precision. Also, for a REAL test, put these things under load and play something fast. Do all of them at the same time, play something hard and heavy on the electrical with a double kick drum in it. All of those digital readouts will sit there and look slow and confused. The VM-1 can show major dips and peaks moving back and forth 3 or 4 times before the digital readouts even know anything is happening. I mean seriously, if you are pounding on your system and it's dipping into the 10v range and back to 14v range very quickly, that is useful information to have. If you have a glitch in your system, such as a bad alternator peaking into something high (like 16 or 17v) and back in the blink of an eye, you would never see that unless you had a VM-1. Even if you tried to make the refresh rate on the digital as fast, the readout would just be a bunch of numbers trying to keep up. I get it though, digital readouts are nice. I have nothing against them. The VM-1 was made like this for a reason though :) thanks!
Thanks for the insight!
Yes I agree with what he said the smd is real time as the other one's are slow more testing please...thanks
I think Steve is right here. I have tried monitoring voltage fluctuations in my Acura and Honda vehicles with an actual digital hand held volt/ohm meter wired into the car as I am driving. The refresh rate made it useless in tracking the voltage fluctuations that those stock systems are notorious for. The digital meters are fine to know your Idle or engine off voltage but otherwise aren’t helpful in monitoring the health of your charging system.
I think the vm-1 is the only way to go. After having a lot of different ones. Nothing else is like it.
Since Hifi won't say it... He calibrated his mult-meter for this purpose with a NIST certified meter. Also what Audio Precision instrument is used for the VM-1?
HOWEVER as listed per your own site states "Accuracy: +/- 0.15v ",13.34v minus .15 =13.19 which is 13.1v. Calibration on a vague measuring device is a moot point, The VM-1 is not a precision measuring device as there would be no +/- accuracy deviation and wouldn't be limited to only a few sums.
Big props for going the extra mile calibrating your Klein! That $12 Sparked meter looks like a super deal 👌
Sparked coming through hot!
Gentlemen, you guys are so awesome with your different video styles and all, but always shouting out positive stuff about each other. I love it! Thank you both for doing what you do and the time you spend for us, you make it look so easy that some might not realize how much work it takes to put together a solid video. Have a wonderful day everyone and be safe! 🍻🌎❤️🎶🔊🕺🏻
There's a new kid on the block LF Audio HPVM ( High precision volt meter) it's 150-199$ depending on discounts etc but it has a dual read function to measure two different locations at once and has a refresh rate higher than anything in this video and is so precise I have been able to move the reading+ wires around in my car and see where exactly my voltage issues were coming from and fix it I now get less than a .03 volt drop from my alternator to the amp and did it all using the LF Audio HPVM I love this thing please check it out and let people know about it you have a large fan base and LF Audio really needs to get noticed his products are second to none in my book
That $20 for the stinger is a online price only You go into any authorized dealer They sell those things for like 60 bucks
Oh man I couldn’t imagine paying $60 for that! I’d be highly upset lol
Unboxing
0:16
Testing Parameters
6:47
Out of Box Accuracy
7:24
Display Quality
13:40
Build Quality & Features
24:16
Final Thoughts
31:44
Sparked innovations FTW 😎
Simple and clean!
Now this video is what the industry needed. Extremely useful and informative good work!!!!
Thanks homie!
@@HifiVega always watching just been doing it on the TVs so I don’t comment often but you killed this one no matter what any industry giant has to say
@@Outty5000Hertz I watch on my tv as well!
I love the shoot out style videos you do! 👏 I been using the stinger one for almost 4 yrs straight now in my daily vehicle. Thing is as solid as can be.
BTW, you can buy a piece of small tint to put over the stinger meter to tone the brightness down a bit. Some ppl just put electrical tape over the stinger logo lol.
Awesome vid with great detail. Hope to see a round 2 real world test of each next. 😎👍👍
Thanks!
I'm a fan of anything SMD. His quality control is amazing. Ive been using JP's volt meter/bass knob but i really like the VU meter style of the SMD. Great comparison video Rob!
Thanks man!
I can’t wait until I hook up my JP23V2. I’m just waiting on my SSA Evil 15 to ship any day now.
I have owned the stinger and SMD Volt Meter, and Love the SMD its very accurate and quality built.
i got a pack of 4 voltmeters on amazon for like 15 bucks. they're more accurate than the voltmeter on the front of my epicenter in dash. checked against 3 different multimeters that all matched, and the epicenter consistantly reads half a volt off.
Man awesome video iv been on tge hunt for a volt meter for a min and this just helped me out..
Happy to help!
I have the Sparked with the capacitive button and absolutely love it. I had the stinger back in the day and had to tint the display as it was too bright for me.
That display is brighter than the sun!
I do a lot of night time driving and I got the stinger volt meter it blinds me when it turns on
I do like the function on the sparked innovation. But I do like the bass know feature as well
It’s the SMD for me. Its response time is fast and it looks great . The only reason there isn’t one in my car is that it was out of stock when I built the system two years ago.
But it's off ......
@@BramtheMan1 The calibrated reading falls in between points in the scale of the SMD. It doesn’t round up but rather triggers the next led when that voltage is reached. The point of the SMD is real time voltage display, which is much more useful for monitoring the system when its in use. If the digital meters had peak and dip holds they would be more useful in the sense the SMD is.
Great video. I went with the sparked innovations. The one that plugs into the cigarette lighter I have had this one since the beginning of summer I have always wondered how accurate it was.
I’m using it in my vehicle now and I totally dig it
Great video! I have used a cigarette lighter with FM transmitter and a display which also has a voltage readout and I thought that was so neat to also have (also seemed accurate and responsive enough to be useful. Great content as always! 🍻🌎♥️🎶🕺
I’m sure it was accurate within .5 volt because it seems most of them are
@@HifiVega yeah, and if you know what the offset is you can still find it useful just remember to mentally add/subtract whatever you need. Have a great day! 🍻 accuracy, precision, and offset or whatever the proper name is all are things we have to keep in mind as separate and can of course decide the overall effectiveness of anything really. ☺️🙃 Everything basically balances in the end. Electric charge, life, equations. And if it's me versus any of those in substantial form I lose so I just love learning about this stuff and enjoying the ride whenever possible! Thank you for doing what you do!
Awesome content!
Thank you
@@HifiVega No... Thank YOU!
Love the video, I've been needing to get a volt meter. I would have liked to seen the down 4vsound one reviewed too
I meant to grab one from there as well, but forgot 😬
Lol
great video!
Thanks!
Just a thought but I would think the smd volt meter is correct. It won’t read 13.4 until it surpasses 13.4. So even 13.39 would still read 13.1
I think you’re right. I dunno why I didn’t consider that whilst filming but it makes sense
Great video, thanks! Could you test a couple R.V. voltage meters. Ive seen a couple that will do amperage. Sometimes amperage for each cell of a lithium pack
Definitely a good idea for a future video
I think the SMD meters are great. It is the quickest in the draw. Also has a suite of meters (temp, voltage, output meters)
Im using all sparked and love them
That 12 o'clock position LED that is bleeding through 23:57 can be "fixed" by throwing a 200 k/ohm resistor or 180, 220 etc... on the positive side of the LED, anything in that range will knock that LED down and stop the bleed through.
Good looking out!
@@HifiVega I like your style HiFi 👍🏻 Enjoy your contributions to the UA-cam community and beyond... 👽
@@1Patient thanks and I appreciate you watching!
Thanks for the video!❤
But after seeing you video and doing my self a lil test with the taramps voltmeter, got to the conclusion that the taramps will read very accurate, but wen you use the same battery you are testing to power the remote, you will see a differences of .06v, but if you plug the remote to another 6/12v source, it will read very accurate!
Also you when you are checking the voltage with a multimeter, you should check at the voltmeter terminals, as I saw a different in voltage when checking from voltmeter and battery terminals due to wire resistance!
Ive run the stinger fir decades now. I have one thats been going strait for almost 12 years now. Its pretty dim now, but still works perfectly. I have several of them, and for what's needed in car audio, it'll suffice. I'm wanting the SMD for its instant accuracy and coolness factor, but I aint paying just shy of $100 for it. You can get the output meter and temp with the voltage as well in a package deal, but its still almost $300, and thats just too much for what it is. If inwas an extreme spl competitor maybe they would have more value in my eyes.
I dint like the terminations on the Tara or Stetsom. Can't make for a clean install. Visible wires is tacky in my opinion. They need to put a rear pass thru so you can mount it cleanly on the dash.
Thanks for the video. I know I can save my $ here on this portion of car audio. I'm still happy with my decade old plus Stingers. They've all been rock solid, stay within adjustment after crazy vibration for iver a decade, all 4 of them. Not bad for $25 👍
I've looked at them all i like the Stnger. Use to be Sound Quebed. The blue is bright, i also have one in green. Take the cap off cover the logo with blank tape. Use window tint on the voltage display. Put cap back on. I have mine flush mounted. One was off by .2v, i dialed them in and im very happy with them. Plus they are 3 wire so they turn on & off with the vehicle. I bought two more for the build going in my Escalade. I have already figured where im going to flush mount them and still not have to cut up dash which is something i definitely don't want to do in the Cadillac. Whish i could show pictures off the jeep flush mount. Looks factory.
I've ran the stinger for years my jp23v1 bass knob was much brighter. That being said I mounted the stinger with my gauge cluster using those lights to balance the volt meter. It helped. My favorite and go to is the SHTNONM bass knob with volt meter
The v1 JP bass knob was bright fo sho!
@@HifiVega in upcoming videos will some of the cheaper flip out or double din radios be a topic.
@@bronwynkaye9277 probably not in a shootout, but I might review some individually
@@HifiVega Awesome I look forward to it. Back in 09 I ended up with a Dual flip out that had all the features. Did awesome with sub control, filters, and even eq. Im hoping to eventually come across another budget gem similar with all the goods. Or at least a decent head unit thanks for the feedback.
I like the Sparked and the Stetsom meters. I have the Sparked on my workbench and I like the larger read out on the Stetsom because I'm blind.
Sparked is a baller budget option!
That recoil bass knob has a turn on/off function by clicking the knob in
I did not know that.
Loud fiat or lf audio has the best volt meter on the market 🔥🔥👊🏼trust me it’s expensive but it has Bluetooth you can change the screen it holds low and high voltage I hook it up directly to my bass amp it all you ever need ?
I've been looking at getting one of the LF volt meters
I have a VM1 yet to be installed cause I don't know where to place the display. Only a few minutes in and some of these I have not seen or heard of b4.
Affiliate links for the products in the video
Taramps Voltmeter Sequencer
amzn.to/3LGkKdT
Stetsom Voltmeter
amzn.to/3PyZ5FH
Dyno Racing Voltmeter
amzn.to/3ryHG80
Recoil Bass Knob
amzn.to/46nW5Tu
Stinger Voltmeter
amzn.to/46ctVLp
SMD VM-1
amzn.to/3ZB6vwC
Sparked Innovations voltmeter
rb.gy/eg1dn
Sparked innovations usb charger w/meter
lddy.no/1i1ht
I was hoping The Amp Lab Cheetah Meter would have been on here. That one seems to be superior
I totally forgot they made that one! It would have been good to include
@@HifiVega Maybe do a separate video for it.
I love recoil products their 1200.4d IS A A SILITE BEAST OF A AMP does way more than rated power and is roughly 100 bux.
good honest detailed review ... i have always used & trusted the stinger, its cover never comes loose & i simply put a piece of black electrical tape over the stinger logo . There are other companies that make a similar product like the stinger & stinger also makes a cigarette lighter version ... i wouldnt buy the smd cause of its style, .3 increments, size & price ...
Thanks for watching
3:00 I like the stinger but it should have a pot for adjusting the light 17:55
4:37 it reminds me of a "Vacuum tube"
I'd sharpie out or tape internally over the stinger logo
Also are those alligator clips on a spool. If so where can I find them
Yes sir! You can get them at Harbor freight or if you don’t have one close this 3 wire set up on Amazon is almost the same
amzn.to/3rrQblp
Please repeat the video with the dynamcis of this voltmeters. Add some load/music to your battery. We need to know how accurate and fast the voltmeter show drops in voltage
J p m you get all that stuff with it
Rob is it possible for you to test the amprage coming out of the remote turn on out wire--Blue-- on the Recoil.I cannot get an answer from any of the companys who sells these knob clones.
As in how many amps it draws?
@@HifiVega Sorry---how many amps out of the remote turn on wire----The blue wire is a remote out for amps ect.
The Soundqubed version has a faster refresh rate
That's the only meter I have ever used . The refresh rate is really fast.
This would be a good video except if it were covering hall sensor current meters
Years ago i had a digital meter from summit racing an it was ok but the smd meter is way better an so much faster an can keep up my voltage drop. So i know when the bass hit i know without a doubt what my voltage is
👍👍👍...
I use shunt meters
VM-1 cost a bit, damn worth it. It’s real time the others take 2-5 sec delay. In that time you can smoke shit.
You want to drop 400$ on a battery and 500$ on an alternator another 200$ on wire, connector and terminal. But bitch about 150$ meter
Why not just connectthe volt meters at the same time as the multi meter is connected?
Because it was a static battery not changing voltage and that allowed me to be able to focus the camera on the voltmeter itself with a tighter shot
The sparked is just a 99cent piece. If bought from Alibaba.. 1000 pieces
No .5 dynamic runs? Or .067 dynamic runs.
Or a dyno run at all 😂
How can u use that Klein? Fluke volt meters are waaay more acurate than that. How can u test without a load or fluctuations?lol
This Klein is calibrated with a nist traceable power supply and fluke meter as I mentioned in the video. As far as load fluctuations this test was just to compare out of box accuracy, but running them on a variable load to track voltage would have been helpful and I admit that it just wasn’t in my mind during time of filming.
Some tape would fix that stinger one ;)
You sho right
I prefer my voltmeter to be bangladeshian and read in Celsius octane.
Look in the mirror and see if one side of your face is drooping! If so call the ambulance immediately 😂
Why does SMD's volt meter remind me of an old fashioned Birth Control ??
More importantly why do I have a vision in my head of exactly what you’re thinking?
Lol vm1 seems off to us.
I bought a few different smd meters and when i took them out if the package the solder points on the boards broke and the wires fell off……on all 3 of the units i purchased.
Oh man that’s a bummer
That is highly doubtful. Especially right out of the box. I have never seen that before and we have sold literally at least 20,000 of these over the years. What site did you buy them from and did you email to get it taken care of? Who are you? I will look you up when I get to the shop and see if anyone sent us a message complaining about that. Surely you would have since you came here and posted about it.
No i didnt email anyone or try to return or exchange, i just made the decision to skip all of the hassle and not buy anymore products from the smd company……..im aware that one person isnt going to make a difference to you or any company for that matter. You can look me up all you want i could care less, i wasnt saying that all of your products are bad or some shit like that. I was sharing my experience. Besides i was fully aware that you would comment like you usually do when someone has anything negative to say about anything that has anything to to with you or your products. For me to make something up for no reason is just rediculous.
@@cdubBbasshead i call B.S. Nobody spends that kind of money (almost $300) on something "broke right out of the box" and doesn't contact the company that made it. But you came straight here and didn't bother to contact anyone especially knowing we have the best customer service there is. Who did you buy the products from? Which dealer or website? When? Lets find out if you are even a customer. You are right, you making up this story IS ridiculous.
@@cdubBbasshead If what you said was true, which there is no way it is, and you called us you would have brand new products in your hand before you even had a chance to say anything bad. That is how we operate. You weren't fully "aware" of anything. Please post a link to one comment i made to someone talking "negative" about my products. Again, if someone isn't happy we always fix it fast and i hardly say a damn thing to any of you. It's when you make up stories that i have something to say about it. Last but not least, your one lonely video of you vaping on your front porch with your shirt off doesn't strike me as someone who is just gonna let $300 go like that. You don't have it like that. I know i wouldn't. So tell me who you got the products from and what your name is. I will get to the bottom of it.
LF audio males great products