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blowing woofers versus tweeters

With woofers more powerful amplifiers are more dangerous.
Clipping harmonics would add to a mid-range driver's workload or a tweeter's workload but would have little effect on true bass drivers.

Many modern subwoofer drivers, for example, could be driven at full volume with a 30wpc amplifier indefinitely with no damage ... but almost all could be damaged by a 300wpc amplifier (which should be able to produce 600wpc at high distortion levels).

Here is a cut and paste of an e-mail I received from Adire Audio whose Temmpest driver I use in one of my DIY subwoofers ... about the "danger" of driving their 15" sub driver with an often clipping 30wpc receiver:

"Richard,

Thanks for the e-mail! A 30WPC channel amp won't damage a Tempest at all, regardless of clipping. On the other hand, a 300W amp clipped heavily could cook a Tempest quite easily. Clipping is a problem in that it can double the effective power delivered to the driver, and do it with a much more damaging spectrum. However, I think the 30WPC concern is a bit overzealous."

Thanks again,

Adire Tech Support

-----Original Message-----
From: Greene, Richard (R.K.) [mailto:rgreene2@ford.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 8:37 AM
To: 'techsupport@Adireaudio.com'
Subject: Clipping dangerous to Tempest driver?


While a more powerful amplifier is being repaired, would it be dangerous for me to use a cheap ($98) Japanese 30wpc receiver to drive a DIY Tempest ported Sonotube subwoofer? I expect with only 30wpc there will be amplifier clipping but I did not believe such a low power receiver could damage a Tempest driver ... until I read what a pro audio speaker expert posted on the internet
-- his post suggests to me that a 30wpc receiver could be a
"Tempest killer" even though the Tempest is rated at 750 watts power handling. Could you provide any comments on his warning below:

"99.999999999% of amplifiers driving subs have feedback.
When the amplifier clips this can destroy the woofer.
It has to do with the time constants in the power supply and feedback loop of the amplifier. Watch the motion of the subwoofer cone at clipping, it will generally have a 1~2 hz component to it.

It is this 1~2 hz component at rail-to-rail output (clipping)
that causes the destruction of the driver."


Thank you;
Richard Greene



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