What is clipping? What causes it?

[Good4it]

How do you fix it? What does it sound like?

 

[fuzz092888]

The short and dirty version is when the volume you have set your receiver or radio or whatever to calls for more power to the speakers than your amplifier can give. One sign is that you increase the volume and it doesn't get louder. Another is distortion in what you're hearing. To fix it you get a bigger amplifier or listen at lower volumes.

 

[JerryLove]

An amplifier clips when the power demanded exceeds the power available.
A speaker clips when the excursion (the amount the speaker is requested to piston in or out) demanded exceeds what can mechanically be accomplished.

You fix it by lowering the demand or raising the capability (the latter by replacing the item in question).

 

[ryanosaur]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it can also happen if the input signal to the amp is too strong as well, yes? IE, source signal through preamp gets clipped, then amplified through amp stage? Perhaps I phrasing that wrong, maybe more like pre-out voltage is higher than amp input sensitivity?
https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/amplifier-voltage-gain
There's also this about speaker-level clipping:
https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/loudspeaker-power-ratings
And more here:
https://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/the-sound-of-an-amplifier

 

[Swerd]

What is clipping? See the figure below. First is a sine wave representing a simple musical signal, and second is a clipped sine wave. See Wikipedia for a longer answer Wikipedia Clipping (audio).

What does clipping sound like? We've all been told to turn down the volume if you hear significant noise or distortion. If you do hear that, you probably have a high level of clipping. That's easy to understand. But what does low level clipping sound like? And, what does low level clipping sound like when it's present only for a very short time? This is more like what really occurs in music. What that sounds like is much less clear – we often don't hear that or recognize it as undesirable noise.

That, in my opinion, is why people choose to get large powerful amplifiers. It may be a brute force way to solve the problem, but if you want to avoid exposing speakers to a clipped amp signal, at any level, it works.

 

[JerryLove]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it can also happen if the input signal to the amp is too strong as well, yes? IE, source signal through preamp gets clipped, then amplified through amp stage? Perhaps I phrasing that wrong, maybe more like pre-out voltage is higher than amp input sensitivity?

Clipping could happen *before* hitting the amp (which means it's happening in the preamp), in which case the clipped signal will be continued.

Or the wave coming into the amp could be unclipped, but limitations on the amp could cause clipping.

Indeed: a recording could have clipping inherent in the source if the mic was overdriven (for example).

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think the salient message about "clipping" is that when the amp clips, the amp may send up to twice the amount of rated continuous power to the speakers.

So if you have a 200WPC amp, it may send 400 Watts to your speakers when the amp clips. This excessive power fries your speakers since most tweeters can't handle that much power.

So the clipping/distortion in itself doesn't destroy the speaker, but the excessive power caused by the clipping can destroy the speakers.

So can a 25W amp destroy speakers with tweeters rated for 200W? Probably not.

Can a 200W amp destroy speakers with tweeters rated for 200W? Hells yes.

Will a 1000W amp destroy your speakers rated for 100W? It will probably not if you don't listen excessively loud. I will definitely fry your speakers if some idiot crank the volume all the way up.

 

[Paul DS]

How do you fix it? What does it sound like?

A very good rule of thumb: If it sounds bad or distorted, turn down the volume.

 

[Good4it]

FYI I’m 73 and don’t/never listen at loud levels .

 

[Paul DS]

FYI I’m 73 and don’t/never listen at loud levels .

In that case, it is very unlikely that you will encounter clipping.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I think the salient message about "clipping" is that when the amp clips, the amp may send up to twice the amount of rated continuous power to the speakers.

So if you have a 200WPC amp, it may send 400 Watts to your speakers when the amp clips. This excessive power fries your speakers since most tweeters can't handle that much power.

Out of curiosity, and not trying to be difficult (just this once), how did you calculate the power delivered when an amp clips? And we'll assume the amp doesn't have soft clipping circuits.

 

[Verdinut]

Referring to old Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_(audio)

 

[GrimSurfer]

Referring to old Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_(audio)

Yeah... that Wikipedia article isn't well written. In fact, it's wrong on many levels.

The issue of power surge doesn't make sense because once an amp's demand exceeds its power supply or caps limit, it runs out of power. Full stop.

A better explanation is found in one of the citations (prosoundweb):

"During the times when a signal is flat-topped, loudspeaker cones are not being “instructed” to move as it is receiving essentially a DC signal. This means all power goes into heating up their voice coils instead of producing sound." Any clipped signal can kill a speaker... even one which falls within the speaker's nominal power rating.

https://www.prosoundweb.com/topics/education/why_should_we_care_about_power_amplifier_clipping/

The bottom line is that it's a waveform issue, not a power output issue.

This is a distinction that's important to capture because it explains:

1. Why crappy amps can clip even when operating within power limits, and

2. How a tweeter can be burned out, even though it may not be driven very hard by an amp fed by a clipped signal from a preamp or a source player.

 

[Phase 2]

Why would anyone need more than a 100 watts? A good 100 watt X 2 into 8 Ohms will make your ears bleed at high volume levels. I had amps in the past 500 X 2, many 200 X 2 even monoblock amps. I have to say they really didn't make that much of a difference in sound quality if at all over the amp in my AVR.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Why would anyone need more than a 100 watts? A good 100 watt X 2 into 8 Ohms will make your ears bleed at high volume levels. I had amps in the past 500 X 2, many 200 X 2 even monoblock amps. I have to say they really didn't make that much of a difference in sound quality if at all over the amp in my AVR.

Because quantity (watts, channels) sells to anyone who can count.

Quality? Neither well understood nor easy to sell because it requires understanding.

 

[davidscott]

2. How a tweeter can be burned out, even though it may not be driven very hard by an amp fed by a clipped signal from a preamp or a source player.

Yeah... that Wikipedia article isn't well written. In fact, it's wrong on many levels.

The issue of power surge doesn't make sense because once an amp's demand exceeds its power supply or caps limit, it runs out of power. Full stop.

A better explanation is found in one of the citations (prosoundweb):

"During the times when a signal is flat-topped, loudspeaker cones are not being “instructed” to move as it is receiving essentially a DC signal. This means all power goes into heating up their voice coils instead of producing sound." Any clipped signal can kill a speaker... even one which falls within the speaker's nominal power rating.

https://www.prosoundweb.com/topics/education/why_should_we_care_about_power_amplifier_clipping/

The bottom line is that it's a waveform issue, not a power output issue.

This is a distinction that's important to capture because it explains:

1. Why crappy amps can clip even when operating within power limits, and

2. How a tweeter can be burned out, even though it may not be driven very hard by an amp fed by a clipped signal from a preamp or a source player.

Yep had tweeters burn out with lower powered amps before. But I also burned them out with 100WPC amps by playing my music too loud. Hey I was young and stupid.

 

[GrimSurfer]

2. How a tweeter can be burned out, even though it may not be driven very hard by an amp fed by a clipped signal from a preamp or a source player.

Yep had tweeters burn out with lower powered amps before. But I also burned them out with 100WPC amps by playing my music too loud. Hey I was young and stupid.

Agree. But the power "theory" of clipping can only explain one of these, whereas the wave form explanation explains both... though brute force, without clipping, can kill a driver too.

 

[davidscott]

Agree. But the power "theory" of clipping can only explain one of these, whereas the wave form explanation explains both... though brute force, without clipping, can kill a driver too.

Yep so I burned out my tweeters using 2 different methods. BTW the afore mentioned speakers were notorious for tweeter failure. But they sounded so sweet.

 

[GrimSurfer]

Yep so I burned out my tweeters using 2 different methods. BTW the afore mentioned speakers were notorious for tweeter failure. But they sounded so sweet.

That's why ferro fluid tweeters were developed... better heat dissipation!

 

[Jon Eilers]

Basically Distortion and Clarity of vocals and highs, just turn the volume down until it stops and then up a hair and you will be good..