Is Clipping an amp always Audioable?

Too much power, clean or not, is *very* likely to damage a speaker. Distortion might mean extra energy pushed to the tweeters, but it's the energy, not the distortion, that does the damage.

Thanks guys, I feel tons better. I have one more concern. This was done during the break-in period. Could I have caused damage in that regard? I have heard not to push a speaker too hard during break-in. Is there any truth to this at all? If so, what could happen, would the results be immediately apparent?

Thanks again guys

It is true that too much power may damage a speaker but it is not likely if it is clean power. Distorted power or clipping is much more likely to damage a driver.

I should amend my answer: Clipping sounds like s**t if there's enough of it to hear. But, as Gs rightly points out, the occasional clipped peak isn't a problem at all. One study I know of found that clipping becomes audible if it occurs more than 1 percent of the time.

I'll stick to the second part of my answer, though: Clipping doesn't damage speakers; juice damages speakers.

Clipping is not always audible as clipping does not always occur at the full volume setting. If you have music with a high peak to average power ratio, then a slight increase in power will clip the peaks slightly (i.e., it'll chop off only the tip of the peak). The peaks are far and few in between (hence the high peak-to-average ratio) so you will not readily notice the clipping. If the peak-to-average is higher, then an increase in the volume will result in audible clipping. A good example of the former is soft classical music passages with sudden transients.

The damage to the tweeters occurs when the clipping frequency provides enough power to overheat the tweeters. Tweeters are good for only 5 to 15 percent of the speakers max power handling. Since there's more energy at the lower frequencies, the tweeters never see the full power rating. But, if the amp clips at the lower frequencies and the square wave generates more power than the tweeters can handle, they'll overheat.

Using a low power SET (say 5 Wpc) will most likely not damage speakers rated for 200 Watts max because the clipping from the SET will a) be softer, and b) may not generate more than the 15 watts or so to blow the tweeter. But an SS amp that maxes out at 50 Wpc can probably burn the tweeter of a 350W speaker when over driven.

If you want ear-piercing loud, go with big power amps that are rated at least twice the speaker max power - and bigger if you want to fill a large room. If you want quieter, almost anything will work if you keep the volume control well under the stops.

I presume by "audioable" you mean "audible."

1. Yes, clipping sounds like s**t.

2. It is possible for an amp to damage your speakers without actually clipping. It is also possible for an amp to clip without damaging your speakers. The point at which an amp clips and the point at which a speaker cannot handle input power are two different things.