2. amps-preamps
  3. 1335725164

I think my speakers are killing my amps.

I have VMPS FF3 SRE bi-amped w outboard crossover, I have upgraded from the original single panel to the multi planar driver option.
I ran 300w Classe amp on panels but at around 95db it would go into protection. I changed to Aragon 4004 MKII 2 yrs ago that gave 400w and thought I was good till yesterday but while playing pretty loud maybe 100db the amp started making these loud clicking sounds the one channel was just dead. Now I wonder if a mistake was made in planar drivers wiring or in updated crossover. Its possible amp finally bit it after some years of great service but its always the same speaker and it has sent multiple amps into fits. I think maybe its down to 1ohm brutal swing or something but am not smart in that area of electronics. Any ideas would be great, thanks. BTW Classe is in service now but not at loud levels.
chadnliz
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,807 posts
 
How does the amp behave if there is no speaker load?
chadnliz OP
3,736 posts
 
How do you mean?
audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
He means without the speakers hooked up
or try another pair.
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
He means do you hear the click clack sound without a speaker load on the amp. Disconnect only the speakers and try it. My guess is you are hearing some kind of arcing since I do not believe that amp has any kind of relay or protection circuit. If a cap has started to leak it can cause this type of arcing when voltage is applied to it.
dhl93449
455 posts
 
If these speakers are primarily resistive, put a DVM across them and measure the impedance. If they are mis-wired and you get something very low (like 3 ohms or lower), maybe your amp just cannot drive that low of an impedance at the higher SPLs.

This is a simple test and will give you some idea of the issue. Also, compare left with right channels and see how they compare.

If both channels are the same and above 4 ohms, you may have a deffective amp.

However, a simple DVM resistance measurement still will not tell you if you have a capacitive load issue.

The previous poster was correct in that too high of a capacitance load will cause some amplifiers to become unstable and oscillate.

One quick test you can try is to get a large 50-100 Watt 5 ohm power resistor and connect it in series with the output of your amp. If the amp functions OK with this resistor connected (the volume will be 6 dB lower but will still let you perform the test, and the sound quality may not be great but who cares, it's just a test), then you may have a capacitance issue. This test may also give you an indication of whether the speaker loads are too low for your amp.
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