exceeding an amps max input voltage?

although having a properly set gain is important, its not that serious. having a bit too much gain shouldnt hurt anything physically. honestly no amp that i know of is set to handle 13V of input. high voltage inputs and outputs are there to keep the other gains down and to keep the noise floor down in a system. if a piece of equipment tells you it has 13v of output then that will be the maximum it can give you if its gain is turned up all of the way.

having that much voltage on a low level signal is just unnecessary and is only ever useful is high spl systems where quality counts for nothing.

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I have a Kenwood XR-5s Amp, the specs in the owners manual say it's max input voltage is 5 volts. I want to install an Audio Control EQS Equalizer which has adjustable output voltage to a specified max of 13.5 volts. Audio Controls setup instructions say to leave the amp gains down (fully counter clockwise), and turn the output voltage up until the 5 volt output LED comes on.

I don't trust any manufacturer specs as far audio equipment is concerned. I would prefer to install the EQS into my system, connect a scope to the speaker terminals. Then while playing a pink noise test cd through the head unit, slowly turn the output voltage up until I see I have slightly exceeded the actual max voltage the amp can handle.

My questions are what will I see happen to the waveform on the scope when the max voltage of my amp is exceeded, and how much excess input voltage can my amp handle without damage 5.1 volts, 6volts, 13.5 volts? I won't be leaving the EQS voltage set higher than the amp can handle, I just want to be sure I won't damage it when I go slightly above it's max when setting it up. Thanks for any help on this. If I didn't put this post in the right area feel free to move it.

I hate to sound redundant, but 5 volts is the most input voltage tolerance I have seen on a 12 volt amplifier. Is there a reason why you feel you need more than that?

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Chronic, late stage optimist.

I guess I don't trust Kenwood when they say 5 volts is the maximum input voltage, these amps are built on an assembly line and are most likely not adjusted exactly, I bet they have a range that is acceptable and when they get within that range while setting up the amp on the assembly line thats good enough. Maybe the max input voltage is actually less than 5 volts, or maybe it is more. I just want to get the most out of my system without distortion or clipping.

4 volts input is quite sufficient for any good quality amplifier, assuming it puts out an honest 25 wrms/ch or better.   The emphasis is on the word "quality". All my amplifiers are OS American made stuff, class AB, and they put out plenty of power with 4 volts input to a 4 ohm load. My listening is SQ, not SPL.

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Chronic, late stage optimist.