Am I going to blow my Speakers? (1 Viewer)

[TravisMc]

Hey guys

Well, as you all know by now, I just got my Klipsch Reference 3 System ( 2 RF-3, 2 RS-3, 1 RC-3, KSW-15)

Its all connected to a Sony 685 Receiver.......

Granted, Im new to the whole HT thing......but man, this is LOUD

Im not trying to brag here or anything, as in the grand scheme of things, these are low end speakers....but WOW they can make some serious noise.....

Basically, at MAX volume on my receiver, my ears really, and truly, Hurt.......I realize thats too loud to listen to the speakers at....

My question, my receiver is rated at 100Wx5, but its a sony, so its more like 30Wx5, heh......all my speakers are rated at 110W or more of RMS power...

So, will they blow? and I doing damage to them from playing them at extremely loud volumes?

 

[Michael R Price]

Try getting an SPL meter to measure the absolute level. When I got my first real system I thought it was loud as heck and it turned out on the grand scheme of thing it really wasn't. And by the way, those are not low end speakers. They're really good.

To be honest you're unlikely to blow anything because the Klipsches probably won't mind minor clipping of your amp and once you're really in trouble the receiver will just shut off. Of course, since the RF-3s are so efficient you will be WAY loud (over reference level) when the Sony wimps out. If your ears hurt, you were probably distorting the sound a bit so I think you should have an SPL meter on hand (and calibrate using VE/Avia) to make sure your levels are within reason.

In short: If you don't hear any harshness or distortion, it's unlikely you will damage anything. If you do happen to damage a tweeter for example, you will be able to replace the damaged parts at minimal cost and know the limits so it will not happen in the future. Rock on.

 

[BrianWoerndle]

You will probably fry your receiver before those speakers. As long as there is no distortion in the speakers, they will be fine. The speakers will probably try to draw so much power from the Sony that it will overload the receiver in a short time, causing it to go into protect mode.

 

[Chu Gai]

klipsch are a very efficient speaker. but as you probably know, if you continue to listen to loud volumes for long periods, you will start to affect your hearing. of course, then you can upgrade the klipsch to more efficient models and play them louder search around on the web, someone must've posted the power capabilities, with all channels driven.