Speaker Limit Advice

[HifiNoviceDan]

Evening all and thanks for having me on here.

So I’ve decided on and ordered an Audiolab 9000a which will be arriving tomorrow so as you can imagine I’m quite excited!

It is admittedly more than I need for my speakers but once I’ve finished paying child maintenance and cleared debts from divorce I’ll be looking at moving to a bigger house and getting some better speakers.

However for now I’m running a pair of Dali 5 Oberons in a 17m2 living room with a listening position about 3m from the speakers.

Not sure if you need that info but often background info helps.

Anyway, from time to time I like to listen to my music pretty loud and with the amp being better than the speakers I am concerned about the potential to blow them.

How loud would you think I could go without doing any damage and how would I know it’s gone too loud? Am I just listening for distortion or is there anything else to look out for?

Cheers

 

[twinkletoes]

Evening all and thanks for having me on here.

So I’ve decided on and ordered an Audiolab 9000a which will be arriving tomorrow so as you can imagine I’m quite excited!

It is admittedly more than I need for my speakers but once I’ve finished paying child maintenance and cleared debts from divorce I’ll be looking at moving to a bigger house and getting some better speakers.

However for now I’m running a pair of Dali 5 Oberons in a 17m2 living room with a listening position about 3m from the speakers.

Not sure if you need that info but often background info helps.

Anyway, from time to time I like to listen to my music pretty loud and with the amp being better than the speakers I am concerned about the potential to blow them.

How loud would you think I could go without doing any damage and how would I know it’s gone too loud? Am I just listening for distortion or is there anything else to look out for?

Cheers

Evening, You can’t really hear an up happy speaker till it’s to late. But you can normally see the cone really moving in an unhappy way if you know what to look for.

The below video may help it’s a bit drab and boring but explains it’s very well.

View: https://youtu.be/kGEV52a_Yg4?si=d9Sn18Q_yk4dQbmQ

 

[WayneKerr]

I'm sure you'll be fine with that amp and speaker pairing. As for volume just be careful of your hearing and don't p*ss off your neighbours. Nothing is worse than bass as it travels through solid objects with ease, just be respectful

 

[jjbomber]

How loud would you think I could go without doing any damage and how would I know it’s gone too loud? Am I just listening for distortion or is there anything else to look out for?

Cheers

You'll go deaf before you blow those speakers in that size room. Relax and enjoy!

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Stuart83]

Evening all and thanks for having me on here.

So I’ve decided on and ordered an Audiolab 9000a which will be arriving tomorrow so as you can imagine I’m quite excited!

It is admittedly more than I need for my speakers but once I’ve finished paying child maintenance and cleared debts from divorce I’ll be looking at moving to a bigger house and getting some better speakers.

However for now I’m running a pair of Dali 5 Oberons in a 17m2 living room with a listening position about 3m from the speakers.

Not sure if you need that info but often background info helps.

Anyway, from time to time I like to listen to my music pretty loud and with the amp being better than the speakers I am concerned about the potential to blow them.

How loud would you think I could go without doing any damage and how would I know it’s gone too loud? Am I just listening for distortion or is there anything else to look out for?

Cheers

I listen to only loud music uncomfortable to most, it's my reason for only ever going for amps over 100 watts per channel.
Most speakers and I've blown a few give the tell tale distortion and voice hiss.
Last ones ripped at the rear reflex being mission 763is which I love.
They lose control of the music with it becoming muddy.
You can also tell visibly by far to much protruding travel than what looks normal trust me it becomes as if they are going to launch themselves out of the cabinets.
Some people like me can't seem to get it loud enough even when others leave the room wincing I still edge the volume up.
I've found a quality pair of speakers won't break for awhile but you will shorten the lifespan at high volumes.
I regularly turn the acram sa30 up to 70 which is far too much for my partner and the q acoustics handle it well.
I come away with the tinnitus whine we all remember from events etc but with an equally large smile.
In short hyper loud music will damage any speaker or at least shorten its life span that's unavoidable

 

[Revolutions]

Klipsch speakers generally have high sensivity, so in theory should survive being pushed,

Maybe look at PA speakers? I’ve heard some Yamaha & Peavey models that sounded surprisingly good in small, empty venues that had decent dampening going on.

 

[Gray]

Some people like me can't seem to get it loud enough

Maybe look at PA speakers?

 

[Gray]

Klipsch speakers generally have high sensivity, so in theory should survive being pushed

They'll go louder sooner Revo but, if anything, will be more likely to end up dead I reckon.

 

[WayneKerr]

I listen to only loud music uncomfortable to most, it's my reason for only ever going for amps over 100 watts per channel.
Most speakers and I've blown a few give the tell tale distortion and voice hiss.
Last ones ripped at the rear reflex being mission 763is which I love.
They lose control of the music with it becoming muddy.
You can also tell visibly by far to much protruding travel than what looks normal trust me it becomes as if they are going to launch themselves out of the cabinets.
Some people like me can't seem to get it loud enough even when others leave the room wincing I still edge the volume up.
I've found a quality pair of speakers won't break for awhile but you will shorten the lifespan at high volumes.
I regularly turn the acram sa30 up to 70 which is far too much for my partner and the q acoustics handle it well.
I come away with the tinnitus whine we all remember from events etc but with an equally large smile.
In short hyper loud music will damage any speaker or at least shorten its life span that's unavoidable

I sincerely hope you live in a detached property in the middle of the countryside. If not I pity your poor neighbours.

 

[Gray]

I sincerely hope you live in a detached property in the middle of the countryside. If not I pity your poor neighbours.

Anything less than detached and he would have had a 'visit' (to a hospital with the wrong type of neighbour).

 

[plastic penguin]

Evening all and thanks for having me on here.

So I’ve decided on and ordered an Audiolab 9000a which will be arriving tomorrow so as you can imagine I’m quite excited!

It is admittedly more than I need for my speakers but once I’ve finished paying child maintenance and cleared debts from divorce I’ll be looking at moving to a bigger house and getting some better speakers.

However for now I’m running a pair of Dali 5 Oberons in a 17m2 living room with a listening position about 3m from the speakers.

Not sure if you need that info but often background info helps.

Anyway, from time to time I like to listen to my music pretty loud and with the amp being better than the speakers I am concerned about the potential to blow them.

How loud would you think I could go without doing any damage and how would I know it’s gone too loud? Am I just listening for distortion or is there anything else to look out for?

Cheers

Generally speaking no hi-fi amp should be turned above the half way mark on the volume control knob. If you do you risk damaging the speakers, as they distort or "clip".

 

[podknocker]

Generally speaking no hi-fi amp should be turned above the half way mark on the volume control knob. If you do you risk damaging the speakers, as they distort or "clip".

I like my Audiolab Omnia volume buttons, making it very difficult to suddenly wreck the speakers, though the amp is 50WPC and my speakers require 25WPC to 75WPC, so they should be safe from too much power. I think it's better to have an overpowered amp and be careful, than an underpowered one and make it clip and distort, because it can't supply enough current, destroying itself and the speakers. With a button, it's easy to control the output and not cause issues, but a volume knob can be dangerous, if you're careless or an idiot. That's the same with an underpowered, or overpowered amp. I will never have a volume knob again. It also avoids any rotary pot oxidation issues, which I had with a Quad amp a few years ago.

 

[WayneKerr]

Generally speaking no hi-fi amp should be turned above the half way mark on the volume control knob. If you do you risk damaging the speakers, as they distort or "clip".

With my previous amps I would totally agree with you PP. However, the position of the volume knob isn't a reliable indicator as there are too many variables in the signal chain - source output voltage, amp gain/sensitivity, volume pot design, speaker sensitivity. My current volume knob has no physical stops, upper or lower, it just rotates.

 

[plastic penguin]

With my previous amps I would totally agree with you PP. However, the position of the volume knob isn't a reliable indicator as there are too many variables in the signal chain - source output voltage, amp gain/sensitivity, volume pot design, speaker sensitivity. My current volume knob has no physical stops, upper or lower, it just rotates.

Agree. It's just a generalisation for the average amp for owners lacking experience, the half way position is a good yardstick.

Different question altogether with the Leema: It's unconventional volume, similar to older Cyrus amps.

 

[JDL]

I always make sure to turn down the volume before switching everything off.

 

[Stuart83]

I sincerely hope you live in a detached property in the middle of the countryside. If not I pity your poor neighbours.

I live in a detached set of 2 bungalows with a back bedroom that I've soundproofed.
I h8 noisey neighbours and have had a run in personally with one who played loud drum and bass to the small hours at a prior address.

I get in well with my one neighbour and have the upmost respect for her that's my reasoning in using the back bedroom to listen to music loud having my main hifi in there and a smaller hifi in the living room I hardly use.

I don't even listen to the TV in the livingroom loud in respect of my neighbour and visa versa.
I've made reference to having my main hifi in the back bedroom of a detached set of 2 bungalows which are indeed set away from the other houses in other comments some time ago whilst building this new system.
I djayed yrs so kept the soundproofing from another address.
There's 2 doors and rooms in-between me and my one neighbour but I still only play it loud when she's out at work.
The sound doesn't carry I've personally checked myself by leaving it on and taking a walk around outside whilst I was putting the boarding up.
Please don't get the wrong ideas I'm definitely not one of those types that plague others into the late night with over loud music !!

 

[WayneKerr]

No worries Stuart it was just your previous post was reading like you were a candidate for an ASBO award
Lovely old girl lives next to me, she's great but her over-pampered dog is a ruddy noisy pest. She's always apologetic about its barking but can't do anything to stop it. Conversely I never play my music when she's in and don't hear a peep out of the dog when she goes out and leaves the dog at home.

 

[Stuart83]

I always make sure to turn down the volume before switching everything off.

Absolutely a good habit to form.
I was taught that as a kid from my father and always had older amps at the time but still do it even now.

 

[Stuart83]

No worries Stuart it was just your previous post was reading like you were a candidate for an ASBO award
Lovely old girl lives next to me, she's great but her over-pampered dog is a ruddy noisy pest. She's always apologetic about its barking but can't do anything to stop it. Conversely I never play my music when she's in and don't hear a peep out of the dog when she goes out and leaves the dog at home.

😊