> the low frequency stuff should be mono, so you don’t overload the bass drivers or amps on one channel, and run the risk of hitting the end stops on bass drivers at high volume, which sounds bad and can damage the speakers.

So, has anybody ever done that deliberately? Like encoding a signal that can destroy a record player or speakers? Is there a record of doom out there?!

Is this related to how English has the tendency to make negative terms mean their opposite through sarcasm and hyperbole? e.g. "literally" has been used to mean "but not literally" almost since it entered the language.