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Overpower --> Damage

Bassist4Life

Bassist4Life

Dec 17, 2004
3,581
50
52
Buffalo, NY
#1
I am on the market for a new cabinet & amp.

I'm looking at combinations that people have to give me some ideas. I've seen some high-power amps pushing smaller cabinets.

One example: I saw a pic where someone was using a Walter Woods to power an EA cab. I think the cab handled 500w @ 8 ohms.

Question: Do you guys worry about damaging your cabs due to overpower???
 
#2
Bassist4Life said:
Question: Do you guys worry about damaging your cabs due to overpower???
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Most speakers start to distort at about half power, and far less than that in the low end, so if you are pushing them too hard you get plenty of warning. The advantage of having extra power is that the amp won't distort.
 
#4
Bassist4Life said:
I am on the market for a new cabinet & amp.

I'm looking at combinations that people have to give me some ideas. I've seen some high-power amps pushing smaller cabinets.

One example: I saw a pic where someone was using a Walter Woods to power an EA cab. I think the cab handled 500w @ 8 ohms.

Question: Do you guys worry about damaging your cabs due to overpower???
Click to expand...
Not at all. You know, you don't have to use all 1,200 watts. That's why god gave us gain pots. Just don't turn it all the way up. I've run my WWU through my HT322, and it worked bitchen.
 
#5
It's actually much more safe to have an amp that is capable of overpowering your speakers.

Most blown speakers don't come from overpowering your speakers, but overpowering your amplifier resulting in major clipping, which is the most common cause of blown speakers.

I find it best to have an amp that is at least 200 Watts above the RMS wattage of your cab(s), that way, I don't have to crank my amp to get the most out of my speakers. Some people will tell you more, and some less, its mostly just preference of safety.

If you have an amp that you're not cranking, and your already pushing your speakers and not getting enough volume, the only answer is to get more/better speakers!
 
#7
billfitzmaurice said:
Myth. It can happen with midranges and tweeters, will never happen with woofers.
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Well, I stand corrected. I heard that from so many sources I figured it was true, but I trust your word over theirs.

So does that mean every blown woofer is caused by overpowering the speaker?

Also, my friend has blown a couple speakers, one BW out of a Peavey 1x15 and a Sunn Transducer (I think) out of a Sunn 2x15. He uses a big muff sometimes, and the speaker never blew when he used it normally, but it only blew with the big muff, is it because of a freq change or something?
 
#8
AckAckAttack said:
So does that mean every blown woofer is caused by overpowering the speaker?
Click to expand...
More or less.
He uses a big muff sometimes, and the speaker never blew when he used it normally, but it only blew with the big muff, is it because of a freq change or something?
Click to expand...
The distortion device might have had something to do with it in a different sense. An amp can put out considerably more than its rated power for short periods, called transient peaks. If an additional gain device, such as a distortion pedal, is in the signal chain transient peaks are more likely to occur, along with fried drivers. But distortion alone doesn't cook woofers. If that were the case how would one explain guitar amps? Especially Marshalls loaded with 30 watt Greenbacks.
 

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