[AndyRx7]

Hey all,

Now I have a harddrive packed w/ lossless files, but sometimes I want to listen to, for example, live DJ sets recorded so-so. In particular, some dnb sets I have sound like they were very loud when recorded, i.e. too much for the recorder to handle. They sound basically clipped, if that makes sense to ya.

So, my question is, is it dumb for me to play these files through my 650s? Does it strain the drivers to produce this badly recorded sound? I assume it isn't bad for my DAC / amp. I've played tons of this kind of stuff through my SR-80s, but with slightly higher budget gear I thought I'd check lol.

Thanks for any advice,

A

 

[skyline889]

I don't think so since a lot of people burn their headphones in on static which I assume sounds worse than poorly recorded music.

 

[jagorev]

As long as the volume on your end is not insanely loud, I don't think they'll have any effect whatsoever on the HD 650. Your ears, on the other hand, might be a little upset.

 

[AndyRx7]

It's got to be a pretty good set for me to bother lol

I guess my concern derives from having learned that clipping amplication is bad for speakers. I assume there's some difference between a clipping amp playing a good file and a non-clipping amp playing a clipped file? I'm not sure if that makes sense - I'm no engineer.

 

[jagorev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 It's got to be a pretty good set for me to bother lol I guess my concern derives from having learned that clipping amplication is bad for speakers. I assume there's some difference between a clipping amp playing a good file and a non-clipping amp playing a clipped file? I'm not sure if that makes sense - I'm no engineer.

Yeah. If your source and amp are clipping, that's a bad sign. You're playing too loud for your equipment. On the other hand, a file that was recorded clipped would stay that way even when played at a normal volume.

 

[vo328]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Hey all, Now I have a harddrive packed w/ lossless files, but sometimes I want to listen to, for example, live DJ sets recorded so-so. In particular, some dnb sets I have sound like they were very loud when recorded, i.e. too much for the recorder to handle. They sound basically clipped, if that makes sense to ya. So, my question is, is it dumb for me to play these files through my 650s? Does it strain to drivers to produce this badly recorded sound? I assume it isn't bad for my DAC / amp. I've played tons of this kind of stuff through my SR-80s, but with slightly higher budget gear I thought I'd check lol. Thanks for any advice, A

Great question... I've often wondered the same, but never actually remembered this when surfing head-fi. Glad you asked.

 

[Gino]

A bad recording that resembles clipping is not clipping. Just make sure the sound system itself doesn't play past its clipping point as determined by normal materials.

 

[joojoo2915]

Clipping is never the problem, it is the excess power generated by the amplifier due to clipping. Unclipped music is, of course, a sine wave. When you start clipping the source, however, the signal starts "squaring". The area under a sine wave (the power) is less than half of that of an equivelant square wave. The heat that needs to be dissipated grows exponentially as you clip the source leading to thermal driver failure. A speaker is just a mechanical object and doesn't care what kind of music/sound is played (even if it sounds bad to us) so long as it stays within its thermal and mechanical limits.

 

[asmox]

From what I understand, there are two types of clipping - digital clipping and clipping in your amplifier.

Digital clipping is a result of "hot" recordings whose levels go above the maximum threshold of the media - most likely a CD - and end up getting "clipped" off. So, if you take such a file and put it into an analyzer (such as Audacity), you'll notice that the waves get cut off at their peaks in various places. That's digital clipping, and AFAIK that will not hurt your equipment at all. It will just sound like crap.

Power amp clipping is a result of overloading the amplifier.. which can damage your headphones/speakers.

I could be wrong though.. my knowledge in that area is limited.

 

[Drag0n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Hey all, Now I have a harddrive packed w/ lossless files, but sometimes I want to listen to, for example, live DJ sets recorded so-so. In particular, some dnb sets I have sound like they were very loud when recorded, i.e. too much for the recorder to handle. They sound basically clipped, if that makes sense to ya. So, my question is, is it dumb for me to play these files through my 650s? Does it strain the drivers to produce this badly recorded sound? I assume it isn't bad for my DAC / amp. I've played tons of this kind of stuff through my SR-80s, but with slightly higher budget gear I thought I'd check lol. Thanks for any advice, A

It all depends.....
Mudvayne and Slipknot will burn out the voice coils.
Rap will ruin the driver because of over-excursion on bass.
BeeGees and Mariah Carey will only hurt your ears and cause ringing because of excessive highs.
Classical will put them into a sort of sleep mode,so Rock will never sound the same in them ever again.
Im afraid youve ruined your headphones for life and theyre only good for dictation now. I have a transcription recorder and can use a set of headphones for that purpose. Please send them to me and buy a new set.

(Im just joking,i had to do it. Im in a funny mood......prolly boredom...lol).

 

[nightfire]

Yeah as someone else mentioned, amplifier clipping CAN be bad, at high volumes. Digital clipping can also be hard on voice coils because when the signal starts to drop again - as mentioned - it resembles a square wave. The sudden voltage change is hard for the speaker to react to (due to the mass of its core), and the magnetic field is "stressed." The core leaves the magnetic field's sweet spot, and is pulled much harder, suddenly decreasing impedance.

This can cause the voice coils to overheat and eventually break down the insulation. Because it's heating quickly, by definition it's sucking more current and could be stressing your amp as well. But again only at levels near their rated performance.

Just listening to clipping at low volumes can never cause any damage.

 

[sonance]

The HD650 is designed to take a lot of abuse. I have 2 pairs and one of them has a lot more hours than the other, and has been played with "all kinds of music" including poor quality MP3s at various times. It still sounds the same as than the newer pair (when using stock cables.)
I notice that lots of perfectly ripped lossless files and wav files still clip because thats the way they are on the CD. For example the newest GreenDay CD has lots of clipping (was just listening to it.)
You would have to be playing them really loud - louder than you could bear to listen to them (probably out of a monster amp like the Dynahi) AND clipping to actually do some damage. Doesn't mean I recommend trying to find the limits of your 650s via abuse, but no, IMO, playing poor recordings ocassionally at normal listening volumes hasn't damaged them one bit. In fact I'd say a really well recorded track played at ultra high volumes will do more damage than a clipping, poorly recorded track at normal volumes.

 

[AndyRx7]

Thanks for all the advice

Ultra-high volumes are not part of my repertoire, so I guess I won't worry about the occasional foray into my dnb collection

Cheers,

Andy