is my understanding of clipping correct?

Hey guys, first of I want to say thank you for all the amazing info you have all put on here!!! I have spent the last few evenings reading te posts and would like to check that my understanding of clipping is correct From what I read it seems like when then speakers are up graded the headunit / decks built i amp cannot power them enough once turned up loud and there for over heats the void coil causing it to fail after time? And to avoid this you would install a 3rd party amp but this can also have the same affect once turned up to high? And that any clipping from the hu/ deck will be amplerfied into the speakers causing the damage to occur allot sooner? Also is there any links I can look at describing the difference betweer clipping and mechanical distortion from over powering the speaker? Again thank you for the amazing forums and thank you for any replys Karl

You have the general idea. Here's a good article from Dave MacKinnon about clipping and over power speakers. Jeff

Velocity Custom Home Theater

Mobile Audio/Video Specialist

Morden, Manitoba CANADA

thanks for the information ill have a read in a moment, just relised that i have posted it in the wrong forums, sorry for that was on my phone while at work :)

clipping is when the voice speaker cannot handle more, and begins to move in a non linear manner. what you were describing is distortion, and yes head units tend to distort at the higher volume, and thats where an amp comes inlegit o puss

Clipping has nothing to do with a speaker and it's limits.  Clipping is trying to get more out of your amp than is possible.  On the following page there is a picture of a non clipped signal and then a SLIGHTLY clipped signal.  It is called clipping because it looks as though someone clipped the rounded ends of the wave.  Notice that when the signal reaches the voltage limitation of the amp, it just goes straight across until the voltage drops below the amp's limit.

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~110482~KW~clipped+audio~PN~2~TPN~2

clippings bad, mkay. if you clip your signal, then you be bad, so dont clip your signal, mkay. clipping can happen anywhere there is an amp turned up too high. every amp has it's electrical limits, especially the one inside your radio. people love it when their radio volume can go up to 80, but what they dont realize is that past about 55 is when their internal amp starts to clip and produce distortion, even on the rca outputs. thats why many people here will tell you to not turn your radio all the way up because no matter what its going to sound bad and in the long run it might hurt the internal circuitry of your amp/radio.