Question on input voltage + clipping

[Nevalite 10+ year member]

Hey everyone,

OK so this is a 2 part question...

First part (Voltage Input):

If an amp is rated to put out 350W with an input voltage of lest say 10.5V, if you have an input voltage of 14v at the amp will it still be putting out 350W or will it be much more? How much more?

Second part (clipping):

Lets say I use the calculator and figure at 1000W for 2 Ohms I need 44.7V...I set my gains at 22/35 to be 44.7V. If I go over 22/35, lets say 24/35 and the voltage goes up to 50V, is the signal clipping for sure? Is 44.7V the maximum unclipped voltage and I should never play my sub above that? Or can the voltage exceed the calculated voltage without clipping?

Thank you //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The answer to question #1 is "it depends." Some amps do a lot more powerwith higher voltage. Others just draw more current at the lower voltage to keep the power output stable. More amps fall into the first category.

The answer to the second is "it depends." If the amp is conservatively rated and you set the gain based on the rating, then it may not be clipping at the higher voltage. If the amp is rated at what it can do and no more, then it will be clipping. Also if you set the gain with an o-scope to just shy of clipping, any increase in voltage would mean a clipped output. The only way to answer the question with any certainty would be to use an o-scope to look at the waveform at the higher voltage.

 

[Nevalite 10+ year member]

I figured there was a bit of a gray area when it came to these things. I guess I'll have to get my hands on an o-scope to really see whats going on.