Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Pioneer Elite Receiver capable of driving M80s?

Clipping is basically the result of you requesting more power from the receiver than it is able to deliver. Indeed driving more channels at the same time does increase the power demand, and the likelihood of clipping.

It doesn't build up over time, it happens quickly when a large demand is made. It's possible to only clip during the most energetic peaks of a passage, while the rest is reproduced without distortion.

What can build up over time, is heat. Most receivers also have an automatic thermal protection circuit which will shut it down if played too hard for too long.