Systems and methods for over-current protection in all-digital amplifiers using low-cost current sensing mechanisms. An over-current hard clipping unit receives a digital audio signal, clips the signal according to a clip level, and provides the signal to a modulator. The modulator modulates the signal to produce, e.g., a PWM signal and provides the modulated signal to an output stage which generates an output current to drive a speaker. An over-current sensing unit is compares the output current to a threshold value and generates a binary signal indicating whether the output current exceeds the threshold value. The hard clipping unit receives the binary signal and ramps down the clip level during time periods in which the binary signal indicates that the output current exceeds the threshold. When the binary signal indicates that the output current does not exceed the threshold value, the hard clipping unit ramps up the clip level.