does speaker wire size matter..?

[nicknewbie]

still trying to figure out how NOT TO BLOW THE TWEETERS on klipsch speakers....I have 14 gauge speaker wire right now, will it help to goto 12 gauge??? thank all of you who are trying to help me I really appreciate it

 

[crossedover]

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable

 

[tyhjaarpa]

For blowing speakers it should not matter at all at those gauges. If your runs arent too long then you are just fine with 14 gauge, if you have long runs then you might benefit from 12 gauge.

 

[markw]

Dude, you've been told what the problem is in another thread. Changing speaker wire is like putting a Band-Aid next to a gaping chest wound.

 

[Speedskater]

At the end of the day, blowing tweeters comes down to play the music way to loud.
Some audio design engineers had an e-mail discussion on the subject. 50% said that clipping had a lot to do with it. The other 50% said that clipping had nothing to do with it.

You could blow a tweeter using 24AWG wire.

 

[fmw]

At the end of the day, blowing tweeters comes down to play the music way to loud.
Some audio design engineers had an e-mail discussion on the subject. 50% said that clipping had a lot to do with it. The other 50% said that clipping had nothing to do with it.

You could blow a tweeter using 24AWG wire.

The right answer is that clipping has nothing to do with it. What causes speaker damage is current draw. What the speaker is reproducing is immaterial. Too much current creates heat and enough heat can burn the voice coil.

To better understand what the engineers are saying you should understand that a clipping amplifier is operating way beyond its power specification. So it is possible that a clipping amplifier can exceed the speaker's power dissipation specification not because it is clipping, but because it is overpowering the speaker.

 

[Swerd]

Changing the size of the speaker wire, larger or smaller, will not prevent the tweeter from blowing.

 

[slipperybidness]

The right answer is that clipping has nothing to do with it. What causes speaker damage is current draw. What the speaker is reproducing is immaterial. Too much current creates heat and enough heat can burn the voice coil.

To better understand what the engineers are saying you should understand that a clipping amplifier is operating way beyond its power specification. So it is possible that a clipping amplifier can exceed the speaker's power dissipation specification not because it is clipping, but because it is overpowering the speaker.

But, when the signal clips, the duty cycle increases (worst case, it becomes 100% duty cycle or DC) thus increasing the continuous current.

 

[fmw]

But, when the signal clips, the duty cycle increases (worst case, it becomes 100% duty cycle or DC) thus increasing the continuous current.

The point is that it isn't the clipping, it is the current.

 

[slipperybidness]

The point is that it isn't the clipping, it is the current.

Is it the current? Or is it the HEAT produced by the current?

Chicken or egg?

 

[Mark of Cenla]

Is it the current? Or is it the HEAT produced by the current?

Chicken or egg?

Yes.

 

[fmw]

Is it the current? Or is it the HEAT produced by the current?

Chicken or egg?

It is the heat produced by the current.

 

[lsiberian]

Sorry, but speaker wire will not solve a crossover issue.

 

[lsiberian]

It is the heat produced by the current.

Isn't it voltage that drives a loudspeaker driver?

 

[Seth=L]

Chicken or egg?

Mmm, I'm hungry.

 

[slipperybidness]

Isn't it voltage that drives a loudspeaker driver?

Voltage is the driving force, the classic analogy is that voltage is similar to (water) pressure.

But, as soon as electrons move, you have current (by definition). Analogy is water flow.

So, voltage = (electrical) pressure
Current = (electrical) flow

 

[markw]

Is it the current? Or is it the HEAT produced by the current?

Chicken or egg?

That's kinda like asking what kills you. The fall or the sudden stop at the end?

 

[fmw]

Isn't it voltage that drives a loudspeaker driver?

It is voltage that makes the current move. The audio is AC (alternating current.) Voltage is electromotive force or electronic pressure if you like that analogy. It is the voltage that the amplifier amplifies. The speaker draws as much current as it needs to dissipate the power. Ohm's law tells us that if we increase voltage and leave power dissipation the same, we will have less current. The speakers can handle quite a bit of voltage without issue. Current will bring it down if it draws too much. Confused yet?