# My review of the PPI processor



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Yes, another one. I think it's beneficial for those looking to pick one of these up to get as much user feedback as possible. I always like reading reviews of the same product from different people. So here we go.

Features
This has everything! Well except phase contol which kind of bites. But other than that it is very flexible. I mean 1hz adjustments from 20-20,000 khz! Crazy. You can even choose between two different x-over filters: butterworth or linkwitz-riley. Here's a really great explanation of the difference between the two and how to know which to use: http://www.rane.com/note160.html

My favorite feature by far is the presets. You have 5 different presets that can be recalled with a touch of a button. That is just bad ass let me tell you! I'm constantly adjusting slopes, xover points, T/A, attenuation, etc. Call me insane, but that's honestly how I learn. It's SOOOOO nice to be able to save a particular setting and the switch back and forth to see how the music changes. That right there is easly worth the price of the unit!!

The sensitivity adjustment is kind of different. You can go from Mute to 12v...but the numbers in between are really odd. Like I have mine set at 8.97 or something?? I would look up why that is in the manual, but it's about as bare bones as you can get. Actually the manual is kind of a joke to tell you the truth. I need details people!!!! Friggen Directed...baaaaaah.    

I also really like the volume adjustment. It starts at 0 and goes down way down past -50dB. Not sure how far beyond that it does go and I can't imagine why you would need to go beyond like 12db anyway.

Installation
The unit is pretty small and light weight and can be put almost anywhere. I put mine on the back of my amp rack. It's right next to my balance line adaptor for my Eclipse HU. It's nice to only have 1.5ft RCA runs to the amps. I put a few strips of clear packaging tape over the top of it so it doesn't get scratched back there. 

PPI was gracious enough to include a 20ft of signal cable which is nice. It's plenty to go from the dash, down the side rail and to the hatch.

There is a plastic clip that you can pull out to attach your B+, ground and RTL. Unfortunately it's not very tight fitting and it can easly be pulled out if you snag the wire.

I haven't mounted the controler yet. I have it sitting in an empty pocket at the bottom of the center radio bezel. It fits nicely there and it is just out of reach for me which is good because I know it will be very tempting to reach down and make an adjustment while driving. Not a good thing to do! 









The display color matches my HU color nearly perfectly. But, the display is kind of hard to read. I mean it just gets annoying looking at that bright blue background for a while. Plus it's too bright at night for my liking. I will have to do something about that I think. 









Navigation
Once you get used to it, navigating the menus is a breeze. My one gripe here is that it takes FOREVER to adjust the xover points. It has the progressive speed dial thing like on our alarm clock where you hold down the button to change the time and it starts slow and the goes faster and faster. I want to say it has has 2 speeds, one medium and one fast. Once the thing gets flying, it can go well past the number you are shooting for and then you have to back up. Also it will continue to adjust once you take your finger off of it. It can get pretty annoying. 

Also the buttons kind of feel cheap to me. It seems they would wear out after a few years. Only time will tell I guess.

Summary
For what this thing does and how much it costs (if you got one!  ) it is really great. I have to thank the Jersey boys for hooking this deal up. And also to Chaddilac for the "Please tell me you bought a PPI processor!!!" AIM message. Dude saved me some $$$ that's for sure.  

I will add more as time goes along!


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Great review mate!

Could you please explain how should one set input/output voltage and volume? I read the manual and it is a little confusing. I have Alpine with 4v outputs.

Thanks


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Surely. You would do it just like you would with an amplifier. I don't have a link off hand for a gain setting tutorial, but they are easy to come by.

The sensitivity adjustment starts at 12v and goes down to Mute. At the 12v setting it's basically like you are telling the unit that your preouts are driving 12v. Since you have a 4v pre out, you would INCREASE the sensitivity from 12v down. If you remember that the lower the number on the votage sensitivity setting is, the louder the music will be, you'll be set. It's kind of back asswards I know. 

You really don't need to worry too much about the actual numbers IMO because your HU will not continuously put out 4v. In fact the only way it will is if you play a pure sine wave signal and crank the volume to max! 

So, you need to reference a gain setting tutorial, get yourself a multimeter (DMM), a test tone CD and go for it. There are more complicated ways of doing it, but that is pretty simple and effective. After awhile, you can set the sensitivity by ear and then double check your settings with the DMM.

The volume is just basically a way to attenuate the output level in 1dB increments. It offers a great way to match the volume of each driver as you are listening to your system. So for example if your tweeters are playing louder than your mids, you can effectively turn them down to match the mids. Get it?


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Shweet man, thanks a ton! It clears everything up now.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Mless5 said:


> Shweet man, thanks a ton! It clears everything up now.


No prob. Now you just need to get a real HU.   Totally kidding.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

I think it's allright. 
Damn that manual is useless!


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## BodegaBay (Dec 16, 2005)

Good review, B-Squad. Gotta ask you something. Why did you purchase an external processor when you have a pretty good all-in-one package with the Eclipse 8053? Did you notice any difference in sound when adding the PPI unit?


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

BodegaBay said:


> Good review, B-Squad. Gotta ask you something. Why did you purchase an external processor when you have a pretty good all-in-one package with the Eclipse 8053? Did you notice any difference in sound when adding the PPI unit?


Because I run 4 way active. Is that what you were wondering? I still use the Non-fader preout off the 8053 to run the sub. The PPI is used to BP the midbass and midrange and HP the tweeters. 

Actually I think my system sounds better since the addition of the PPI. But I changed amps at the same time, so that has probably more to do with it.


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## BodegaBay (Dec 16, 2005)

Ahhh. That makes sense. Glad to see you enjoy it.


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## JayBee (Oct 6, 2006)

Quick question, i'm looking to go 3way active after the first of the year and can't decide on whether to go with out side processing or an all in one headunit solution like the eclipse or maybe the ural. If you weren't running 4 way active, would have felt the need for the 730?


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

JayBee said:


> Quick question, i'm looking to go 3way active after the first of the year and can't decide on whether to go with out side processing or an all in one headunit solution like the eclipse or maybe the ural. If you weren't running 4 way active, would have felt the need for the 730?


Do you mean 3-way active front stage or 3-way (5 channels of amplification) total?? The Eclipse decks are 3-way capable...as in tweeters, mids, and sub(s). The URAL will do 4-way, but I don't know how well.

If I only ran 3-way active, I would have no need for the DCX. I mean the flexibility is nice, but my Eclipse does just fine. 

The DCX is FAR more flexible than any 3-way capable HU out there. IMO the DCX would be best paired with a "strictly SQ" deck such as a Denon, Nak or older model decks that were built with sound quality in mind and don't feature any on board processing. You only need one set of stereo preouts and you can run an entire 3-way active system.


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## Arc (Aug 25, 2006)

If you find the Ural it does 4 way active. If you get a deck with teh above features, but for 3 way, then I would go for a HU. I would of gone with the Ural if this had not turned up.


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## JayBee (Oct 6, 2006)

B-Squad said:


> Do you mean 3-way active front stage or 3-way (5 channels of amplification) total?? The Eclipse decks are 3-way capable...as in tweeters, mids, and sub(s). The URAL will do 4-way, but I don't know how well.
> 
> If I only ran 3-way active, I would have no need for the DCX. I mean the flexibility is nice, but my Eclipse does just fine.
> 
> The DCX is FAR more flexible than any 3-way capable HU out there. IMO the DCX would be best paired with a "strictly SQ" deck such as a Denon, Nak or older model decks that were built with sound quality in mind and don't feature any on board processing. You only need one set of stereo preouts and you can run an entire 3-way active system.


Sorry, 3 way active front stage. Semi-DIY style. The deck that i have isn't great(JVC LHX-500) and i don't have any plans to compete. It's just something that i want to try. At this point, i don't want to drop a ton of money on a deck and then have to get processing on top of that if the 730 will handle the 3way active front stage and what little processing is needed for the sub end. does it have band pass capabilities on 2 channels (i'm thinking mid and mid-bass here)?


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

JayBee said:


> Sorry, 3 way active front stage. Semi-DIY style. The deck that i have isn't great(JVC LHX-500) and i don't have any plans to compete. It's just something that i want to try. At this point, i don't want to drop a ton of money on a deck and then have to get processing on top of that if the 730 will handle the 3way active front stage and what little processing is needed for the sub end. does it have band pass capabilities on 2 channels (i'm thinking mid and mid-bass here)?


I has BP on all channels...Front, Rear, and Sub...from 20 to 20kHz, single point adjustments, 6-24db/oct slope, and you can choose between active filters - butterworth or linkwitz-riley.


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## 3.5max6spd (Jun 29, 2005)

Great review man. I'm loving my unit for shizzle.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

3.5max6spd said:


> Great review man. I'm loving my unit for shizzle.


Did you add the phase shifter in-line as well?? I'd kill for one-touch phase shift ability.


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## 3.5max6spd (Jun 29, 2005)

B-Squad said:


> Did you add the phase shifter in-line as well?? I'd kill for one-touch phase shift ability.


No, dont feel the need to play with phase relationship now that all my drivers are in the same vacinity.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Wow, now that's it pretty cold here....this thing is REALLY slow! I mean it wasn't exactly lightening fast to begin with, but now it's just annoyingly slow to navigate.  Still sounds good though.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

And now a few more things I love about this thing....

1) If you disconnect the battery, it saves your settings!!! Wooot. I was pretty surprised at this actually. Kind of nice when you change your amps like it's your job. 

2) The navagaiton menu pics up where you left off last. For example, if you went in an adjusted the T/A and then just left it sit there it goes back to the default main menu in a few minutes. But then when you go back in, it picks up at that same point. 

3) The controller is only a few inches deep....making it really easy to put in your center console, glove box, or wherever you need to.


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## stormtrooper (Dec 10, 2005)

When are you gonna get the software for it ,it would be a great Xmas present ... LOL


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

stormtrooper said:


> When are you gonna get the software for it ,it would be a great Xmas present ... LOL


AFAIK it exists, but is not supported by PPI. So far, other's attemps to use it haven't been successful.  But yea, it would be cool.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

B-Squad said:


> AFAIK it exists, but is not supported by PPI. So far, other's attemps to use it haven't been successful.  But yea, it would be cool.



Beyond Jaun, who else has tried it????


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## stormtrooper (Dec 10, 2005)

If it doesnt work, release it...no problem, I work with some very savy software engineers that could possibly help me out


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

evo9 said:


> Beyond Jaun, who else has tried it????


Check the other review thread on that. There are few guys that have made feebel attempts.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

B-Squad said:


> Check the other review thread on that. There are few guys that have made feebel attempts.




They were trying the Zapco software, which did not work! According to Jaun's post DEI refuse to release the software.


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## Arc (Aug 25, 2006)

There is a PPI version that exists, I think Jaun is the only one to see it because a friend of his is a PPI dealer. We were trying to modify the zap's software to work. There was someone who got the computer to recognize the PPI unit, but the Zapco software didn't.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Juan


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## mach_y (Sep 8, 2006)

I got it to be recognized by my computer. The problem is that without the commands the PPI expects to see (its language so to speak), you cannot talk to it. I could open the line to communicate with it, but didn't know what to say when I did


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

A friend of mine used to be the audio guy at Directed so he hooked me up. The sad thing is I don't have mine anymore (but I'm trying to get another), I gave it to a coworker. Now I'm waiting to see if the new audio guy will give my buddy permission to share.

Juan


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## Rbsarve (Aug 26, 2005)

John's been sideshifted? Sad.


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## evo9 (Jul 6, 2005)

OldOneEye said:


> A friend of mine used to be the audio guy at Directed so he hooked me up. The sad thing is I don't have mine anymore (but I'm trying to get another), I gave it to a coworker. Now I'm waiting to see if the new audio guy will give my buddy permission to share.
> 
> Juan




This guy has them for $229.95>> Web page. Sound domain has theirs priced around $449.00


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

Rbsarve said:


> John's been sideshifted? Sad.


Well, I don't know who this John fellow is, but my buddy is now over on the Sirius side of things


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## OldOneEye (Jun 16, 2005)

evo9 said:


> This guy has them for $229.95>> Web page. Sound domain has theirs priced around $449.00


I'll have to check stock, but in that case there might be one left at cardomain but that price is going to have to come down a benjamin or two to make sense. Since its only one, I'll leave it to the first guy who figures out how to get ahold of me who doesn't already have one to track me down _AT WORK_ and buy it. First come, first served. 

Juan


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

evo9 said:


> This guy has them for $229.95>> Web page. Sound domain has theirs priced around $449.00


Probably not. Did you call?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

evo9 said:


> This guy has them for $229.95>> Web page. Sound domain has theirs priced around $449.00


They haven't had any since I called 3 or 4o weeks ago. They just haven't changed their website info.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Just to confirm that if you unplug the remote you will not loose your settings. Good news if you need to move it or if it accidently becomes unplugged. Not sure how long it saves them for though. Anyone know?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

B-Squad said:


> Just to confirm that if you unplug the remote you will not loose your settings. Good news if you need to move it or if it accidently becomes unplugged. Not sure how long it saves them for though. Anyone know?


well since the chip is in the body, not the control panel i'd go with indefinitely.


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## 02bluesuperroo (Oct 31, 2006)

^^ 2nd'd


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

My DCX arrived in the mail the other day and I finally got a chance to hook it up last night...by my desk. I used my computer as a source, a PPI 5440 5-ch amp for power, and a set of LPG tweets and CA18RNX mids for speakers (just set them up with some towels to block the back).

First, the manual is crap. It doesn't tell you anything that you can't figure out in the first 10 seconds. Any detailed specs or instructions to configure seem to be omitted. Whatever though, we all know what we are doing right?

Right off the bat I was having trouble because the input, output, gain, and volume were totally out of whack. I went through and configured it for one set of inputs, 2v gain, and -12db volume across all channels. I set my amp at full range on all channels and put the gain at about 10-20%. Even though the drivers were 8ohm and the amp only puts out 30x4 @ 4ohm they were still pretty loud at such a low setting. I was worried about the 8ohm thing but feel a little better.

Ok, back on topic. It took me quite a while to set up basic crossover points. It takes a while to go from 20Hz-20KHz in 1Hz increments. If PPI were to release another version or updated software I would suggest 1Hz increments from 20-120Hz, 10Hz increments from 120-1000Hz, and 100Hz increments from 1KHz and up. There really isn't a need for that much fine tuning and it makes it hard to quickly listen to differences. Instead you have to save your current setting, make a change and save it in a new preset, then jump between the two. For my test, I spent several minutes configuring 1.5KHz, 2KHz, 2.5KHz, 3KHz, and 5KHz crossover points in each of the 5 presets. I found that the CA18RNXs don't sound too hot at 5KHz or above and the tweets get slushy below 2KHz. Somewhere in between is the sweet spot that I will have to play with in the car.

As quick comparison, I turned off the crossover and wired my PPI amp so I could use its crossover. It was much easier to dial in the crossover point using a pot...MUCH EASIER. I could quickly spin the pot and reveal the weaknesses of each component. However...I wouldn't be able to do that in my car seeing as the amp is almost always installed in the trunk. 

Back to the processor. I experimented with slopes some more but couldn't really tell the difference. I was getting lots of static/hiss from my D/C power supply and computer source so it wasn't exactly an audiophile environment.

Another nice feature I found (I'll admit it took me a few minutes to figure out) is that for many options you can configure Front L and Front R separately or combined. For crossover points you would usually want to combine them, but for time alginment obviously you want them separate...but you have the choice to do whatever you want.

Having software to configure this would be a blessing. It would save quite a bit of time. I am not looking forward to setting the EQ 1Hz at a time.

Oh, and the unit does warm up quite a bit so make sure you keep it ventilated. Mine was warm to the touch after about an hour of experimenting.


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