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How does a speaker blow out?

I don't understand how a speaker "blows" if the wattage of the amplifier is less than the upper limit of the speaker's limit.  Then again, I guess I don't really understand what "clipping" is.  The amp is 22w, I was listening at a moderately high level, there was a bass heavy section in the music, and then I heard the most painful noise coming from one the of woofers.  Sad.

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gs5556
1,209 posts
 

Low powered amplifiers can clip when pushed to their upper power limit, which sends out DC to the speaker. DC current melts speaker driver voice coils.

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russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

You got 22 watts, you can't play loud on most loudspeakers with 22 watts. Low power is bad for loudspeakers because the waveform comes to a sudden stop and the driver goes out of control. Damage happens long before you hear the distortion. Turn it down and live within your system's capabilities.

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