Hi audiofan,

I presume you are using a subwoofer and you'll be setting the M3ti's to "Small," right? Sure, the M3ti's will "handle" significant peak levels within the limits of a compact speaker.

In a general way, compact speakers do not have the same power-handling capabilities as large floorstanding speakers like the M60s or M80s, with arrays of four to six drivers. But the M3ti's should be fine up to levels that are very loud in a normal-sized (2,000 cu ft) room (not a large room).

With any compact speaker, you should be able to discern power handling limits long before any damage might occur. Typically, compacts may get somewhat edgy or coarse-sounding as distortion is increasing until it becomes audible and you approach the limits of the drivers. If you hear a sharp "snap," you may be bottoming a voice-coil on the magnet assembly. Turn the volume down immediately; better that you don't ever push them to that level.

Regards,


Alan Lofft,
Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)