miamagsdad Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Just bought a Fisher 500c in near mint condition. Should i NOT play amp for long periods of time? Say 10 hrs straight, & using a fan to cool it down. Had no idea how much HEAT tubes generated. Is this something to be concerned about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Assuming the amp is in good condition, long periods on shouldn't be an issue. However, there may be old components at the end of their lives, and with some heat and time, they will go and create assorted downstream problems. You really do have to understand the condition of the components in any old system to know how robust that system is. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Yes, I agree - who knows the "lifespan" of some of the original components will last (the output transformers are what I remember burning up). As long as they have air circulation available, convection heating/cooling will be enough; that's what they were originally designed for. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Pack it up and send it off to Craig of NOSValves. After he goes over it and it's as good as new (and he then relieves you of some of your hard earned cash), you'll never have any other questions to ask about its operation ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I agree with the above! Within reasonable limits output tubes thrive on heat.While it is true that really excessive heat will damage O/P tubes the fact is that generally speaking most tube amps are designed to run the O/P's at about 70%-80% of the tube's maximum capabilities and that generates a considerable amount of heat. Don't let the amount of heat emitted from a tube amp as opposed to the heat generated by a transistor be a cause for concern. Transistor amps do not need much heat in order to function well and in fact the heat generated by transistorised amps is an unwanted by-product for the most part. This is because electron transfer within a transistor requires little or no heat. That is not the case with tubes which require that high temperatures be applied to the cathode in order for electron flow to occur. My point is that the amount of heat emitted from a tube amp operating normally is far greater than what would expect from a transistor amp.Naturally an amp that runs hotter than normally expected for their respective design is a cause for concern. That said it is entirely normal for a tube amp to give off considerably more heat than a transistorised amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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