RTA 11t causing amp to go into protection mode
bayoublaster
Posts: 5
I've tried 3 different brands of speakers with this 2 channel amp and all speakers rated at 6 ohms. Onlt the RTA 11t's cause the amp to shut down and go into protection mode at about 1/2 volume. Any ideas what might be wrong with the speakers and how to fix them? I know there are upgrades that can be done to them but I love the speakers and I would like to fix the problem. Thanks in advance.
Comments
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Name the exact brand and model of your amp as well as the other speakers.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
There may be nothing at all wrong with the loudspeakers.
That "6 ohm" rating is a nominal impedance for all three brands you mention (but don't identify, other than the Polks) and isn't necessarily reflective at all of how difficult of a load any given loudspeaker model will be for any given amp.
Impedance (and phase angle, which is a measure of the relative contributions of inductance and capacitance to the actual impedance) is dependent upon frequency -- sometimes chaotically so, depending on the design of the loudspeaker (drivers and crossover used, as well as the enclosure design, particularly in the low frequencies). The nominal impedance is just that, and it's often fairly useless as an indicator of how amp-friendly (or amp-hostile) any given speaker is.
Thus @F1nut's question.
I would add another 'range-finding' or forensic
question to his:
Did you acquire the Polk RTA-11T speakers new or used? If the latter, any indication that they may have been... umm... improved by a previous owner?
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Speakers were purchased new years ago so nothing has been done to them. So there is nothing wrong with the speakers and I would just be better off getting a new pair that I could try out in home to determine how amp friendly it is with my amp correct? A shame as I've always loved those speakers. Thanks for the clarification.
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If you want really help to understand what is what answer my questions.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
If you want really help to understand what is what answer my questions.
Concur 100%. We'll help as much as we can, but more information is needed (kind of like some of those old SAT questions!).
My questions come after @F1nut's, not before
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I can get more info as soon as I get off work and post more info. Appreciate the help.
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Not sure why the words in my post are mixed up....let's try again.
If you really want help to understand what is what answer my questions.
Ah, much better.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Speakers aside from the Polks were a pair of
Q Acouztics 3050's and a pair of Cerwin Vegas CLS-215'S. Amp is a OSD Amp 300. Receiver is a Pioneer Elite SC63 if I remember correctly. Also using quality cables throughout. If there is anything else I can provide, I'll try. Thanks again -
Do you use bare wire or some other type of connectors? Have you opened the speakers and made sure nothing was making contact or any loose wires inside?
That amp SHOULD be able to handle the load if there isn't an issue with that. Did you try the speakers on the amp and on the receiver separately to see if the issue follows the speakers.Just a dude doing dude-ly things
"Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
" I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
"Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
"Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
"Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member -
I'll try the speakers on the re eiver seperately when I get home. Wont be home for another 2 weeks though. Stuck on a drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico right now. Thanks again
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Your amp appears to have plenty of watts, but I noted the CV's have an efficiency rating of 96dB and the Q's are 92db, so it doesn't take much volume for them to get loud. The Polk's are about 89dB meaning you'd have to crank the volume in order for them to play as loud as the other 2 pair. Generally, half volume is a dangerous place as the distortion level rises rapidly around that point. In short, you may have pushed the amp too far and it shut down to prevent bad juju from happening.
I would not push your AVR too hard.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Just to quantify what @F1nut said above*
89 dB vs. 92 dB vs. 96 dB sensitivity, given the same nominal impedance.
an input of 1 watt** with the 96 dB speakers should yield an SPL of 96 dB one meter away from one speaker.
for the 92 dB speaker, it would take an input of 2.5 watts to get the same SPL (96 dB) at 1 meter.
for the 89 dB speaker -- it would take an input of 5 watts to get 96 dB at 1 meter.
This handy-dandy Ohm's Law wheel will get one through many of our everyday questions (calculations) about volts, ohms, amps, and watts
source:
https://caravanchronicles.com/guides/understanding-watts-amps-volts-and-ohms/
__________________
* Sorry -- I'm a quantitative kinda guy.
** Actually, the reference for sensitivity is usually 2.86 AC volts
which is 1 watt into an 8 ohm load; into a nominally 6 ohm load, though, it's 1.36 watts 
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I normally don't poke but an amp that powerful going into protect from RTA11Ts...
Just goes to show quality isn't in watts as we all know.
My measly Adcom GFA545 would push them things. Heck I can push my 25th Anniversary Advents (87db) pretty hard, never had a clip light indicator come on.
I mean I listen to music too loud and still never had an issue.
Yes Mark I know the damage I am doing to my ears. Just a dude doing dude-ly things
"Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
" I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
"Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
"Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
"Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member -
It's not necessarily the speakers causing the amp to go into protection. Rather, it's the volume level the owner cranked it to. Just about any amp will go into clipping at some point, which is generally around 12 noon on the dial.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Also the source volume can be a significant factor in how the power amp reacts... It's one long chain and it all has to work together.
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bayoublaster wrote: »I've tried 3 different brands of speakers with this 2 channel amp and all speakers rated at 6 ohms. Onlt the RTA 11t's cause the amp to shut down and go into protection mode at about 1/2 volume. Any ideas what might be wrong with the speakers and how to fix them? I know there are upgrades that can be done to them but I love the speakers and I would like to fix the problem. Thanks in advance.
Few questions. Are you using identical music across all 3 speakers you mention?
Is your source Digital or vinyl?
(we did have issues with "some" vinyl at high levels where warps were causing unheard overload to the amp, so just putting that out there)
Is volume level truly almost the same on the control OR in room ?
The other speakers you mention are more efficient, so it you are matching room volume, it may be simply playing them too loud, or amp at its limits.
Can you measure actual volume to give us some idea how loud this is?
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mhardy6647 wrote: »
Just what kind of New Englander sorcery is this? They used to burn witches and warlocks at the stake for this sort of thing. REPENT!!!The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Does it shut down instantaneously or does it run for a time at that volume setting?
