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How hot is too hot for an amp to run?

post #1 of 9
3/18/12 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

So I managed to find myself a used VSX37-TX Pioneer Elite for very cheap. I picked it up and I love it so far - big upgrade over my Harman Kardon AVR-354.

Anyway, I have a couple concerns about the heating of this amplifier. Right now I have it sitting on my TV stand and it is out in the open - meaning it is not a closed cabinet, but an open glass shelf. Right now the shelf directly above the receiver sits about 2 inches above it. In the manual they state you should give it about 8 inches however with my current set-up that isn't possible.

My main concern is trying to get the most life out of this receiver that is left in it (it's 10 years old). If I need to move it off of the stand and onto something else I have no problems doing that, but I would certainly rather leave it where it is (as it looks much nicer that way).

Anyway, does anyone know when an amp is running too hot? I put my hand on it and it's quite warm - not too hot to the touch of course, but definitely warm. It warms up the room considerably as well. I just want to make sure I don't melt anything on the inside or cause any potential problems down the road as I got a swinging deal on it.

Thanks guys!

Oh and also, if someone would happen to know what kind of life I could expect out of this receiver, I would appreciate that. The receiver is in 9/10 condition - it's definitely been taken care of.
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post #2 of 9
3/18/12 at 8:42pm
You really need to give the receiver more space. Heat kills electronics.
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post #3 of 9
3/18/12 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
Done. For now I have it on the floor in complete open air, until I find a better solution.

Thanks!
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post #4 of 9
3/18/12 at 9:09pm
Yeah I would move it if its possible. I don't even like the idea of closed racks, even with proper spacing. The only failure I ever had to to heat was in a closed glass rack entertainment center. I have my current reciever on a top rack of an open rack stand near ventalation and it runs just a hair above room temperature even when pushing it to reference level volumes.
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post #5 of 9
3/19/12 at 11:54am
There are various cooler (fan) modules you can place on top to help it run cool, but with only 2" of space above even those might not work well. Most modern AVRs run pretty warm, largely due to the DSP inside. Commercial spec for componets is typically 70 - 80 degC, about 158 to 176 degF. That is down inside the AVR; if the top is hot to the touch, the inside is probably too warm.
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post #6 of 9
3/19/12 at 12:28pm
As said more room is better but you can build a cooling system for hardly nothing get 2 slim computer fans and a universal 12v mains adaptor with adjustable voltage some connection blocks and a case to put them in when wired should cost no more than 20 pound. Place the fans on top of the unit drawing hot air out of the amp.
I have 2 6inch fans on my onkyo 875 which gets hot and can get up to temps of 55-60 but with my fans it stays at about 40 and that's running the amp hard and i mean hard.
Here what mine looks like have changed it slightly and it looks better now.
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post #7 of 9
3/19/12 at 12:36pm
The fans do work, but in theory room temperature, open airspace is ideal. If using fans in a closed rack, it definitely helps, but your still just circulating hot air.
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post #8 of 9
3/19/12 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDEaston View Post

The fans do work, but in theory room temperature, open airspace is ideal. If using fans in a closed rack, it definitely helps, but your still just circulating hot air.

depends if the back of the unit is open.
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post #9 of 9
3/19/12 at 1:36pm
It doesn't sound like to me that there was any problem with your original setup. It's normal for a receiver to get warm to the touch, unless it gets too hot to touch that's not indication of it overheating. The fact that its doing a good job of heating up your room indicates that air is circulating through the receiver as it should. Your receiver was probably close to being cooled as well as it possibly can without using fans, and you probably aren't getting much benefit from putting it on the floor.

The recommended clearances given by manufactures are often ridiculous. In practice receivers are lucky to get an inch of clearance around all sides. What really matters if air can circulate in from bottom and/or sides and up through the top vents and out into the room. If it's stuck in closed or a restricted space even a foot of clearance the top might not be sufficient.
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