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Onkyo 706 + Heat = cooling solutions?

post #1 of 18
11/14/09 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
As all Onkyo owners know, these babies run pretty hot. I am looking to get a cooling solution for my receiver since i cannot get the full 8 inch clearance in my tv stand. I've actually removed all the shelving above it and I can only manage around 6.5 inches.

The reason for my thread is to pool how other hot onkyo owners are dealing with this issue. unfortunately, the 706 has no ac outlet in the back so what are you plugging your fans into? are they running all the time? is there a better way to cool an onkyo? heat sinks? those aluminized heat papers?

thanks. i did the prerequisite thread trolling for answers, but if there's already a different thread about the exact same issue, i'll take a link as an answer as well. all i can find are posts about people complaining about it, but not that many specific answers.

thanks.
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post #2 of 18
11/14/09 at 11:04pm
This has been discussed numerous times in the 706 owner's thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1062186

I have no problems with my 706 running hot. After a two hour movie with the volume set at -15 dB (VERY loud in my room), I can rest my hand on the top vents with no problems. I have about 3" of space between the vents and the bottom of the shelf above the 706 and the rack is open on all 4 sides.

Personally, I do not understand the complaints about the 706 (or any Onkyo for that matter) running overly hot. Any amp is going to be hot if stuffed into an enclosed cabinet like many people do. Besides, that is what heat sinks and vents are for: to dissipate the heat generated by the amp. Many people fail to realize that the DSP circuits generate quite a bit of heat. Just look at a computer. Depending on the amplifier design, many modern amplifier circuits run much cooler with much less current draw than older amps.
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post #3 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesky636 View Post

This has been discussed numerous times in the 706 owner's thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1062186

I have no problems with my 706 running hot. After a two hour movie with the volume set at -15 dB (VERY loud in my room), I can rest my hand on the top vents with no problems. I have about 3" of space between the vents and the bottom of the shelf above the 706 and the rack is open on all 4 sides.

Personally, I do not understand the complaints about the 706 (or any Onkyo for that matter) running overly hot. Any amp is going to be hot if stuffed into an enclosed cabinet like many people do. Besides, that is what heat sinks and vents are for: to dissipate the heat generated by the amp. Many people fail to realize that the DSP circuits generate quite a bit of heat. Just look at a computer. Depending on the amplifier design, many modern amplifier circuits run much cooler with much less current draw than older amps.

Excessive heat is not a friend of electronic components, or they wouldn't bother with cooling fans, shutting circuits down, and other remedies. My 875 runs hot while idling. Onkyo no more cares about the life of their receivers than Detroit did about their cars until the Japanese started killing them in the market.
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post #4 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjktcvs View Post

Excessive heat is not a friend of electronic components, or they wouldn't bother with cooling fans and other remedies. My 875 runs hot while idling. Onkyo no more cares about the life of their receivers than Detroit did about their cars until the Japanese started killing them in the market.

Define hot.

Can you rest your hand on the top of the receiver with some slight discomfort or do you get third degree burns?
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post #5 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:16am
I brought 2 120 MM fans from these guys with thier tem controller and DC power supply, placed them on the top of my 807 right corner and has been doing great. There are quite a few options out there.

http://www.coolerguys.com/cabkits12v.html
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post #6 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:29am
As I understand, the 6 and 7 models run cooler than the 5. I suspect they got tired of pro reviewers mentioning it.

Hot? I couldn't keep my hand on there for more than a few seconds, without more than "slight" discomfort. That, combined with a plasma TV, virtually dictated that I turn on the air conditioning to remain comfortable.

My Pio SC-07, which has the same rated output (140 W per channel), runs much cooler.
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post #7 of 18
11/15/09 at 9:06am
You can use this:

http://www.buyextras.com/evavcoblfanf.html
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post #8 of 18
11/15/09 at 9:22am
"Unfortunately, the 706 has no ac outlet in the back so what are you plugging your fans into?"

There are USB powered fan solutions that you can plug into your satellite or cable box if they have the connection.

I do not use a fan.
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post #9 of 18
11/15/09 at 11:43am
The fans are powered by a DC powerbrick that I plug into the regular power outlet. I control the fans by a temp controller which tunrs the fan on and off automatically.
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post #10 of 18
11/15/09 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjktcvs View Post

As I understand, the 6 and 7 models run cooler than the 5. I suspect they got tired of pro reviewers mentioning it.

Hot? I couldn't keep my hand on there for more than a few seconds, without more than "slight" discomfort. That, combined with a plasma TV, virtually dictated that I turn on the air conditioning to remain comfortable.

My Pio SC-07, which has the same rated output (140 W per channel), runs much cooler.

And how much space do you have around your AVR for ventilation?
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post #11 of 18
11/15/09 at 3:05pm
I own a 706 and yes it does get very hot. I have about 4 inches of clearance above the receiver but I use a USB fan that I got at radio shack and it works great.

I have a question however. I just recently purchased a 7 channel amp and I figured since the I'm not using the receiver's internal amps I wouldn't have any more heat issues. But the damn thing still gets hot. Any idea why?
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post #12 of 18
11/15/09 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imac Convert View Post

I own a 706 and yes it does get very hot. I have about 4 inches of clearance above the receiver but I use a USB fan that I got at radio shack and it works great.

I have a question however. I just recently purchased a 7 channel amp and I figured since the I'm not using the receiver's internal amps I wouldn't have any more heat issues. But the damn thing still gets hot. Any idea why?

The amp circuits are still powered even though there are no speakers connected plus DSP circuits generate heat.

How hot is "very hot?" Have you measured an actual temperature? Does it burn your hand to touch it?

10 or 20 years ago, amplifiers got hot. Modern amps still generate heat but many new circuit topologies cut down on that heat. However, with the proliferation of DSP circuitry in AVRs, people tend to ignore that fact that DSPs generate a fair amount of heat. The more DSP in an AVR, the more heat.
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post #13 of 18
11/15/09 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesky636 View Post

The amp circuits are still powered even though there are no speakers connected plus DSP circuits generate heat.

How hot is "very hot?" Have you measured an actual temperature? Does it burn your hand to touch it?

10 or 20 years ago, amplifiers got hot. Modern amps still generate heat but many new circuit topologies cut down on that heat. However, with the proliferation of DSP circuitry in AVRs, people tend to ignore that fact that DSPs generate a fair amount of heat. The more DSP in an AVR, the more heat.

Doesn't quite burn my hand but its fairly hot. But the fan cools it down significantly.

Thanks for the explanation. I forgot that I'm using the DSP's as well.
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post #14 of 18
11/15/09 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesky636 View Post

And how much space do you have around your AVR for ventilation?

7 to 9 inches above and to either side, with about 5 inches in the back.
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post #15 of 18
11/15/09 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imac Convert View Post

Doesn't quite burn my hand but its fairly hot. But the fan cools it down significantly.

Thanks for the explanation. I forgot that I'm using the DSP's as well.

There have been a lot of complaints that the Onkyos run hot. Without quantifying "hot," it is really hard to tell if there is really a problem or not. Although I have not measured the temp at the vents, at the end of a two hour movie played back at -15 db, I can rest my hand on the top for a minute or so before it becomes uncomfortable. I should also point out that I used to have a black and white darkroom. My water could get up to120 degrees F. That is hot! The top of my 706 is nowhere near that.
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post #16 of 18
11/15/09 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjktcvs View Post

7 to 9 inches above and to either side, with about 5 inches in the back.

The space should be more than sufficient. But if I read your post right, it sounds like the back of your cabinet is closed off? In that case, you may be trapping hot air around the unit which would make an exhaust fan (drawing air OUT from the space) useful.
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post #17 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
a couple of things. thanks for all the replies. i don't want to get into semantics of hot or not... the heat concern comes from having experienced signal drop out when i had my receiver in a tighter shelf configuration.

i was about to exchange the unit when i realized that i had less than 2 inches over top and that Onkyos need air. so once i removed all obstacles, and voila! no more signal cut outs.

now i only have an issue with a small amount of blue artifacting on the very edge of the screen when i'm running the ps3 through hdmi after i've had the receiver on for more than a few hours.

how's that for a run on sentence.

i have had no issues with the receiver otherwise, and didn't mean to sound ungrateful. i love my 706. i've only got a 2 channel set up right now, but even that has been an audio revelation compared to any htib i've had the shame of owning in the past.

i'm going to have to get something like a temp sensor to attach to many of the third party retail fans i see out there. but i think that's probably the right move in my particular case. now i have find a really QUIET one. i HATE ambient noises... even my ps3 fan bothers me if a game is on pause/mute.

i appreciate everyone's quick replies.

again. my receiver works very well - not trying to start a debate about heat or about onkyo. just looking to see what people have done when they are in a similar situation...

believe me. if i could reconfigure my entire living room, i'd have my receiver in the open, on its own (fan free) - featured in all its big black boxy glory. but the wife wants everything tucked away and neat... so fans it is!
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post #18 of 18
11/15/09 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 
would the best move here be to try to frankenstein my own out of some really cheap but quiet pc fans, a 6V power plug and a temp sensor?

or should i just quit my whining, shell out the 30USD plus shipping to canada and be done with it... i wonder...
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