What is clipping?

Clipping occurs when a circuit runs out of power. That is, the signal requires more output than the power supply can deliver to the output stage OR when the output stage itself is saturated. The end result is an increase in multiple types of distortion and the resultant decrease in sonic quality. You can avoid this by buying the biggest, most robustly built "gonzo" amplifier that you can find and / or by running highly efficient speakers that are easy to drive and / or keeping your volume down to something below a roar. The level of "acceptable roaring" will be dictated by the individual power capacity of the amp, the sensitivity and reactance of the speakers and the size of the room that you're trying to pressurize. Sean
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thanks guys. much clearer now.

Clipping happens when an amp receives an INPUT signal beyond its capability.

There are two theories why a clipping amp overheats tweeters: excess harmonics & compression.

The older theory, excess harmonics, suggests that the clipped low frequency signals create higher frequency harmonic multiples of themselves which overload the tweeters.

The compression theory suggests that, although the low frequencies have become limited due to a shortage of power, the unclipped high frequencies overload the tweeters.

Odds are both theories are right. Both rest on the tweeter's greater efficiency relative to the low frequency drivers.

So what's to blame for the tweeter damage? The wacky sounding distortion? The amp's evil heat ray? Neither! The overdriven speaker coil spending too much time outside the gap with its magnet structure loses the heat transfer game and so overheats and burns.