difference from a sub clipping and bottoming

[jordan572 10+ year member]

is there a difference from clipping and bottoming out. isnt clipping where there is to much signal which distorts the sound and makes it sound like it is bottoming out. i have a clip light on my amp and when i have it turned up every time it sounds like it is bottoming out when the clip light goes on. what do you think it is doing? thanks

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[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

Amps clip, subs bottom out.

 

[MakeshiftAudio 10+ year member]

Amps clip, subs bottom out.

x2

 

[jordan572 10+ year member]

so why when the amp clips the sub sound weird is it because of the amp.

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

Its because the signal is distorted and sounds like crap, and it is also a big possibility that when you turn it up that high that the clipped signal is pushing the sub too far and making the sub bottom out.

You would most likely be able to hear a difference between a clipped signal and bottoming out. When the sub bottoms out it will sound like some PHYSICAL shit just happened, when the sub is distorted it will sound like POO.

 

[tinmanchris217 10+ year member]

When an amp clips, the sine wave is flattened at the top and bottom. It's similar to running DC current through it, momentarily, no motion, just heat generation. It sounds distorted, gurgly, rough, etc.

Bottoming out is when the sub is stretching beyond it's limits. It gets uncontrolled, and looks like it's "flopping" as far as it can. It will still sound OK, but looks like it's dying. This can happen at lower frequencies than your box tuning, when you are genuinely putting more power to a sub than it can handle... or a little of both.

 

[Mass Car Audio 10+ year member]

When an amp clips, the sine wave is flattened at the top and bottom. It's similar to running DC current through it, momentarily, no motion, just heat generation. It sounds distorted, gurgly, rough, etc.
Bottoming out is when the sub is stretching beyond it's limits. It gets uncontrolled, and looks like it's "flopping" as far as it can. It will still sound OK, but looks like it's dying. This can happen at lower frequencies than your box tuning, when you are genuinely putting more power to a sub than it can handle... or a little of both.

A clipped signal is nothing like putting dc current to your subs. Clipping is a form of waveform distortion that occurs when an amplifier is overdriven, which happens through attempts to increase the voltage or current beyond its maximum power capability. Driving an amplifier into clipping causes it to put out power in excess of its published ratings, which are customarily done with a "clean" sine wave signal just at the onset of clipping. Also when an amplifier is pushed to create a signal with more power than its power supply can produce, it will amplify the signal only up to its maximum capacity, at which point the signal will be amplified no further. As the signal simply "cuts" or "clips" at the maximum capacity of the amplifier, the signal is said to be "clipping". The extra signal which is beyond the capability of the amplifier is simply cut off, resulting in a sine wave becoming a distorted square wave type waveform.

 

[only126db 10+ year member]

Amplifier clipping is not audible until you are well into full clip, this is where the top of the soundwave is 'clipped' off to create a squarewave, this is bad bad bad for speakers of any type.

Bottoming out is always audible, this is where the voice coil comes into contact with the botoom/back plate which sandwiches the magnet together and forms the actual pole piece that the coil surrounds.

Bottoming out produces a loud clack sound every time the coil strikes the back plate.

Listen to this sound (.28 seconds in)

 

[KOL 10+ year member]

Amplifier clipping is not audible until you are well into full clip, this is where the top of the soundwave is 'clipped' off to create a squarewave, this is bad bad bad for speakers of any type.

clipping is not bad for speakers of "any type." clipping will generate excessive heat but as long as it doesn't surpass the thermal limit of the coils it will not damage the speaker.

try and kill a 2000wrms woofer with a 100wrms amp...it won't happen

 

[I Like Waffle]

i suppose thats how all my friends get away with having 100w sony amps with the gain turned all the way up and havent blown their subs yet //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[DEdwards 10+ year member]

I always thought that when a clipped signal is feed to a speaker the "clipped section" of the signal is played it is straight DC signal as previously stated.

 

[KOL 10+ year member]

I always thought that when a clipped signal is feed to a speaker the "clipped section" of the signal is played it is straight DC signal as previously stated.

I've never heard that. But it would make sense as to why a driver is less efficient at dissipating heat from a square wave.

 

[KOL 10+ year member]

A clipped signal is nothing like putting dc current to your subs. Clipping is a form of waveform distortion that occurs when an amplifier is overdriven, which happens through attempts to increase the voltage or current beyond its maximum power capability. Driving an amplifier into clipping causes it to put out power in excess of its published ratings, which are customarily done with a "clean" sine wave signal just at the onset of clipping. Also when an amplifier is pushed to create a signal with more power than its power supply can produce, it will amplify the signal only up to its maximum capacity, at which point the signal will be amplified no further. As the signal simply "cuts" or "clips" at the maximum capacity of the amplifier, the signal is said to be "clipping". The extra signal which is beyond the capability of the amplifier is simply cut off, resulting in a sine wave becoming a distorted square wave type waveform.

The rms voltage of a square wave is equal to the peak voltage of the amp. An amp can produce twice its power when severely clipping.

 

[Mass Car Audio 10+ year member]

The rms voltage of a square wave is equal to the peak voltage of the amp. An amp can produce twice its power when severely clipping.

Yes I know I stated that in my last post.

Driving an amplifier into clipping causes it to put out power in excess of its published ratings

 

[KOL 10+ year member]

Yes I know I stated that in my last post.
Driving an amplifier into clipping causes it to put out power in excess of its published ratings

My bad, I misread.