/ Register

Overloaded Signal

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by tumpinjahosafat, Mar 3, 2008.

  1. Mar 3, 2008 #1
    tumpinjahosafat

    tumpinjahosafat Guest

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2006
    Hey guys Im here lookin for some info that I just can't seem to grasp. I just recently blew out my midrange driver on my Acme B-4 powered with an Eden NA-600 (450W @ 4 Ohms). Ive been told its because I was overloading my signal, that my amp was clipping and it didnt have enough juice to power the cab. Now as many of you may know, the Acme series are power mongers so I guess the volumes I need to play at with my current amp are not practical, being that its not capable of that much. Now heres the question part -

    A) how do you not overload a signal, is it turning down on your bass, turning down your gain on the amp, or turning down the volume on your amp, or something else?

    B) I understand that if your have a 1000W amp and volume at 12oclock it can still produce 1000W not 500W, how is this so?

    C) Whats the best way with the combination of cab,bass,and amp to produce the cleanest sound without any clipping.

    Thanks alot in advance guys, I love this place.
     
  2. Mar 3, 2008 #2
    billfitzmaurice

    billfitzmaurice Guest Commercial User

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2004
    Location:
    New Hampshire
    Disclosures:
    Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
    Not quite. You could have blown it with that amp if you had the pre-gain too high, which can clip the signal. When a signal is clipped the ratio of high and midrange content increases. With a typical 400 watt output a midrange driver will see only 40 watts or so. With a highly clipped signal that same 400 watt output might contain 100 watts of midrange content, and the consequent overpowering can kill the driver. The same scenario applies even more to tweeters. In fact, you're far more likely to blow a tweeter than a mid, so clipping's probably not the cause in this case. In any event, you get the cleanest signal with the master volume wide open, the pre-amp gain at a minimum.