How do I make sure I don't blow my speakers?

Question

Other than the volume, which is a no-brainer...I have Sonus Faber Concertinos (front), James Sub, Kef Center and Cambridge Soundworks Rear with passive sub.

Answer 1

Hi there.An understanding of the interrelationship of speakers and amplifiers will show you how to ovoid speaker damage.What makes one speaker an easy load and another hard to drive?There are a number of answers,but the two most important are impedance and sensitivity.Impedance is resistance that varies with frequency. the fact that the speakers' impedance varies with the frequency it is reproducing, is one reason why the amplifier has such a tough job.

For example,lets examine a speaker with a nominal rating of 8 Ohms.The term nominal means average ,because the impedance will vary from as low as 3 Ohms to possibly 40 Ohms over it's frequency range.The amplifier must be able to deal with these impedance variations,producing the amount of power necessary to drive the speaker at any frequency .If the amplifier is not capable of dealing with the impedance swings,audible distortion occurs.

Ideally an amplifier should be a constant voltage source.That is ,for a given input signal,the amplifier should produce a constant voltage across the speaker terminals whatever the load. For example :If the amplifier is producing 20 Volts at the output terminals,Ohms law tells us that there are 50 watts being fed into an 8 Ohm speaker (watts =voltage squared divided by impedance).If we connect a 4 Ohm speaker,halving the original load,the same 20 Volts would now produce 100 watts,and further, 200 watts into 2 Ohms.
To make this happen,the amplifiers' power supply must also double its current delivery to the output transistors for this equation to hold up.The continued doubling must stop at some point,the progression cannot go on for ever and ,if carried too far,could end in disaster.Either the power supply will run out of current and fail to maintain the amplifiers output wattage,or worse,go beyond the capability of the output devices ,creating excessive heat and eventually destruction of the transistors.

Ok to sum up,the power supply is one of the key factors in determining the current delivery capability of the amplifier.If the power supply runs out of "steam",the amplifier can produce no more power,limiting the ability of the unit to deal with musical peaks and/or low impedance loads.Unfortunately,power supply components (large storage/filtercapacitors,transformers etc.) are expensive,the most expensive parts within the amplifier.Consequently,we don't see inexpensive ultra high current amplifiers. The economics of the situation simply won't allow it.

If you observe these rules you won't (hopely) blow your speakers.

Answer 2

I don't think you are in much danger of blowing those speakers. Just don't overdrive or underdrive them. There is a lot of controversy over the possibility of blowing speakers through giving them too little power (which causes clipping) but I would not risk it. Those speakers will handle the power given it by any receiver on the market. If you are using a higher end amplifier just be sure you are not exceeding the speakers' wattage ratings at loud volumes for extended periods.

Answer 3

If the cone has a tear that's repaired with sparkling nail polish. whether it rather is shredded, or the voice coil burnt, it may require a recone which isn't economically achieveable. you ought to purchase new audio gadget, and the cost could be everywhere from $30 to 1000's observing the everyday and variety call you %..

Answer 4

If you hear distortion then it is too loud. It is really difficult to tell where the max level is on speakers other than knowing the wattage of the speakers and the amp. If you hear anything that does not sound right turn it down immediately.