2. amps-preamps
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are my amps clipping?

Hello I have a question for amplifier guru's

I have a set of vintage Polk RTA-12s that I did have hooked up to my Mitsubishi DA-A10DC amp and had no problem unless I increased the Equalization too high and then it would blow the fuse in the speakers .

after I hooked the speakers up to my new to me Yamaha RX-Z9 receiver it never happened again until today when I hooked up my Harman Kardon Citation 19 to the receivers pre-outs and it was doing fine till I was listening to Megadeath's À Tout le Monde and then switched from stereo to dsp mode concert hall live ,then they popped like a tick.

I really like the way the citation 19 sounds with music but because of this happening I have to buy 3/4 amp fuses in bulk lol

so is this happening because the amps are clipping ? if I do not throw extra EQ in then I can drive these speakers much louder without blowing a fuse but am unsure if it is an amp or speaker issue.

I guess I could install a resettable circuit breaker that would at least save me from buying fuses .

turbomustang
rrog
1,958 posts
 
I used to have the same problem with country music, so I stopped listening to it.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
It certainly seems like your asking too much from the amp. I am not sure why the DSP is doing that but adding a little more low impedance bass for the amp to supply makes sense. Get a higher current amp a "D" class amp with lots of power isn't so expensive anymore. Check out Wyred4Sound for example. Other ICE powered amps and Panel speaker Amps like those from Sander Sound Systems or H2O.
rrog
1,958 posts
 
What you really need is a more efficient speaker with higher sensitivity. Something like Klipsch speakers with close to 100db sensitivity. Then you will have plenty of power. You will give up before the amps do.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,178 posts
 
I don't think in general a fuse blowing can be attributed to clipping. More likely, the speakers are just being driven to the point where the fuses blow. The amp may or may not actually be clipping when it occurs.

In any case, assuming everything is working as it should (no guarantee with older gear) most likely you are just asking more than the speakers are designed to handle.

If the fuse always blows immediately when the processing on the receiver is switched, then it might be due to some sort of noise or other electrical anomaly situation created by the receiver when the audio mode is switched. Try turning it down when switching then turn it back up and see if that makes a difference.
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