Amplifiers in a Heat Wave?

[Islander]

Here on the Island, and in all of southern BC, we’re experiencing never-before seen high temperatures, with National all-time records in the mid-40s Celsius being broken.

 

I’ve noticed my usually very cool-running Class D power amps are very hot to the touch, showing temperatures over 50C/122F on my small pyrometer, like the handheld ones used to check for high temps of people at risk for COVID.  

 

As a result, I turned them off for the first time in 3 years, and I’ll content myself with either the sounds of the city or the TV until this heat wave is over.  Have you guy noticed your amps and associated gear operating at much higher than normal temps during heat waves, and did you ignore it, or shut your systems down until the weather cooled? Or do you have A/C, so it’s not an issue?

[Schu]

it's quite funny... I discovered this last weekend that my new ATI class D runs surprisingly warm... much more than I had thought would have been possible for a class D amplifier.

In my case, it really isn't due to environmental conditions in my case because my home is a constant temperature... it probably has more to do with the linear power supplies pair of gigantic toroidal transformers.

 

My Bel Cantos were based on ICE modules and they actually recommended that they be left on 24/7 and were ALWAYS cool to the touch... I wont do that with this ATI nCore unit.

[parlophone1]

My Kenwood C1 is also almost cold most of the year.

But now, as temperatures are over 30C, it gets noticeably warmer. I can still hold my palm over the amp and it does not go past that even after a few hours of playing.

[Islander]

It was recommended to me by a Yamaha rep that I should leave my amplifiers on, so they've been on since 2018, and they're normally just a bit warm to the touch.  When I asked him about leaving the receiver on, he said that was a bit more complicated because of the display, which would lose its brightness over time.  I recently found a simple way to get around that by putting the receiver in Pure Direct Mode, which turns off all non-audio circuits, and turns off the display.  It turns back on momentarily when you adjust the volume.

 

Since the room temperature only increased by 10-15 degrees C above its usual level, I was surprised to find the amps were running so much hotter than normal.  Could it be that the cooling fins are sized to provide adequate cooling at room temperature, without enough reserve capacity in warmer conditions?

[parlophone1]

23 hours ago, Islander said:

Since the room temperature only increased by 10-15 degrees C above its usual level, I was surprised to find the amps were running so much hotter than normal.  Could it be that the cooling fins are sized to provide adequate cooling at room temperature, without enough reserve capacity in warmer conditions?

 

I don't know about that. But if the Yamaha rep said that is all good, I do not see a reason to worry.

What type of amplifier is that? 

I also have Onkyo stereo receiver, which is probably AB class. It gets pretty warm even in normal room temperatures. Therefore I turn it off after listening music. It has Pure Direct Mode like the one you have described above and it operates the same way.

[mustang_flht]

Hi,

My Tube Cary is heating up, this is normal, the tubes themselves are very hot.
My old McIntosh MC2125 in Class B hardly gets hot: around 25/30 ° C on the radiators.
My Perspective Classe AB heats moderately: 50/60 ° C on the radiators.
My new PAS audio 2002 PCA does not get hot: 30/40 ° C on the radiators.

 

I live in the South of France it is on average 32 to 38 ° C in summer, the region's record 46 ° C in 2019, I have had air conditioning for 3 years, it is around 24/25 ° C in the rooms in summer, so the CARY can operate normally even in summer now. But it is true that before when I did not have the air conditioning the amps were hotter in the summer, even if here traditionally we cool the house at night and we close the shutters during the day to protect it from the sun and the heat the day.

 

[mustang_flht]

@Islander

 

If your amp has cooling that works by convection, that is to say without fan:

- In first: you can lower the temperature of your amp by raising it by 12 or 20mm (about 0.50 or 0.75 inch) in addition even if it has already feet. Leave the radiators and the air vents fully open.

- And after: if your amp is in a shelf, try to free the air around with a space on the sides and above of about 4 "(10cm) if possible, especially above .

 

👍

[Islander]

Temperatures here have cooled a bit to the high 20Cs, so I’ve turned my system back on.  The amps and receiver are warm, but I haven’t checked their temperature yet.  I’ll do it once they’ve been on for 24 hours and had time to settle in to hopefully normal temps.

[Islander]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:47 PM, parlophone1 said:

 

I don't know about that. But if the Yamaha rep said that is all good, I do not see a reason to worry.

What type of amplifier is that? 

I also have Onkyo stereo receiver, which is probably AB class. It gets pretty warm even in normal room temperatures. Therefore I turn it off after listening music. It has Pure Direct Mode like the one you have described above and it operates the same way.

 

Onkyo receivers are often reported to run a bit warm, but their owners generally like them.  My speakers are bi-amped, so I’m using a pair of Yamaha MX-D1 power amplifiers, one for bass and one for treble, and using an Electro-Voice Dx38 active electronic processor/crossover instead of the passive crossovers in the speakers.  This cuts down on distortion and helps improve clarity.

 

The MX-D1 was a statement product by Yamaha.  It was made in 2005, using the best materials and design, but like Acura with their NSX, a high-end product from a mid-range company can be a hard sell, no matter how good it is.  The MX-D1 was made for only a couple of years, and now used ones are hard to find, because owners rarely sell them.

[Islander]

10 hours ago, mustang_flht said:

Hi,

My Tube Cary is heating up, this is normal, the tubes themselves are very hot.
My old McIntosh MC2125 in Class B hardly gets hot: around 25/30 ° C on the radiators.
My Perspective Classe AB heats moderately: 50/60 ° C on the radiators.
My new PAS audio 2002 PCA does not get hot: 30/40 ° C on the radiators.

 

I live in the South of France it is on average 32 to 38 ° C in summer, the region's record 46 ° C in 2019, I have had air conditioning for 3 years, it is around 24/25 ° C in the rooms in summer, so the CARY can operate normally even in summer now. But it is true that before when I did not have the air conditioning the amps were hotter in the summer, even if here traditionally we cool the house at night and we close the shutters during the day to protect it from the sun and the heat the day.

 

 

My MX-D1 amps usually run at 30-35C, so seeing them at 55-58C seemed abnormal, thus my concern.

[babadono]

Yes ambient temperature effects the temperature of electronic devices that are dissipating power.

Thank you Dr. Obvious.

Perhaps a muffin fan blowing over the amp/heatsinks would be prudent.....or like you did give'em a rest

[Islander]

10 minutes ago, babadono said:

Yes ambient temperature effects the temperature of electronic devices that are dissipating power.

Thank you Dr. Obvious.

Perhaps a muffin fan blowing over the amp/heatsinks would be prudent.....or like you did give'em a rest

 

This was the first time in nearly 15 years that I’ve seen the power amps get this hot, which is why I was concerned.  Maybe it’s been too long since I owned a bike with an air-cooled engine.  I may have become too accustomed to devices that run at around the same temperature, no matter what the ambient temperature may be.

[billybob]

All electronics live longer in a cool dry environment. 70 degrees ideal range.

[mustang_flht]

Yamaha Slimline, I repeat it is necessary to raise them during the hot period that you are living at the moment to increase the convection and cool the amp 😉

[MC39693]

@Islander, my Luxman R-117 is in with Daniel Daigle for its first ever overhaul so I’ve left all electronics off... even been reading with a flashlight!

[Islander]

That's extreme!