Overdriving A Loudspeaker
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Overdriving A Loudspeaker
Some people like it loud--they want to feel like they're right there, experiencing the music live. There's a right way and a wrong way to achieve concert level sound. Most people think if they just throw 1000 watts at their speakers, they'll reach nirvana. Instead, they end up overdriving their speakers, and killing them. When woofers are pushed past their limits, the cone overextends, pulling the voice coil out of alignment with the magnet assembly. After a few minutes of voice coil rub, the woofer is dead. Tweeters simply overheat and fry from the excess power.
If planned properly, a home sound system that can reach 104 or 110 decibels and won't break your bank can be acheived. When shopping, be sure to get a speaker that can move enough air in your room and accept a very big amplifier. Then, get the biggest amplifier your budget will allow. You can also give up on deep bass and the highest accuracy and get horn loaded speakers (they are twice as efficient as most cone drivers). It will take less than half the power to drive them to equal SPL's.
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