Problem with Amp

Dre

Established Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
194
Reaction score
3
Points
56
Location
London
Hi,

My amp seems to be overdriving my speakers even though I have meticulously setup the amy and it's 20 watts less then the power of my speakers. I suspect that if it is turned up it causes clipping?

The question I have is -

CAn this be repaired?
How much would it cost
Is it best to ditch this and get a new one
Is there any way I can test this before blowing my speakers?

The Amp is a Marantz sr4300, if I was to sell how much do you think I could get?

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi there,
What is making you think that your amp is overdriving your speakers? If the amp is clipping you are likely to lose a tweeter. Does the amp only do this at high volume?
You should ignore speaker power ratings, they are only a guideline as to which amps to partner with the respective speakers.
A little more information will make a diagnosis easier.
 
OK I have a sub sat system attached to my amp. I've got the Gallo Micros for the sats. I blew 3 of these after a party where the volume was up high. I spoke to the manufacturer and they checked the speakers, they all showed sign's of being overdriven and I had to replace the drivers. Now I don't want a repeat performance, hence the question. I'm not sure if it's clipping, but someone mentioned this term to me...any suggestion appreciated, thanks for the reply :smashin:
 
Clipping is where the amplifier outputs a square wave due to a lack of power. This does lead to blown drive units but usually the tweeters, not sure how vulnerable full range units are to clipping :confused: A new amp may solve this problem but it may be that the speakers were just not up to taking that kind of volume in which case a new amp wont help. must have been quite loud :thumbsup: perhaps get some slightly cheaper/bigger speakers that you can drag out for parties...
Hope this helps (know it probably doesn't!)
 
Is it possible that you have the speaker sizes set to large instead of small? This would send a full frequency signal to the satellites and quite probably destroy them at high volumes. Set all the speaker sizes to small and let the subwoofer take the strain at low frequencies.
There is no cure for an amplifier which clips at high volume. You would need to replace it with an amplifier that can deliver more power before it clips. In this case you would need to be careful with the volume control and turn it down when the sound starts to 'shout'.

mr_seanstanley said:
perhaps get some slightly cheaper/bigger speakers that you can drag out for parties...
:thumbsup:
 
Cheers Gent's,

The speaker are set to small, so that cannot be an issue. Speakers are 100W at 8 ohms, my amp is 80W at 8 ohms...from the advice I read on here the speaker may handle the power but it's the amp that clips damaging the speakers. I guess I should have gone for a amp at 100W

Oh yeah I could always keep the volume down... :eek:
 
Clipping is normally induced by having an underpowered amp, but in your case I would point the finger at your expensive 'lifestyle' speakers. An awful lot of manufacturers choose the rating system that shows their product in its best light. There is a big difference between a speaker that can handle a transient sound peak at 100 watts and one that can handle 100 watts continuously for several hours. Power needs to go somewhere. In a big speaker the energy moves the drive unit. In a much smaller unit the surplus energy turns to heat and this can in time can damage a drive unit. Consider hiring speakers for parties in future. :)
 
A 100W amp also would not really give you too much in terms of extra volume maybe a couple of percent if that. At the end of the day they were turned up too loud and the voice coil has heated up and given out. the Gallos as nice as they are, are not for party volumes as such a small speaker at the end of the day is limited to the overall loudness it can give. As it has been suggested by other members try getting a fairly cheap pair of speakers. I suggest a pair of large floor standers. As they will do what you want and overall sound quaility is not a problem at a party. Try Richer Sounds for cheap big boxes that you can then pack away after the party. But be warned as with any speaker being driven too hard for too long they could also blow. Happy partying
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom