Heat in class A equipment

Hot amps are very handy in cold Ireland :))

I had a Threshold 4000 amp(ClassA) for nearly 40 y...recapped once, never a single problem....only recapped as a precaution....Nelson Pass claims capacitor life much longer than many say....currently using Pass Labs X250.8...it does improve as it warms up, so I routinely turn it on about 30 m before listening....the amp runs warm to touch,NOT HOT, and of course the temp equilibrates throughout the unit....it is designed for that heat, and I have no doubt its life span will equal my prior Pass design.....

Hi XCool

I do like that cooling device and at only 25db you can't hear that at all. 

Hi Millercarbon

I have seen many of your posts and they are always well thought out.  Not sure about your comment about IR thermometers but they have lots of uses in both automotive and many electrical purposes.  A good one will only cost about $100 and lots of useful purposes. 

Always thanks for your insights and audio on!

Heat as the only enemy to electronics is not as simple as people say. Yes heat is one of the contributing factors to the demise of electronics but the actual failure comes from the heating and cooling cycle. Any good engineer will only use products with a heat rating that will work for the application. We all know the basic facts the heat will cause expansion and cooling will cause contraction. It is this cycle that will cause small cracks snd fractures in components. This is where the argument comes in to turn on and leave on as this eliminates the heating cooking cycle and will allow a component to run for a long time.

Ugh here we go....Sugden has been making Class A amps since 1967! Some of those amps are still going strong today with little to NO service! Go take a gander at the heat sinks on say, an A21 integrated.....massive!

Beautiful, holographic, rich, full bodied sound.