1n4001 1n4002 breakdown voltage effect distortion???

[GrantsV]

I understand that breakdown voltages are:

1n4001 50v
1n4002 100v

Does this mean that 1n4001 clips at lower signal level than 1n4001?  If so does this mean 1n4002 has higher output but less clipping???

Thanks for your help,
GrantsV

[MartyMart]

When used as "clipping diodes" there will be a very slight difference and
a touch more output from the 1N4002 ( I use both quite a lot and swop them without much change ! )
When used as "power protection diodes" one is 50v and the other is double that.
So, this doesn't translate to "clipping"/volume increases at all ...

Marty.

[Brett Clark]

Breakdown voltage is specified in the "reverse" direction - with the Cathode (striped end) more positive than the Anode. In the reverse direction, the diode allows very little current to flow (there is a small "leakage current") until the breakdown voltage is reached. At breakdown, the diode suddenly begins conducting current, and may be damaged or destroyed, unless it's a diode intended for reverse operation(a Zener or its more exotic cousins).

The voltage that matters in a diode clipping circuit is the Forward Voltage (Vf) . In general, all normal silicon diodes have a low-current Vf somewhere around 0.6V. The diodes with higher breakdown voltage do tend to have slightly higher Vf, but only a few 0.01V's higher. It should make almost no difference in clipping/output level.

Different types of diodes can have very different sounds in clippers, but this is mostly because of the differing junction capacitance, not Vf. The 1N400X series are relatively "slow", high capacitance diodes, which may produce less high-frequency harmonics in clipping circuits.