Before I get into things, let me clear up what I mean by clipping. Clipping in this case is:
NOT: Mechanical/Speaker cone clipping
NOT: Clipping from the amplifier
YES: Clipping from the MP3 Sound source
Basically, while browsing through my music library today (which consists of about 4000 songs), I discovered that many of them are clipped. Many are clipped on the bass, while many others are clipped on highs (i.e. snares or hats). (Most of the bassed-out rap I have, with sustained low frequencies, ironically, is not clipped).
Upon further investigation I concluded that most of the tracks are not clipped for more than a few samples (a fraction of a second) at a time. Some songs may have a lot of clipping but there are not really any parts of the songs that feature sustained clipping. All in all, most of the music sounds fine, it's just that an analysis shows it as clipped.
I don't usually push my stereo that hard, and when I do, it is only for about 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
My question is, how bad are these files for my speakers? Should I be seriously worried about damaging my equipment? What tips do any of you have for alleviating any potential problems it may cause?