This doesn't seem right...

[jake760 10+ year member]

Contrary to popular belief, distortion does not cause speaker damage. Distortion is merely the audible detection of signal "clipping". Clipping is when an audio component can no longer provide enough power supply voltage to "cleanly" amplify the audio signal. Clipping can occur at any point in the signal chain (souce unit, signal processor, amplifier, etc.) The popular belief is that if an amplifier "clips" it will send D.C. current to the speaker's voice coil and "burn" it. THIS IS NOT TRUE. It would surprise you to realize nearly every car audio system's amplifier "clips" when listening to music at moderate -to- loud levels. Electrically overpowering a speaker is caused by continually playing the audio system loud, resulting in applying more power to the speaker than it's "rated" specifications. This is what causes speaker voice coils to "burn".

It's from rockford's website. I know subwoofers have thermal limits, and a woofer can handle a dirty signal if it doesn't heat the vc past thermal limits, but this makes it seem like power handling is unchanged regardless of the signal. It says DC current doesn't burn coils. If this is right, then why are people complaining about blowing type r's off 500w, but I run mine at with a 1200 watt amp all day with no problems? It's because by using a dmm and test tone to set my gain my system does not clip even when I listen at the loudest level that I used to set the gain at. I know if I sent my sub a dirty 1200w signal with say a 900watt amp it would smoke the coil fast right? Well what they said just goes against what I've learned on here.

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

You're putting nowhere near 1.2kW into your R continuously //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[CRAZYCORNUTS18 10+ year member]

You're putting nowhere near 1.2kW into your R continuously //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

You're putting nowhere near 1.2kW into your R continuously //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

x234254556

As a matter of fact - listening to music the odds are you never put 1.2kW into that R...

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

Sounds like you don't fully grasp what you think you've learned. That or you're listening to the wrong people.

 

[jake760 10+ year member]

I know it doesn't take 1.2k, I just said thats the amp I run mine with. I've used the dmm with music on, the most I've ever seen it get is 31 amps, so around 1000 watts, most songs are only around 600 watts to the sub. I still don't understand, someone should explain to me, distortion in the signal does lower the powerhandling of the woofer right?

 

[UndercoverPunk 5,000+ posts]

distortion in the signal does lower the powerhandling of the woofer right?

Not even a little bit. Off to class.

 

[Silverbane 10+ year member]

http://www.bcae1.com/

Read this, know this...

 

[jake760 10+ year member]

thanks for the help. Just trying to get my info straight on this stuff