For the last time, PLEASE: clipping does NOT blow speakers/subwoofers

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

So a "500watt" sony amp cant possibly kill a sub rated for 1000watts RMS if I blast the gains? Or in the OPs theory, my xplod amp can push way more than RMS to my sub...because I have blown a 1000watt rms sub on a "500watt" sony xplod amp. Xplod ftw?

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

i posted real proof that clipping destroys subs

I sawd it, therefore its true.

So a "500watt" sony amp cant possibly kill a sub rated for 1000watts RMS if I blast the gains? Or in the OPs theory, my xplod amp can push way more than RMS to my sub...because I have blown a 1000watt rms sub on a "500watt" sony xplod amp. Xplod ftw?

I find it hard to believe a 500 watt sony amp could make 1000 watts even distorted from here to hell. More than likely I am guessing the sub was an inferior brand that overrates its subs to sell to n00bs or its physical limits were met. Speakers are rated by their thermal capacity not by physical limits. Depending on enclosure alignment. A driver can reach physical limits well before its thermal.

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

I sawd it, therefore its true.

I find it hard to believe a 500 watt sony amp could make 1000 watts even distorted from here to hell. More than likely I am guessing the sub was an inferior brand that overrates its subs to sell to n00bs or its physical limits were met. Speakers are rated by their thermal capacity not by physical limits. Depending on enclosure alignment. A driver can reach physical limits well before its thermal.

PPI DCX and a Kicker L7 both lost their lives to the Xplode amp.Both of which took 1000+ watts of clean power. The xplode CANT make 1000+ watts, that was my point. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

PPI DCX and a Kicker L7 both lost their lives to the Xplode amp.Both of which took 1000+ watts of clean power. The xplode CANT make 1000+ watts, that was my point. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Well it still wasn't the signal being clipped that killed it. It was more than likely a physical limitiation. I will tell you it definitely WASN'T the fact that it was a clipped signal.

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

So a "500watt" sony amp cant possibly kill a sub rated for 1000watts RMS if I blast the gains? Or in the OPs theory, my xplod amp can push way more than RMS to my sub...because I have blown a 1000watt rms sub on a "500watt" sony xplod amp. Xplod ftw?

It is dependent upon the magnitude of the sinusoids; some situations yes, some no.

We're talking more extreme cases like 100 wrms vs. 1kW rms.

 

[SRim23 5,000+ posts]

you know clipping cant be taken lightly. so far just this afternoon clipping has disrespected a family, made a guy lose his job, destroyed a car, destroyed subs....

sounds like we need to get this clipping thing under control.

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

heat is what is given off from the inductor as a result of the power transfer. A voice coil is just an inductor wound beside a magnet. So when an ac voltage come across it, depending on the voltage level it will repel or attract the coil. This makes the transducer move. If you send a dc signal into the voice coil, it will move the cone to that position and stay for as long as you keep a constant voltage to it. Now, if the coil is not moving and it is giving off heat from the current exchange. Then it cannot cool it self (it is made to be moving constantly and the airflow from the movement lets it give off heat) That is what a clipped signal does. A little at a time it suspends the movement of the cone, even if only microseconds at a time. But excess heat builts up and can cause the weakest part of the coil to melt or break.

Although your example is technically correct, in practice its very unlikely; The frequencies are not low enough for that to become a factor.

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

It is dependent upon the magnitude of the sinusoids; some situations yes, some no.
We're talking more extreme cases like 100 wrms vs. 1kW rms.

The OP stated :"If you feed a Type-R a fully clipped signal from a 300 watt amp, it will not reach thermal failure in the least. It might sound like shit, but it won't cause the speaker to fail."

I've killed a similar rated driver with ~300 rms at most. Same scenerio but with a dead woofer or two in the end. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif I guess it's possible that it failed physically, but that would just mean that the xplode amp pushed 1000+ watts when pushed into clipping. (both subs take that daily with a clean signal)

Not trying to argue, but this thread goes agianst what I've been told numerous times, and it goes agianst my real world experience...

CLIPPING > all

 

[BEAVER.989 10+ year member]

I disagree. Clipping kills speakers.

How many times have you heard a noob say that they blew a sub because they underpowered it? An underpowered sub will not reach it's mechanical limits, but can reach it's thermal limit if pushed into by heavy clipping.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

ok this is pretty much against what i thought i knew. then again...thats what you get for learning everything you know about caraudio from a website.

but here is my question. if clipping doesnt kill subwoofers, how come i can make a 2000w rms rated speaker thermally overheat (smelling like shit, you know what i mean) and when i clamp my amp, its only doing 1500w rms (and thats apparent power, not even factoring in power factor which should lower it).

thats my question

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Clipping does not kill speakers technically speaking, heat does. Clipping will cause excessive heat however, which can/will lead to premature thermal failure.

Saying clipping doesn't kill speakers is like saying jumping off a skyscraper doesn't kill people, the sudden stop does. Technically true, but leads down an incorrect logic path. This thread will lead many people down that wrong logic path.

 

[BEAVER.989 10+ year member]

Clipping does not kill speakers technically speaking, heat does. Clipping will cause excessive heat however, which can/will lead to premature thermal failure.
Saying clipping doesn't kill speakers is like saying jumping off a skyscraper doesn't kill people, the sudden stop does. Technically true, but leads down an incorrect logic path. This thread will lead many people down that wrong logic path.

Perfectly said. Your signature really says it all, anyhow... and that was what I was referencing in my response.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

you know clipping cant be taken lightly. so far just this afternoon clipping has disrespected a family, made a guy lose his job, destroyed a car, destroyed subs....
sounds like we need to get this clipping thing under control.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif:laugh:

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

Clipping does not kill speakers technically speaking, heat does. Clipping will cause excessive heat however, which can/will lead to premature thermal failure.
Saying clipping doesn't kill speakers is like saying jumping off a skyscraper doesn't kill people, the sudden stop does. Technically true, but leads down an incorrect logic path. This thread will lead many people down that wrong logic path.

But it really isn't. I understand that the logic is a bit semantically based, but clipping occurs in nearly every realm of electronics / anywhere you have a signal. You can just as easily overdrive an 800wrms sub with an orion 1200d as you can overdrive that same 800wrms sub with a 800wrms amp that is clipping fully. Saying that clipping kills speakers simply is not true. Again, I'll bring up the tube amplifier example which are made to clip purposely, but they don't destroy drivers.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

someone answer my question...ya jerks