How To Properly Break-In a Sub?

[GuySmily]

I remember reading that having an underpowered amp is bad for a sub, but I don't know if it's true, and it doesn't make any sense to me.

How do you like that sub so far though? Seems like everyone is getting those Alpine Type-R's now.

[Razr]

Originally Posted by GuySmily

I remember reading that having an underpowered amp is bad for a sub, but I don't know if it's true, and it doesn't make any sense to me.

The quick answer to this is that it's much more difficult to hear distortion at low frequencies, thus it's much more easy to run your amplifier to the point of serious (and damaging) clipping (mega distortion).

The longer answer goes like this:

Every component in your system introduces a level of distortion into the signal chain, starting at your source unit and ending at your speakers. A typical source unit will add <0.01% distortion to the signal, a decent amp <1% and a decent subwoofer around 10%. Yes, 10%. Really good subwoofers manage 3% distortion across most of their bandwith, and maybe even touch 1% at frequencies higher up in their range, but 3-10% is very typical.

While 1% distortion on a good amplifier is usually fairly safe (1% clip = 1% of the duty cycle is DC voltage rather than AC voltage), 10% distortion gets really dangerous really fast (due to heat build-up in the voicecoil and the added stresses on suspension mechanisms at full excursion), but not *that* audible unfortunately, especially when you're having fun :)

So simply put, it's easier to drive a smaller powered amplifier into clipping when running a subwoofer than it is a more powerful amplifer. Hence why small amps are more dangerous for subs, voila!