75 W Amp and 80 W Speakers

[West]

Ok guys, need a few of you to talk some sence into me.

Right now I have an Alpine PDX-5 and its rated for 75W.

I have Focal Performance Speakers which are all rated for 80W rms.

Focal's website suggests that I can damage the speakers if I run them under rms, so I figured I would through it out here for suggestions.

1. Is there any way that the Focal site is correct about damaging a speaker by UNDER-powering it?

 

2. What should I do for better sound quality. Push the amp to 80 W or leave it at 75 W?

Some places suggest that clipping will hurt speakers more than overpowering them, so I am guessing running the amp at 75W would be the better option.

I have two more powerful amps on the way, but wanted to try the Alpine amp to see how it stacks up.

Click to read more...

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

You can not damage a speaker from under powering just clipping... set it with a DMM at a decent amount of power and youll be fine...

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

also, if you "push the amp to 80W" you will only induce clipping trying to get there, and that will damage the speakers... underpowering has never hurt any speaker... and 5W isnt enough at all to make any difference

 

[West]

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[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

That PDX is underrated too so, its probably already giving u those extra 5w anyway. Not that it'd be noticeable at all. But, yea.

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

After 3 years to actually post the comment.....double post //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

75 "rms" from a decent amp (like the Alpine) is usually double that in dynamic headroom while still maintaining a relatively clean signal.

I'll echo what's been said about underpowering can't hurt. Focal says that so that you don't run 50w and clip the crap out of it trying to push them.

I really wouldn't sweat 5w either. Lol.

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

If underpowering speakers damaged them, you'd fry your system every time you turned the volume down.