can an amp fry a speaker?

Yes.

mcdavid000 wrote: .is there a simple way to test a amp .(volt meter)?

You can do it the way Boss Audio does it. What you do is you take a multi-meter and set it to "volts". Take the red lead and touch it to "B+" and take the black lead and touch it to "Gnd". Now here is where the math get's tricky. Find the fuse size on the amplifier and multiply it's value by 10 and then multiply that total by the reading on the meter. So as an example their really high end $45 amplifier which uses a 30 amp fuse would be 30 X 10 X 12.6 = 3780 watts. A more exact measurement of how much peak power you were delivering to your subs would be much more difficult and require specialized testing equipment.

Steven - that sounds a lot like advertising power - I know it well. Alas as per the KarTuna, it isn't simple. Measuring voltage across a known resistor MIGHT give an indication....

DYohn wrote: Unless you toss it into a big skillet full of boiling oil, an amp is the only way to fry a speaker.

x2  LOL