Can too low of a frequency damage my speakers?

I recently upgraded to a Marantz 1501 surround sound receiver and on the specs it says frequency range 8 - 20khz. When I put the movie Rango in theres a part during his first encounter with the snake, right after when the snake says "but we know differently don't we" it hits a super low note..and I'm just wondering if it's close to wrecking my speakers. I don't know how low it it but it's damn low.

Edit: never mind I was looking at the analog inputs. It says 20 - 20khz on the output. It still shakes the house harder than any other movie track I have though. :)

If you are driving a ported speaker at high power below its box tuning frequency it becomes "unloaded" and you can quite easily exceed mechanical limits and potentially damage the woofer.

Your avatar shows a 604E. Is this what you are using? If so, what is your box alignment/tuning frequency?

No expert here but my understanding is that in basis neither frequency or waveforms alone damage speakers. It's the product of frequency or waveform and input power that exceeds mechanical(excursion) and/or thermal(input power) limits that are by far the most common failure modes for most speakers.

As Dave's post above suggests, in a vented alignment power handling goes down, and excursion increases sharply below tuning.

It's actually possible to break some woofers with a good bit less than their rated input power if they're in a goofy alignment.

i would say that square signals are really hard on speakers, and notes that low require alot of power. ive often seen recievers claim 20- 20,00hz but with what authority at the lower octives? also, while the speaker might do it, for how long? i can tell...your thinking about subs now

Distortion,distortion,distortion ! Common sense will go along way here.Overdriving and overdriving to distortion levels with any speaker is a crap shoot with it's voice coil.

Yes they're 604's and the receiver is rated 50 watts per channel but it's in Marantz watts...which is like Mopar horsepower not Chevy Horsepower. : D

BTW I just payed Jennifer Whitewolf for her 604 C she had listed in the marketplace Now I'll have a matched pair of C's ....maybe I'll slip the E into one of the old AS-101's and make it a center channel. :)

No subs Vallhallax, the house is about to fall down just from these 604's severe shaking.

Bowtie I would totally describe my design as a goofy alignment. Not sure what the frequency tuning is of them.

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Originally Posted by Altec Best

Distortion,distortion,distortion ! Common sense will go along way here.Overdriving and overdriving to distortion levels with any speaker is a crap shoot with it's voice coil.

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Best advice ever but try explaining it to someone. Telling them "its when the sound starts to distort" does not always sink in and especially with younger people and their music. Most of them seem to strive for it with their booming car audio systems. :rolleyes2:

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Originally Posted by Nipper

Best advice ever but try explaining it to someone. Telling them "its when the sound starts to distort" does not always sink in and especially with younger people and their music. Most of them seem to strive for it with their booming car audio systems. :rolleyes2:

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My ears are super sensitive to Distortion ! That's why I like Altecs so much ! I start to cringe when speakers distort.I can stand about 1 second of distortion.

There's a difference between distortion and deep bass notes. I have never heard distortion from these speakers in any amount of way.

Bear in mind 50 watts is not steady state. Average radiated power is likely a watt or two most of the time...but a 20 DB peak is 100 times power....so at a watt average you could well be hitting over 100 watt peaks....
Not a problem with any good amp...many can put out several times rated power for a brief burst...

But crank it to 3 watts average and you are hitting 300 watt peaks...when the amp gets in trouble most think it's the speakers, most of the time it's amp distortion.

Any chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, so I would bet on either bad tuning, as said, or the 50 watt amp just running out of air.