if i have a very low quality music file can it damage my speakers
It certainly can effect audio quality with your choice of speakers. Garbage in garbage out is a general rule that applies in this case. To have a high quality music file, music should be downloaded at a higher 128 bit rate, which is so often the standard or the default position on computers. No need to read the entire link below, however, it best answers the cause and effect of low-high quality audio run through speakers. Its in lay-mens terms so I could understand what they were saying. Best.
No, it cannot damage the speakers, unless you have an amp that has more power than your speaker can handle, and you blow it at super high volumes. You may hear some cracking, distortion when playing a low quality music, but it's the music that has the distortions, and noises etc. When you listen to music in extremely high volumes, and you hear cracking sound, now that's when your speaker start to damage.
Your speakers do not know the difference between a signal that is clipped by the amplifier and one that was clipped during the recording process. Clipped is clipped. So if you play it too loud it could damage your speakers. If you connect your speakers to a very tiny amplifier with only a couple watts power and then drive that tiny amplifier into hard clipping, it should not damage speakers of any substantial size and capability. As you increase the size of the amplifier and then drive it to clipping the greater the chance of damaging the speakers. Having a clipped signal going into your nice big amplifier is like turning the volume control into an amplifier size adjustment. The signal is clipped to begin with so it's as though the amplifier is being driven into clipping even when it's not. Increasing the volume is like increasing the size of the amplifier that is being clipped. Eventually it will reach a level that will damage the speakers. mk
not inevitably. i've got used low-value ones that worked basically as stable. Its all in the way they're made. stable high quality cables are costly, so if there's a definite form you desire to apply, decide for it.
Generally I would say no, unless the music file is distorted and played and high levels. Speaker damage generally occurs ether when the amplifier is being over-driven and clips sending a loud and distorted signal to the speakers, or the speakers are played louder then what they are capable of reproducing. Kevin 35 years hi-end audio video specialist
