Quote:
Originally Posted by vjarnot
Speakers do not 'blow' from too much power. Speakers are damaged by too little power; driving a speaker to volume levels which require a level of wattage greater than the amplifier can provide will produce 'clipping', which can easily damage a loudspeaker.
Clipping (audio) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The way to damage a speaker which is driven by an adequately powered amplifier is too go berserk with the volume - causing the loudspeaker to draw more and more power, play louder and louder until it physically fails.
The volume knob acts just like a dimmer switch for a light: crank it up and the bulb (speaker) draws more power and produces more light (volume), turn it down and the bulb (speaker) draws less power and produces less light (volume).
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The bolded statement is incorrect. The are two things that can damage a speaker, pushing it beyond its mechanical limits or pushing it beyond its thermal limits. The mechanical limits of a speaker are the distance which the speaker can travel safely (Xmech). Exceeding this can lead to the voice coil leaving the gap or tearing of the spider or tinsel leads. Exceeding the thermal limits of a speaker can only be accomplished with an excess in power sent through the voice coil. This can and often is caused by clipping. "Driving an amplifier into clipping may cause it to output power in excess of its published ratings." That is a quote taken directly from the very beginning of the link you posted. While yes clipping is often caused by someone with too little power setting their gains incorrectly, too little power in and of itself can not damage a speaker.
To the op no matter what you can and volume level are at currently it is still possible that you were getting the full power of that amplifier. You can assume all you want that because the gain was low and volume was low that you are not but unless you set you gains with an o-scope you do not know the input voltage that amplifier is seeing to it is a real possiblity.