I just checked the CPU temp of my Raspberry Pi music server. It’s at 58 C. My Dell laptop, which I’m using to type this response, is running at 52 C. For computer electronics you typically don’t have anything to worry about until the temp goes over 85 C, and even then there is some headroom left. That should also apply to other solid state electronics. (Tubes are a different story...)
How hot is too hot?
I am running a Gryphon Diablo 300 to drive a pair of Magico A3. My room size is around 3m*4.5M. I usually listen at around the 80db level, mainly to jazz and classical music.
My room temperature is almost always kept at 26 degrees Celsius in the summer. After operating after an hour or so, the heat sinks of the 300 often gets up to 50 degrees with the top cover at 38 degrees. My dealer told me these temperatures are normal but I feel this is hot (too hot?).
I should also add that the amp is placed on the top of a flat open shelf so there is no question on ventilation.
Any experience by other Diablo 300 users to share?
TIA!
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Anything you do to reduce the temperature inside a power amplifier will extend the lifetime of some components, most notably electrolytic capacitors. This becomes important sooner or later. FWIW, the interior temp I measure on my big Krells hovers in the 130s F. The temperatures inside digital processor chips may not have so much to do with power amplifier temperatures. As far as what to do, first, my larger amplifiers are all basically at floor level -- where the air is cooler. Being something of a "swap-a-holic", I've built dollies for my amps, with large openings on the bottoms. The bottoms of the dollies are essentially rectangular frames, and are three or four inches above the carpet, to allow air to flow in unobstructed. I would not want to introduce any fans for concern of acoustic or electrical noise. Cheers. |
The efficiency of a heat sink can be greatly improved by disturbing the boundary layer that forms at the heatsink/air interface. It's like wind chill. This doesn't take much. Measure the temperature of the heatsink and then gently move the air around it with a folded paper fan and measure the temperature again. You should see the temperature go down substantially. It will give you an idea of how little air movement is needed and a full fan, like those in a PC, is not needed as you do not have an enclosure that would trap the heat. |
@2psyop ....and one can diy the relative same by shopping ’raw’ computer fans. Been fanning since Houston, so been cool for decades now. Have considered fanning voice coils, since I ’push’ some things harder than usual. |
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