8w7 lasted 2 weeks..

The only way to damage a speaker is to overpower it (whether that is thermally or mechanically); clipped signals have a lower crest factor than a sine wave so there is more power under the curve. A clipped signal alone will not damage a speaker at all; the only damage can occur from sending more power than the speaker is able to dissipate, which can be achieved from music, sine, or square waves.
Clipping is bad for achieving the most accurate reproduction of the input signal, but it not necessarily damaging.
Everything I have read and been taught to this point in my aftermarket car audio education says otherwise....got an explanation for that?

 
Everything I have read and been taught to this point in my aftermarket car audio education says otherwise....got an explanation for that?
I thought I had explained it, but I'll give it another go....

What is a clipped signal? It's a square wave with a lower crest factor that carries more average power over time. This is the key: more average power over time.

A speaker can dissipate a given amount of power that varies with several factors, including (but not limited to) frequency, excursion, and motor design.

The speaker is capable of dissipating a given amount of heat over a given time frame. How is it damaged thermally? By receiving input current that exceeds the amount of heat that can be dissipated over that period.

If the average power over time delivered by a signal is below that speaker's limit, it will not be damaged. It doesn't matter if the signal is clipped, saw-toothed, sine, etc.

Clipping is relevant in that it carries MORE average power over time than a sine wave, but if that falls below the amount the speaker can safely dissipate, the speaker will be fine.

 
Simple test:

Take a 25 watt per channel amp, hook it up to a sub (in an enclosure) that can handle 500W. Now crank it up and clip the f*ck out of the signal... what happens? Sounds like crap, but no harm done... the voice coil likely would barely be warm after a prolonged period of time receiving the clipped signal.

 
Simple test:
Take a 25 watt per channel amp, hook it up to a sub (in an enclosure) that can handle 500W. Now crank it up and clip the f*ck out of the signal... what happens? Sounds like crap, but no harm done... the voice coil likely would barely be warm after a prolonged period of time receiving the clipped signal.
I'm willing to bet that the coil will fail after a certain amount of time...

 
I'm willing to bet that the coil will fail after a certain amount of time...
Read this: http://forum.carstereos.org/clipping-test-results-t47441.html
Here's a good quote:

An extra test.... Remember when some people say "It doesn't even matter if it is only a few watts, if it's pure distortion, it will ruin your woofers".... Well we took a 10 watt square wave and ran it into a Pioneer 10" subwoofer for a few hours.... Nothing happened to it, of course, the motor didn't even get hot....
 
I thought I had explained it, but I'll give it another go....

What is a clipped signal? It's a square wave with a lower crest factor that carries more average power over time. This is the key: more average power over time.

A speaker can dissipate a given amount of power that varies with several factors, including (but not limited to) frequency, excursion, and motor design.

The speaker is capable of dissipating a given amount of heat over a given time frame. How is it damaged thermally? By receiving input current that exceeds the amount of heat that can be dissipated over that period.

If the average power over time delivered by a signal is below that speaker's limit, it will not be damaged. It doesn't matter if the signal is clipped, saw-toothed, sine, etc.

Clipping is relevant in that it carries MORE average power over time than a sine wave, but if that falls below the amount the speaker can safely dissipate, the speaker will be fine.
Thanks for the explanation. I honestly do appreciate someone taking the time to educate me on something I am either misinformed or just simply ignorant about so again, thank you. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsup.gif.3287b36ca96645a13a43aff531f37f02.gif

That was a good read and thanks to you for linking to it.

nice thread. I guess we were wrong prowler.
I guess we were! But gaining knowledge, regardless of the subject matter, is never a bad thing so there is a positive end to this.

I knew more than I knew when I woke up this morning so thus far it's been a good day! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 
he had his sub setup ilke that for two years. i jsut talked to him after i started this forum n got some knowledge about gain settings

and i just thought about it more. i think my subs driver is still in working order, its just that the coil poped out of the driver and couldnt go back down when i was running it. which broke the conex spider and damaged the bottom of the coils.

 
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