Loud Snap at High Volume

Voice coils bottoming out make a "clunk" with a little ring in it. They do not "snap."

@stephendunn What are you using for a program source? Does the snap happen at the very same place in the music every time or only when the volume is up?

I once had an "Ace of Base" album with the song "All that she wants".

At a certain, and repeatable, point, my speakers made the sound of a sliding patio door being forcefully slammed shut (kudos to my system). I disposed of the CD.

Your problem sounds like a driver bottoming out.

I heard Borreson speakers at an audio show that were playing at ear splitting levels. I loved the sound and went back to the room a few times. On the afternoon of the last day when it was slow they played a hard core cut at concert volume which was fun to hear (I used to record hard core bands). My point is that there is no way that your speakers should be making any sort of snap at something like 90 dB. I would suggest contacting Borreson and ask if they have any experience with this. It will also be interesting to see if their customer service is commensurate with the price of their speakers.

As an beginner at the actual mechanics behind amplification "snapping" would scare me that it would be voltage discharge from amp capacitors or something else in the output stage, rather than something inside the speaker. I may be missing something, though :)

@erik_squires I tried plugging the ports with dense foam, did not influence the "snap".

@onhwy61 I downloaded Decibel X on my iPhone and the crescendo where the peak appears spiked to 95db.

@mijostyn My program source is Qobuz streamed through an 432 Evo Aeon MkII playing in bit perfect to a Playback Designs MPD 8 Dream DAC.  And, yes, the snap happens in the same place.

So playing around with the Decibel X made me realize a few things.  When I drop the volume so that the peak is 90db or less I do not get the snap.  And at this level it is just as "live" sounding and of course no doubt better for my hearing.  The system will play at a sustained 95db (ear plugs in) with no problem.  It's just when there is a sustained build up to that level or above that brings a snap and in some cases a complete drop out of the speakers before they come back on.  Which means some protection circuitry is kicking in.  Not good and certainly not enjoyable to play at that sustained level.

My conclusion is it's the tweeter making this noise when pushed.  Since it happens equally in both tweeters I doubt it is a faulty tweeter, rather the limit of the design.  The tricky part is that the volume control on the DAG, rather than a number, is where the needles are pointing on the gauge while you have your finger on the up or down button.  Meaning it is difficult to pick an exact volume level as you might with electronics that give you a number.  Since the system is so dynamic, picking the right listening level that gives you room for a peak at 90db or so is tricky.  I think in fact that I have to use the Decibel+ to do this, i.e. set the initial level in the low 80's.  But of course it depends on the recording and it's dynamic range.

Maybe this tweeter snap--if that's where it's coming from--is a blessing in disguise, making me be more careful of the peaks I subject my hearing to.

@8th-note Don't know which Borresen speakers you were listening to but the Z2's are supposed to have the same tweeters as the other models up to their large 05 array.  I do plan on speaking with the dealer.  Be interesting to see if they've ever heard the tweeters react like this.