Definition: Excessive woofer cone excursion


Could someone describe and/or explain the meaning of "excessive woofer cone excursion"?

The reason I ask this is I am looking to into purchasing a pair of Bryston's 7B-ST amps. These amps are rated at 500 watts a channel. My Paradigm Studio 100's are rated up to 350 watts of input. As I understand it, I could drive my Studio 100's with the Brystons as long as I keep the listening level at a point which does not cause excessive woofer cone excursion. But what exactly is excessive woofer cone excursion?

Thanks,

Dan
dsweeney33

Showing 1 response by bob_bundus

Hi Dan - don't worry in the least about using these large amps with your Paradigm's. You obviously already understand that as long as you don't abuse your speakers then they'll hold up just fine. "Too much" power is not nearly so much of a problem as too little power, in which case the amps may be more easily driven into clipping & produce damaging harmonic distortion at much higher than rated power levels. THAT is what usually damages voicecoils.
I have always preferred amps with power ratings which are much greater than spec'd for my speakers; better damping & control, with headroom that is never taxed even by the largest transients, clean, smooth, effortless. Rarely I have really pushed the envelope, & no matter how loud it gets there is no speaker-damaging distortion (the ears however - now that's another issue). Indeed your ears will be the limiting factor even if you really like it loud at times.