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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: I have to get the last word in of course posted by Richard BassNut Greene on August 27, 2003 at 15:12:06:
As I said, you're bearing has struck me as egotistical - just callin 'em like I'm seein 'em. Or maybe you are saving the world. Or maybe I'll just never know - comments about others present a different environment than comments about oneself. I'm just trying to add to the thread, not take your comments away. My point about you is to describe your behavior as adamant and dictatorial, not allowing other points of view in the face of your own. And I may have been unduly argumentative myself - sorry - it wouldn't be the first time! Sometimes I don't adapt at the speed of things in real time.When using a 200wpc amp, however, the probability of woofer overexcursion damage would increase compared with a 100wpc ampIn my experience, a 70 watt amp blew a 300 watt woofer.
If there isn't enough power to blow a driver, then there generally just isn't enough to do it. In the example I had, however; there wasn't enough electrical power, and the design to some extent could be blamed - driver or system. But I also think this leads to some regard for where the wattage desired by the speaker is not the only thing to be measured. There's been alot of discussion on this. I've added a link to the discussion you previously took part in at DIYSubwoofers (and also quoted from in this thread with the Adire note), since there are comments there where the nature of the signal, and not just the wattage, play a role. This can be, and indeed has been, argued at length in it's variety, importance and effect. My current speaker system is rated at 500 watts into 5 ohms, so the equivalent of 350 to 400 watts into 8. When I get to the point where I want to replace the drivers, I will be able to test blowing them without suffering a loss. I will replace the drivers not when they are blown, but when they have experienced noticeable wear and tear.
Too much power blows a driver. A more powerful amp puts a person into a higher risk category, and in my experience audio salespersons know that and do tend to advise their customers of these risks. But you bring up a great point in the face of what may have developed into thinking by some that more power means drivers do not blow, or some such thing. I think the truth is that within the speaker's power handling capacity, such-n-such an SPL level simply sounds better. Generally, more power offers better control of the drivers within acceptable levels. It's been a learning experience to me to hear you say that wattage is everything on the matter.
I want to bring it all together into a single thought now. The most commonly blown driver is the tweeter, at say, 30 watts there. But my God, man, 30 watts to the tweeter. Either someone went ballistic with an 8K test tone, or the amount of power going to the speaker system is really high. In an overall musical presentation, isn't 80% of the power at 300 Hz or below? And when a person puts that amount of power into it, aren't they either statistically forced to be using either an ungodly huge power plant or an ungodly horrid noise coming out of their speakers? I'm not referring to the wimpier tweeters of yesteryear or of the $3 bin. I will never blow the drivers of my 87.5 db speakers. I'm hitting 105 db peaks as it is (bass) - often enough - isn't that enough? When the linear travel is through, I've still got a little space (beyond the XMAX), but I'm not going to like it, and so I'm not going to do it.
Maybe it's a little rough to say that a person might deserve a blown driver if they push it to that point, maybe a little leeway for folks who have drivers that can't handle much. My roommate has, incidentally, also experienced blown woofers in his Aiwa boom box - by it's own amp and it's own speakers. Geesh. Did he deserve it? I don't know if anyone does. It doesn't happen to me, but some folks don't seem to mind when the sound gets bad. Maybe I have my own protection circuit built in? Maybe I'm also spoiled, because presently 150 wpc has me in heaven with the afforementioed speaks. That Aiwa amp is rated more than twice the wattage as my Odyssey (but I think it's a marketing gimmick based design). Maybe I'm starting to see your position better when I start to think of folks whose speakers don't handle very much power.
I'm done, and I'm happy. Glad to give you the last word at this point, Richard.
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Follow Ups
- Re: I have to get the last word in of course - MarkgM 11:28:19 08/28/03 (1)
- The last ... last word - Richard BassNut Greene 13:41:54 08/28/03 (0)
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