Where would you measure temp?

I'd look for the warmest spot on top of the amp.

Since the heatsinks are there to dissipate heat from the output devices, I would say the heatsinks would be the place to measure temperature from.

.

What is the spec for how hot it should get? Don't think I've ever seen that specified.

.

I second Herman's comment. The question is unanswerable without knowing what location on the particular amplifier the spec is defined for.

The only temperature specs for amplifiers that I can recall seeing are either for ambient temperature (i.e., the temperature of the surrounding environment), or for the heat sink temperatures in the specific case of some of the Pass Labs amps. The manuals for some of the Pass Labs amps talk about heat sink temperatures being about 25 degC above ambient (i.e., typically 50 degC or so), with thermal protection mechanisms kicking in at 75 degC.

Regards,
-- Al

Thanks for your input guys.

The amp is Spectral and my question was poorly stated, sorry. The spec states, similar to Al's guess, that thermal threshold is 185 F but was wondering where is this temperature being measured? Here a paste from the spec...

Operating Temperature: 0 deg. to +50 deg. Cesius range,
32 deg. to +122 deg. Fahrenheit
Protection Features:
DC Protection Servo: .5 volt range
Current Limit Onset: 90 Amps
Thermal Threshold: Protects at 85 deg. Censius,
185 deg. Fahrenheit

Richard, I took a look at some pictures showing various Spectral amps with the top cover removed, including the DMA-360 which I suspect is what you've got, based on the current limit spec. There is a large, thick, light-colored rectangular metal plate (aluminum?) just inside the rear panel, adjacent to the heat sinks on the rear, which appears to be where the output transistors are mounted. I suspect that the thermal sensor(s) is/are mounted somewhere on that plate.

Taking the reading with the cover removed, though, would presumably lower the temperature somewhat. My guess would be that measuring from the outside instead, on the rear panel at the base of the heat sink fins, would provide a reasonably good approximation.

Keep in mind also that since this apparently is not a Class A design the temperature will rise considerably if music is played at high volume for a significant amount of time, compared to the temperature for no signal conditions.

Regards,
-- Al

Al...thanks so much for taking the time to check that information. Sounds logical to me and should be plenty close enough for my curiosity. You are correct, they are 360's and I do plan to take the samples after some decent use. It's not critical at all so I am not taking into account too many variables. It's mostly my curiosity.

A general comment about the amps while I'm on the subject...amazing. Listening as I type and I am astounded by the detail, speed, accuracy, clarity, depth...I could go on and on but nothing I have heard in my 30 yrs at this can do what Spectral can. Having said that, I am always surprised that they do not come up often in discussion. I assume it is the limited dealer network/production and possibly the specific system demands Spectral equipment requires but despite all of that I would still expect them to be mentioned more often. These amps are a decade old design and I would put them up against many of the new luxury car priced amps being marketed today. Ok...fanboy rant over!