I'm sorry but, I don't see where he said an amplifier
will put out 10 decibals peak.
Are sure your not mistaken his explaination for input
signal?
Take a look at Bink's Amplifier Shootout spread sheet.
You'll find the older amplifiers offering more power,
the when you go beyond the clip light. They don't back
off. They will distort, but, they will still increase
their output.
However, some of the newer amplifiers, are designed
to limit the output when driven severely into clip.
Some will even shutdown, if you try too exceed the
maximum input signal.
Nowadays, Amplifier companies are making their
amplifiers more aware of the overly abusive customer.
Back To Chuck McGregor.
One of the reasons I recomend Mr. McGregor's notes, is
due to acknowledging, the Thermal & Mechanical limits
of the speaker.
If I fed 25 Hertz to a JBL 2241 @ 300 watts,
and you fed 50 Hertz to a JBL 2241 @ 600 watts,
my speaker will be closer to its mechanical limit
than yours.
By Mr. McGregor mentioning this (Thermal/Mechanical limits)
he's saying, there is no guarantee the speaker will offer
XYZ watts. It all depends on the program material.
While JBL states low power is no good, they don't
state that too much power is also no good. You can
exceed a speakers mechanical limit way before you reach
the thermal limit.
Best Regards,