does distortion cause speaker damage?

Hi guys. I used the Distortion Detector by Steve Meade to set my amplifier gains. I am assuming most people here are familiar wih the device. I found the highest volume point on my HU that gives out a clean signal (which happened to be full output or 62/62), then i set my gains using the device while HU was at this point (62). According to the specs, it can detect 1% distortion in the signal. So i figured since i set my gain to the point right below where the "distortion detected" light comes on (as instructed) then when i play my HU all the way up there should be less than 1% distortion, therefore i have no fear of damaging my speakers. Correct? My stereo sounds GREAT, and i'm fairly confident it did it's job because i don't hear any distortion at full output and the music sounds very clean. My question is this: I read in another post that distortion does not cause speaker damage, only clipping does. Is this true? If not, do you think extended listening periods with only "1% distortion" could damage my speakers? Also, is distortion worse for door speakers than it is subwoofers? I can give details on audio equpiment if requested,i just didn't think it was necessary for such a broad question.

1993 Ford taurus sedan Boston acoustics GTA-1105 Amp Infinity reference 6 1/2 component speakers in front door Infinity reference 6x8 coaxials in rear deck 12" kicker CVR subwoofer in prefab ported box. 200 amp HO alternator big three upgrade using 1/0 wires Upgraded battery with 4 gauge wire running to trunk with 1 farad cap before amplifier.

Distortion does not damage speakers, but too much power will damage speakers. Setting your system levels to prevent clipping will ensure that the amplifiers are not being driven beyond their ratings, especially in the high frequencies as tweeters are more prone to blowing from over power than are woofers. Distortion simply sounds bad, so keeping the system below distortion makes it sound cleaner. And better. :)Support the12volt.com

My front speakers are 2 ohm and rated at 90w rms. And my amplifier is rated at 125x4 at 2 ohms, full bandwith, all channels driven, 1% distortion at full output. Do you think i am overpowering my speakers? It sounds clean at full volume, the tweeters are a little harsh ( i get the sssss sound on some letters) but i thought that could just be because they have a high sensitivity rating(93db).

That sssss that you refer to can one (or possibly more) of several things... They're called "sibilants" (all "s" sounds in speech and music), and your ear is VERY efficient at hearing errors in that range. 1%THD there is like 50%THD in a subwoofer... If you turn it down (and I'm talking DOWN, to like half the total or below, not just one or two ticks...), do the sibilants clean up? If no, it's likely the recording itself. If yes, it's definitely one device in the signal path causing it. You're overdriving something. Finally, you could have already damaged your hearing. I'm not judging, and I don't really care, but THAT possiblity is certainly there. Follow the steps below to see if something is applicable: 1: Are you listening to MP3's? MP3 encode/decode is HORRIFIC when it comes to high frequencies, and gets even worse when a: encoded several times (a 320kbps file re-compressed to 128kbps) or b: decoded from MP3 to WAV (as when recording an audio CD from MP3 files). Suggestion? Use lossless files if possible, or don't use MP3 at all. If your device supports WAV playback, rip directly to WAV from CD. 2: Are you using a portable player, and plugging that into an AUX on the deck? The headphone audio section on MANY (if not all, with the iPos being an exception, though still pretty grimy...) portable devices are notoriously "dirty", and/or if you are adding tone controls on the portable device, you'll further distort their outputs very quickly. If this is the case, did you adjust all your system settings using this portable device? 3: It's possible you're running into the passive crossover's capacity, voltage-wise. If you overdrive the caps, you can cause that distortion. 4: You might actually be driving that Boston amp into clipping in that frequency band, on those particular songs. Did you use one of THOSE known "dirty sounding" songs to go back in to reset gains? If you were using a reasonably well recorded track initially, the subsequent tracks COULD be recorded way louder, or just be "Smiley-Face EQ'd" in the studio or in post-production. THAT'S pretty common, because that's what people think sounds good... That's all I got, but where I would start looking... Let me know how close I came to hitting the target? It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Well. As far as sound recordings go on mp3's and "burned" CD's. I try to always make sure they are 320kb or WAV files. But the "sibilants" are audible even when playing a store bought "mastered" CD. But as you suggested, they might make the EQ "smile" at the studio. I also have the EQ on my head unit flat, with the 12.5khz setting on -1, and the tweeter level on the crossover for the components is at -3db. As far as setting the gains goes, i used the test tone CD which came with the DD-1. After the "maximum" clean signal volume level was found on head unit, i set the gain using a 1khz test tone the was recorded at either -5db or -10db gain overlap (for sound quality or loudness,respectively). The "distortion" light illuminates at >1% harmonic distortion. I used the sound quality track (-5) and even turned it down some more because the speakers overpowered my subwoofer. So, using a "dirty" song might not be it. So, out of the possible reasons you gave me, i'm thinking i'm just overpowering the tweeters, or over-driving a component in the signal path, like a capacitor, or clipping the amp at those frequencies. I will turn the gain down and see if the sibilants continue, like you suggested, and see if that works. Thank you for the response, and i'll let you know what i turn up with.

not sure if this helps your case but from what ive heard of them, infinity speakers arent exactly known for their flat response. they tend to be very bright in the high frequency range. might be part of your problem by approaching these speakers as if they are supposed to give you a flat response.