Clipping Question

[weeboy]

I've been experiencing snapping noises from my NHT sb speakers at what I would not consider to be overly loud levels. The local audio store replicated the noise with his big ass amp and said the speakers were being over driven.
I came home and played with it a bit and found they do not clip in digital only in stereo
mode.
What I did find is there is a "loudness" button on the receiver to boost bass response when listening at lower volumes. With this switched off the clipping did not occur.
My question is -would this have been what the problem was and why did it occur?
The snapping noise was very pronounced and concerning when it occured.
I wouldn't think the fix could be this simple.

[kelsci]

Weeboy, it does sound like the problem. I just looked at the NHT site on the SB1,2 and 3. Which do you own? What make and model receiver do you own. In the receivers manual, what does the specifications state on the LOUDNESS function( example +6db@100hz). These SBs are designed to handle a large amount of power. It is possible that the claims for these speakers are not up to snuff. It might be necessary to use them with the loudness off and a sub for your addional bass.

[Kursun]

What you are experiencing is bass driver bottoming. The voice coil of your speaker is at the end of its travel and that snapping sound you are hearing is your voice coil hitting the rear of the magnet assembly. Don't let it happen because sooner or later your voice coil will get deformed.

To produce a low frequency tone at high power the speaker cone has to travel back and forth. Needless to say it has it limits. For a given enclosure and driver size a speaker designer has to make a compromise between high power handling and good deep-bass response. Every design has its limits.

[weeboy]

Weeboy, it does sound like the problem. I just looked at the NHT site on the SB1,2 and 3. Which do you own? What make and model receiver do you own. In the receivers manual, what does the specifications state on the LOUDNESS function( example +6db@100hz). These SBs are designed to handle a large amount of power. It is possible that the claims for these speakers are not up to snuff. It might be necessary to use them with the loudness off and a sub for your addional bass.

NHT Sb-1
Technics SAX-710
I Do have a sub although it's only a 50 watt pioneer
I set the crossover @ 80 do you think thats correct?
The loudness seems to have been the problem
I just didn't suspect it.
Now I know.

[kelsci]

NHT Sb-1
Technics SAX-710
I Do have a sub although it's only a 50 watt pioneer
I set the crossover @ 80 do you think thats correct?
The loudness seems to have been the problem
I just didn't suspect it.
Now I know.

Weeboy; I did some searching on the reviews of the audioreview website. This receiver was sold back in 1999. I believe it was a dolby digital ready receiver that had a 6 channel input that accepted the Technics 300 processor(and perhaps other processors that were out there at that time). I do not know where the bass management was set up or in other words whether it was on the receiver or only in those processors. The bass management of course was important to whether you were using a satellite system and sub of which case the satellites would be set to small and all other bass from all the other channels directed to the sub. I believe the crossover at 80 is a good setting; this is what THX used. I would use this receiver the way you have it set now letting the sub be your "loudness" control. A speaker such as the sb1 would on todays receivers be used as a satellite speaker system supported with a sub with the bass management of the receiver set to small and your crossover at 80 to 100.