Originally posted by dnewma04:
Two things destroy speakers.
1. Exceeding thermal limits.
2. Exceeding mechanical limits.
Thermal limits are much easier to reach than mechanical. Overpowering speakers kills them. If you have a 1000w amp connected to a 300w sub and you haven't blown it yet, it's only because you are using music (rather than sine waves) therefore, not sending 1000w for long periods of time, or your gains are set to the point that the 1000w amp is only sending a fraction of the power.
Mechanical limits are what destroys speakers in ported boxes that are allowed to unload under the tuning freq, and sending too much power to a sealed sub. The excursion of a sealed sub is much greater than in a ported sub.
Clipping an amp doesn't harm speakers unless the speakers cannot handle the power provided by the clipped signal. A 250w amp fully clipped will produce about 500w. If powering a 1000w sub with the clipped 250w amp, it would pose no danger to the sub whatsoever.
It is ALWAYS easier to blow a sub with too much power than it is to blow it with too little.
What are you consider a "blown" speaker? staticly popping noise, popping during full excursion or physicaly ripped apart or something else?
