goalie 35

i dont think an amp can output dc.. no matter how hard it clips.. just not possible but the welding of the voice coil comes from to much power as an amp will give more output, almost 2db more energy at the fundemantal and one db at the harmonics, when clipped.. thats why we run our amps to full clip on burps.. this what i did to acheive such high spl scores with only a 1000watt amp..

AAAAAAA

iTrader: (7)

^Indeed, seems like the DC stink is untrue, my appologies. It is simply the extra power and lack of movement from the cone that does it. No Dc involved.

Dukk

A vented enclosure is a 4th order design.

A 3rd order box would be a sealed one with a single element passive crossover.

How does the enclosure make the speaker change what order of harmonics it produces? The cone is always the primary radiator. You can explain on Saturday

RomanticMoments

An amp can't output DC? A clipped signal is a flat wave... The voltage rails can't produce any more power than it is capable of, and if the gain is set too high, or the signal's input voltage exceeds the voltage rails capabilities, the amp will still output, however the top and bottom of the wave is flat... aka a short DC signal... So no, it doesn't consistently output DC, but the voicecoil can certainly see a DC signal, so it will slow the voicecoil enough (can't stop it due to momentum) to heat it rapidly and cause damage. I completely agree with Dukk and AAAAAA. Heat kills voicecoils. Clipped signals can certainly add to the heat. Prolonged clipped signals can damage voicecoils IF the power present at that time is significant enough to go beyond the thermal limits of the driver. Clipping itself isn't the issue, it's simply a factor adding to the real problem: heat.

LaZyLuke

iTrader: (2)

just one question related to this entry by veeman.

I have currently amp gain set up to 3/4 and bass at minimum (-14) on the HU, is it better to set the gain lets say at 1/2 and bring the base up a lil on the HU? (im running 500/1 with two SW8200- and yes because of the big box they reach Xmax pretty damn easy)

some insight about the distortion: I turn down the volume once the hissing and sharp squelching sound, the speakers (often tweets) produce.... I cant drive with some ppl because of that reason- gives me a headache and my eardrums actually hurt...) I hope to move on to some nice front stage soon as im running some HOFONICS 6.5s 120 rms comps on a 300/2 jl v2.... they need to have the tweets turn down so low, as they are very sharp/aggressive... :/

goalie 35

heat is the enemy. a speaker is like a light bulb... when current is run across the element or voicecoil it heats up.. to much current and the element snaps. to much current and the voice coil melts... again.. heat is one of the main reasons of speaker failure, another is just sure overpower and things let go. like dustcaps, surrounds, spiders ect..

RomanticMoments

BING BING BING!! We have a winna LOL

goalie 35

ok lets see here a square wave is NOT the same as DC. a pure square wave is a complex ac signal that is made up of funamental frequency and an infinite number of harmonics. perfect square waves are only a theoretical wave as there are no circuit with that kind of bandwidth necessary to pass one.. but some cheap off shore crap come mighty close.. also of note if you take a square wave and compare it to the same amplitude of a sine wave, the square wave will have double the output.. this is where the speakers now run into thermal problems..

veeman

iTrader: (3)

The gain on an amp is not there for output...if you turn your gain down, you'll notice that you have to turn your volume control up to reach the same output level. The gain is there to match your head unit's output level to the amps input for maximum signal to noise ratio. Remember many head units have different pre amp signal level...1volt, 2 volt, 4 volt 5 volt 8 volt etc... The amp just allows you to adjust the input gain to better match the head unit. As long as your head unit has sufficient output level (at least 1-2 volts typically), you will get maximum power from your amp...you'll just have to use your entire volume control range to get there and the amp's gains will be near maximum. Let's say you have a deck with 4volt outputs, and you max the gains as in the previous example...what you'll get is max power from your amp, but at maybe 1/2 your volume control range...if you keep turning it up..you'll clip the amp. Most people fall for the high gain setting because they think that their amp is louder due to the output at a lower volume...but that's just not the case. Set your gains properly and you'll have years of good clean music and won't have to worry about damaging your equipment.

RomanticMoments

Maybe I've missed something somewhere, but there is more area under the curve of a square wave, not more power being produced... It's only being produced for a longer period. An amp can't make any more power than the rails can output. When the signal is clipped, the flat portion starts at the amp's max output level and will continue to stay flat until the input signal is within range of the amp's output capabilities. During this brief moment, all power is put into the + or - output (depending on where in the wave the clip starts) essentially creating a DC current at the driver. Yes, it is a complex AC signal, however that complex AC signal would be entering the driver's + or - pole solely. The driver won't stop completely due to it's own momentum, but that direct current passing over the coil as it's moving through the magnetic field causes heat. If you have a clean wave coming through the amp, the very peak of each curve will ideally just touch the maximum output capacity of the voltage rails.