View Poll Results: Would you over or underpower your component speakers?
Voters: 45. You may not vote on this poll
how to avoid breaking speakers
11-17-2006, 04:48 PM
#11
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 17
so if i try to make sense of all this, basically if you are going to put your system very loud then you better underpower them so you dont put enough power to blow them up even though they might distort. If you are into SQ you overpower the speakers to control them better but you cannot krank the volume in distortion. SO if i listen to music medium-loud but not ear poping during a 5 hour trip, powering my speakers 120w and they are rated 60w rms i should be ok? I know this will sound bad but the GUYS AT THE SHOP told me not to worry (of course they wont pay if it breaks...) although i would not go there again if they lied... and if they told me my speakers could not survive 120w then i would have bought more expensive ones that have higher rating... It is a confusing topic 
11-17-2006, 05:06 PM
#12
Originally Posted by theboy
can you not blow a speaker from underpowering(distortion)?????
it's all the same in the end, as far as the drivers concerned.
Mark
11-17-2006, 06:58 PM
#13
Originally Posted by SQ Civic
To a speaker, there is no difference between noise, distortion, or music...
it's all the same in the end, as far as the drivers concerned.
Mark
it's all the same in the end, as far as the drivers concerned.
Mark
11-17-2006, 07:29 PM
#14
it can be shown with asymetrical program material (which I guess isn't uncommon) one rail will clip more then the other... over time this could be considered a DC potential.... But a clipped wave or even a square wave is still very different then DC power.......
11-17-2006, 07:34 PM
#15
Originally Posted by frankydudy
so if i try to make sense of all this, basically if you are going to put your system very loud then you better underpower them so you dont put enough power to blow them up even though they might distort. If you are into SQ you overpower the speakers to control them better but you cannot krank the volume in distortion. SO if i listen to music medium-loud but not ear poping during a 5 hour trip, powering my speakers 120w and they are rated 60w rms i should be ok? I know this will sound bad but the GUYS AT THE SHOP told me not to worry (of course they wont pay if it breaks...) although i would not go there again if they lied... and if they told me my speakers could not survive 120w then i would have bought more expensive ones that have higher rating... It is a confusing topic
Last edited by Haunz; 11-17-2006 at 07:36 PM.
11-17-2006, 07:53 PM
#16
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 17
Originally Posted by Haunz
yea 5 hrs might be pushing it.... but it all depends on your listening tastes..... if you listen to folk music Id give different advice then if you listen to pop music...... so without knowing that or having any experience with your speakers my advice is basically to set the gains so the amp isn't exceeding 15-20volts RMS with your speakers hooked up and you should be OK....
Let me know if this makes sense
*blasts off*
11-17-2006, 09:50 PM
#18
Originally Posted by AAAAAAA
I would have to disagree with that. Distortion in the form of cliping is very different from other types of sound. As mentioned previously, straight DC to a woofer will make it act and cool differently then it would if it was from regular music/noise/ect.
Mark
EDIT: I'd like to add a few things.
High peak power, may cause the cone to move too far, thus Mechanical failure sets in. too much RMS power over time will cause Thermal failure...
you can play a clipped signal into a driver for as long as you like without any damage whatsover, as long as it's at a low enough volume for the driver to dissapate the built up heat, and the cone doesn't extend past it's limits.
Last edited by SQ Civic; 11-17-2006 at 10:54 PM.
11-17-2006, 11:08 PM
#19
Originally Posted by SQ Civic
a driver distorting because it is being pushed passed it's limits, so you can hear the distortion is quite different from the speaker playing a distorted signal...
Mark
EDIT: I'd like to add a few things.
High peak power, may cause the cone to move too far, thus Mechanical failure sets in. too much RMS power over time will cause Thermal failure...
you can play a clipped signal into a driver for as long as you like without any damage whatsover, as long as it's at a low enough volume for the driver to dissapate the built up heat, and the cone doesn't extend past it's limits.
Mark
EDIT: I'd like to add a few things.
High peak power, may cause the cone to move too far, thus Mechanical failure sets in. too much RMS power over time will cause Thermal failure...
you can play a clipped signal into a driver for as long as you like without any damage whatsover, as long as it's at a low enough volume for the driver to dissapate the built up heat, and the cone doesn't extend past it's limits.
