No, no clipping anywhere.
That diode is a signal detector, compression is done by a very linear CDS cell.
In fact, that is a "sissy" type of compressor/limiter, does not let you approach full power by quite a few Watts because of its crude design .... a FIFTEEN Volt Zener? .... c´mon
Just do the Math.
FWIW if/when I use a similar type (not on my own production amps but as a quick/dirty add-on for a Customer) I use 6V8 or 7V2 Zeners, go figure.
And even so.
My actual dedicated limiters let waveform clip by 10%, go figure ..... if anything because most "everybody" rates their amps at that level so it must be some kind of new unwritten standard
Then speakers are grossly underrated.
At least in my market, and it should be mandatory also in D/PA duty, speakers must be able to take full power amp squarewave output anyway ... since users will subject them to that punishment anyway.
That can be relaxed for HF drivers, since they can take "nothing" anyway and in any case we can "waste" power in that band, but it still must be able to take whatever the limiter is set to, full drive .... or just set that limiter to a lower level!!!!!
Gambling is fine at Las Vegas, not on stage.
Most of those built-in limiters detect actual clipping (loss of feedback) to engage the compressor. It is a better method than detecting peak output voltage - since a loss of feedback detector will detect OTHER forms of overload which don’t necessarily reach “clipping” as well. With typical music you don’t actually hear it clip until you slam the limiter enough to hear a loss of volume, but you can see it on a scope. You’d be surprised by how much clipping you can see and not hear with a well designed and executed amp - limiter or no limiter. Poor ones can sound “trashy” clipping just a few cycles. Something with a power supply from Hell and 32 output transistors can still sound clean out in the parking lot with repetitive flat-topping (too loud on the floor to be able to tell, of course).
In DJ use, the smaller the rig, the “larger” the speakers need to be in relation to the amps driving them. Inevitably, the requested levels will rise until size of the rig “required” for clean safe operation outstrips the transportation available. Then it gets run too hard. If you can get the rig big enough you can get ahead of the curve - but you ain’t gonna fit it in no damn Toyota minivan. 2 or 3 trips in my 20 foot stock trailer - yeah, but it’s not what I’d call a recipe for making money. Cost more than your gonna get for the event to rent it too. So undersized is the rule rather than the exception.
In DJ use, the smaller the rig, the “larger” the speakers need to be in relation to the amps driving them. Inevitably, the requested levels will rise until size of the rig “required” for clean safe operation outstrips the transportation available. Then it gets run too hard. If you can get the rig big enough you can get ahead of the curve - but you ain’t gonna fit it in no damn Toyota minivan. 2 or 3 trips in my 20 foot stock trailer - yeah, but it’s not what I’d call a recipe for making money. Cost more than your gonna get for the event to rent it too. So undersized is the rule rather than the exception.
I do pretty good business supplying PA gear(and lighting) to DJs. Most of the rigs consist of modern powered speakers where all the limiting has been figured out for me but I do have one passive rig. All the amplifiers in it have built-in clip limiters but speaker protection is done with a DSP processor and I don't think this rig would survive DJ use without it because it seems regardless how much power is available the DJ is going to use all of it. Back when I was in college we did house parties (on-campus residences) where the sound system would consist of a pair of bins and tops like Butterflies, W bins or scoops under a 15+2 box like an old EV or JBL SR... all powered by a single Bryston 4B or QSC Powerbase or some such. That worked well and we never blew anything despite running the amps into hard limiting at times, and that is simply because the amp couldn't produce enough power to hurt anything. But that wouldn't work at all with my current 6kw passive rig the way it is powered.. triamped with a 350w amp driving the CDs for example, and I wouldn't want to listen to it either. I extract most of the potential from these drivers.. without some destructive testing it's not really possible to get all the potential, but that quickly becomes a money losing enterprise and I'm not interested in that.
Last edited: