overdrive

Active and passive quadripoles can process certain maximum permissible potentials. Only when the applied voltage or the current flowing through is greater than the permissible potential, the operation of the quadripole is affected by a changed amplification, frequency or phase behavior. Exceeding the permissible potential is called overdriving.

Overdrive has a different effect on active quadripoles than on passive ones, since active components always operate with nonlinear characteristics. The input level range is fixed for these components and exceeding these levels causes the active components to be steered into their non-linear range and distort the signals non-linearly.

Passive components also have allowable potentials that must not be exceeded, as this will cause linear distortion. For example, the magnetic particles of magnetic tapes cannot be aligned at arbitrarily high levels because the hysteresis of the magnetic particles is nonlinear and leads to distortion.