can you blow a speaker from too little power? only smart people please

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

A clipped signal has no effect on cooling. The sub is still moving continuously unless it bottoms out at which point you have other problems.

 

[benzmansl65amg 10+ year member]

No

 

[brian84corvette 10+ year member]

you can over power any speaker / sub with a clean signal / un clipped and break it.

parts can only handle what they are designed to - maby a bit more - but if you are playing a 300w rated rms subwoofer off a sundown 3000w amp and feeding it its full streingth with clean power and clean signal - id bet that little 300w rated sub would simply pop dead in a matter of seconds - if not on the first full stroke out.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Um...duh?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

A clipped signal has no effect on cooling. The sub is still moving continuously unless it bottoms out at which point you have other problems.

Not trying to be argumentative, but with a clipped signal, the sub doesn't move for a short period of time at the peaks and dips of the waves where they are cut off. Cooling isn't effective if the sub isn't moving. So while the sub stay motionless for whatever amount of time it does (depending on the amount of clipping), that would also add extra heat. Even though it might be a very short amount of time the sub stays "motionless", over time it would all add up, I would think.

 

[michaellane 5,000+ posts]

very good answers you guys...granted i understand the issue and question at hand i just wanted a little bit more in depth answer. thanks you guys

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Not trying to be argumentative, but with a clipped signal, the sub doesn't move for a short period of time at the peaks and dips of the waves where they are cut off. Cooling isn't effective if the sub isn't moving. So while the sub stay motionless for whatever amount of time it does (depending on the amount of clipping), that would also add extra heat. Even though it might be a very short amount of time the sub stays "motionless", over time it would all add up, I would think.

Doesn't work that way. As long as voltage is applied and current is flowing through the coil it is applying force to the coil moving it away from center. The cone continues to move out until either the coil force is removed or reverses direction, the coil force is insufficient to overcome the suspension and loading forces or the sub hits a mechanical limit. Just because the wave form is clipped doesn't mean that the sub movement looks like the waveform.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

TL;DR... the answer is USUALLY NO.

A subwoofer can't be blown with too little power. HOWEVER the sub can still overheat if that particular amplifier happens to be able to output enough current(clipped signal or not) to overheat the coil.

It's really f'ed up though because I've came very close to blowing a Kicker Comp 12 subwoofer with a "1000 watt" Pyramid that really only did about 150 watts RMS. The sub didn't smell when I left it at that volume(the amp has a clipping indicator), but when I push the amp into hard clipping(it is still outputting more power even though it's clipped) the sub started to smell and got worse and worse(the clipping light is brightly lit constantly at this point), smoke started to pour out of the port too.

An amp rated at 100 watts RMS @ 0.09% THD(total harmonic distortion) may output as much as 200+ watts RMS @ 10% THD, so "can a sub blow out from too little power" is too broad of a question without knowing the brand and model.

I guess when in doubt buy a DDZ, you might get a prize if you manage to blow a sub like that.

 

[Johnny Law.Lulz 5,000+ posts]

I didnt read any posts other than the original.

Michaellane, do this.

Buy a cheap sub that you know can take its rated power cleanly. Then get an amp rated half that. You need 400 RMS at 4 ohm, so get 200 RMS at 4 ohm. Then turn the gain all the way up to the max and tell me if it blows and you will have your answer.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

^^^If you're fully clipping the amp and it is putting out 200W then you aren't sending 100W to the sub regardless of the amp rating. You're sending more than the sub can handle thermally. Period. Whether you're doing it with a big amp or clipping the **** out of a smaller amp the fact remains that you have to exceed a sub limit to blow it. If you are genuinely sending the sub less than it can handle it won't blow, barring a defect of some sort.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Buy a cheap sub that you know can take its rated power cleanly. Then get an amp rated half that. You need 400 RMS at 4 ohm, so get 200 RMS at 4 ohm. Then turn the gain all the way up to the max and tell me if it blows and you will have your answer.

That still isn't an answer to his question. That would be sending rated or more power to the sub, not blowing it with less power than rated.

 

[Johnny Law.Lulz 5,000+ posts]

That still isn't an answer to his question. That would be sending rated or more power to the sub, not blowing it with less power than rated.

So your saying that a 200 @ 4 ohm amp will do 400 with the gain turned all the way up.

If a sub is rated at 400 RMS. Id be willing to be that 300 RMS clipped will blow it before 500 RMS Clean does.

 

[1rockford1 5,000+ posts]

my set up 500 rms 1 ohm on subs that can take 1200+. small sealed box ,4ga power and 100ah battery . good for me

 

[hatedonmostly 5,000+ posts]

Everything that needed to be said has already been said. So all I have to add is this:

Mike Lane don't know shit about car audio lulz

 

[BlactimusCrime 10+ year member]

Mike Lane don't know shit about car audio lulz

This^^^^ lol Luv u mikey