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.

Thanks Chris. I'm about to give 5.1 a go. This album has some pretty intense moments.

I actually own all the Flaming Lips DVD-As. Don't bother with At War with the Mystics, it's a bad master that compressed and clipped from the studio.

Yeah, I've got em all too. Mystics never gets played. Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi are just fantastic though.

I just made it through yoshimi pt. 2 with no trouble. I mean, I would definitely know if it was clipping right? I think I've heard clipping before at live shows. Is it almost like a popping noise coming from the speakers?

Clipping can damage speakers before it become audible. I don't know if I'd describe gross clipping as so much as a popping sound, maybe in low frequencies. But it's the tweeters you have to worry about the most. High frequency clipping is just more of a harshness, a fatiguing distortion. Really though, if you're hearing it you've already pushed the system too far.

Hmm. I'm thinking maybe I should hold off playing them anymore until I get a dedicated 2 channel amp. I still have my M60s for a few more months and they sound just fine.

Chances are you will have the receiver overheat and shutdown before you hear any clipping unless the clipped signal came off the cd. Just keep playing on those M80s which are even better/cleaner/clearer sounding at lower volumes than the M60s, IMO.

If you're only playing into the mid-80 dB range, and sitting 10' away, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I plan on getting M80s and running them from my current receiver which has a slightly lesser amp section than yours. Plus I tend to hit the mid-90s (at 7.5 feet). I have no worries about this receiver.

Go ahead and keep using the M80s. Just use your head. If you're at -3 dB on the volume control, you're probably too loud. But -18 or -15, you've not pushing anything unreasonable.

Thanks for the responses. It just makes me nervous, don't wanna break my new toys

I'd say mid 80s is what I may listen to an album like the flaming lips at. For the most part though, its usually in the 70s. I do however like to crank it up at times.