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02audionoob
08-23-2008, 08:37 PM
So let's say I get a 100-watt Adcom amp and hook it up to my Focal bookshelf speakers that are rated for 75 watts, which I think is an RMS number. I start playing a somewhat bassy pop song (one of my guilty pleasures I could never disclose) with the tone-control switch set to out. I turn it up to almost 5 of 10. Eventually the bassy part comes around and woofer starts to sound like blaat-blaat--blaat rather than thump, thump, thump. I turn down the volume after hearing 2 or 3 seconds of this.

Since that time, the speakers seem to sound ok, although the one that made most of the unfortunate noise seems like it might be a little less clear in the treble range than the other...and so my question is: Would 3 seconds of that over-driven sound have likely caused damage to the speakers? Right now, Steely Dan "Babylon Sisters" is spinning and it seems to sound good, but I know speakers aren't going to heal themselves. If I damaged them, I'll be kicking myself for a year.
:mad2:

mlsstl
08-24-2008, 05:55 AM
The "blaat-blaat" that you heard was probably the woofer's voice coil bottoming out. Two or three seconds of this shouldn't damage your speakers. That noise is unrelated to the tweeters.

Any change in sound you noticed afterwards if very likely just psychological. Since they sound fine now I wouldn't worry about it anymore.

02audionoob
08-24-2008, 09:20 AM
You could be right about the psychological aspect. Plus...The two speakers might have sounded slightly different *before* this event. So there's two possibilities right there.