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RR Copland CD speaker killer?

I am wondering if someone with some know-how would like to guess what my technical problem is. I have Aerial Model 6's. When I play the Fanfare for the Common Man from the RR Copland CD the field drum makes my speakers crackle (that's the best word to describe the sound, which seems to come from the tweeter?!). This phenomena happened while the speakers were being driven by my old 300 watt amp (McIntosh) and still my new Rowland Concentra (the 100 watt version). So is it the amp clipping or is the speaker taking in too much power to try to reproduce the drum, even from the Concentra? (I am not sure what kind of peaks it can produce). As a test I did listen to my disk with headphones, and it does not crackle. At lower levels it also does not crackle on the speakers. I am talking normal listening levels here, as well; nothing ear splitting by any means. So are the speakers wimpy or what? This is the ONLY recording (out of many "heavy duty spectacular" types)I have that can make these speakers do this...any ideas?
jimmy2615
twl
3,251 posts
 
Sean, the source input could be within acceptable limits, except for real strong peaks like this one, and still sound fine normally. Overload only on strong peaks can happen. It may or may not be the case here though. In fact, since we don't know any more than what we've been told, we really aren't sure what it is, yet. Also, if it is in the CD like Keithr says, then we're all barking up the wrong tree anyway. But, I enjoy trying to figure problems out like this, it's fun. And if there really is no problem and it's on the CD, it's a lot better for Jimmy than to have something wrong with his system.
jimmy2615 OP
232 posts
 
Thanks again for your informative responses - I am impressed here with your level of interest/help. That been said, I won't dispute Keith's post, but I will repeat (see earlier) that when I plugged in headphones to this recording (back when I had the McIntosh C-15/MC-300 combination) the recording was clear (no sonic imperfections). For what it's worth, also, this CD has been named in some magazines as a great recording - even for the RR label (having read those reviews, and hearing nothing about an imperfection, I assumed it was my system). Anyway, as for the theory of the woofer overextending, I suppose that is very possible. And I have watched them during this passage. But it is too fast to see, presumably. Unlike other recordings I have (organ of Holst's "The Planets", Raven Records (astonishing BTW), wherein the woofers are "bellowing" in and out very quickly (I would think around 30 Hz) for some low notes and producing absolutely no sound whatsoever (I can tell something LOW is present from my Strom III), the Copland CD does not show me any visual signs of the woofers moving extensively. Incidentally, when I play the aforementioned organ CD at HIGH volumes, those woofers look like they're about to explode, yet nothing happens. So (at length...) I wonder about the overextension theory, as I have seen these things move at about 1" limits but with no similar sound. But that does not rule it out of course.
As for dismantling my tweeters, I am not sure I have the stomach for that. Is it no big deal?
I guess what I was hoping to hear was that other people had the same experience with this CD - that it was a "speaker killer," as Keith suggests...
stehno
1,453 posts
 
My apologies. My Copland cd is Telarc not Reference Recording. But there are some serious kettle drum or some kind of drum episodes that I've cranked quite loudly and thoroughly enjoy it.
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