Sound distortions at max Vol in spkrs.

[kamal1675]

hi guys, bought new Boston acoustics A26 with MArantz PM6005 stereo amp. It is sounding grt. However when vol of amp is increased more than 75- 80%%, the sound starts to distort and is no more clear. further increase makes sound even worse, specially bass effect is not good.

is it true for all speakers or would there be any problem in my spkrs??? should we not exceed sound more than 75%??? will it damage the spkrs??? somebody Pls help me with these querries.

 

[Lad1]

Absolutely.Why do u blast it to 75% on a stereo Amp ?

 

[prepress]

Why you are going beyond 75-80%?

Even I don't think people in this forum prefer/listen beyond 12 o'clock position. If you want to listen music loudly then you should update your system. That's different thing mostly speakers/system will sound worse at 80% or at maximum sound level. It is same thing like we have 200-250 km/h speed in our vehicles but we drive under 50% of speed. Touching the maximum level of speed or sound could be harmful in any way.

Hope it helps.

 

[tuff]

The amp is being over driven, and it will damage the amp. How loud are you playing?

 

[elangoas]

hi guys, bought new Boston acoustics A26 with MArantz PM6005 stereo amp. It is sounding grt. However when vol of amp is increased more than 75- 80%%, the sound starts to distort and is no more clear. further increase makes sound even worse, specially bass effect is not good.

is it true for all speakers or would there be any problem in my spkrs??? should we not exceed sound more than 75%??? will it damage the spkrs??? somebody Pls help me with these querries.

Is your content 128 Kbps MP3 files?

Don't think you will need to hit 80% of the volume that too on stereo amplifier with a good efficient speakers until & unless it is a very large room..

What is your source for stereo files?

 

[efernand1]

Hi,

If you like listening to loud music then you should have a powerful amp and appropriate matching speakers..

No one crosses 50-60% of volume......

Hence it's better to get a powerful system which you can enjoy at decent volumes and keep some head room for increases in case of a party etc. That's the way systems are supposed to be and not to be played maxed out!

 

[jls001]

Most amplifier distortion numbers are for 1 Watt of power at 1 kHz. Typically that number will be an order of magnitude higher for 10 Watts. Also, even for 1 Watt of power, the distortion from 20-20,000 Hz is not one flat number - at higher frequencies the distortion is higher, though OEMs choose to mention only the number at 1 kHz for 1 Watt. A well-designed amplifier with a transformer large enough for the rated power should be able to produce the rated power continuously, and not clip when pushed hard.

What you're probably experiencing is the amp running out of juice when pushed hard.

 

[kamal1675]

Thanks all for prompt reply, got the answer well in detail. THANKS

 

[greenhorn]

amplifier distortions are usually quoted at rated power.
the 1khz/1W measurements are usually done for speaker sensitivity
amplifier distortion does not increase linearly with power, especially solid state class AB amps have a U shaped distortion curve with THD decreasing gradually as the power goes up do to the enhanced S/N, until you reach clipping voltages, at which point it rises sharply.

any amplifier will clip if the signal it is being fed is more than its recommended input levels.

 

[kamal1675]

amplifier distortions are usually quoted at rated power.
the 1khz/1W measurements are usually done for speaker sensitivity
amplifier distortion does not increase linearly with power, especially solid state class AB amps have a U shaped distortion curve with THD decreasing gradually as the power goes up do to the enhanced S/N, until you reach clipping voltages, at which point it rises sharply.

any amplifier will clip if the signal it is being fed is more than its recommended input levels.

Thanks for the explaination

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Amplifier clipping has been addressed. It is also possible to burn out speaker drivers, or simply be expecting so much movement from them that they get physically damaged.

However, the reason I feel I have to post is this...

never mind what you are doing to your equipment, it is all replaceable. Your ears are not.

We probably do not get accurate numbers from phone app SPL "meters" but at least they can give you some feedback. Something like Android Sound Meter Will give you descriptive feedback as well as numbers.


My advice is given, with the best of intentions, from one who's hearing is failing. Enjoy your music, but plan to enjoy it for the rest of your life: take care of your ears!

 

[Hari Iyer]

IMO speakers gets damaged by lower power amplifier if driven over 80% of the volume because at that level its more of a clipped signal rather than a pure sine wave. These are very damaging to the tweeters and will get damaged beyond repair.

Also if you wish to drive your speakers at higher volume then you should plan for an headroom of around 20dB to 30dB more power at normal listening levels. This will allow you to increase the volume before the treshold of hearing is breached.