lukeh
Minor Hero
Posts: 24 
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Post by lukeh on Sept 26, 2016 17:59:28 GMT -5
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Post by srpawski on Sept 26, 2016 18:23:08 GMT -5
I have often been told I am full of hot air so I just blow really hard across the vents and problem solved. I figure about once every 15 minutes is all that is needed.
I am using an open Sanus rack and don't have issues with heat build up. I have about 6 inches above and below on the Sanus rack for my XPA 5 Gen 2 and no issues.
I have installed both of my BasX amps on a bookcase that is enclosed on the backside and open on the front and about half the sides. No heat build up on those either. Spacing is 6 inches. both AVRs I have generate heat even without using their internal amps. I have yet to feel my units get even lukewarm.
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Post by mercury on Sept 26, 2016 20:34:52 GMT -5
My AC Infinity 80mm (x2) USB fan with power adapter just arrived together with my Emotiva PT-100.
It is quiet and cools my DC-1 now.
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Post by lehighvalleyjeff on Sept 26, 2016 22:29:17 GMT -5
I originally purchased isolation feet from Herbie' Audio Lab (tenderfeet extra firm) for sound improvement. Frankly the sonic improvements were marginal but overall if you get the large ones they lift the component about an inch off the shelf and allow a huge improvement in ventilation. Components run cool now! |
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Post by leonski on Sept 26, 2016 22:43:02 GMT -5
Be careful blowing air INTO the cabinet. If you create stagnant air, you'll get no heat movement, either.
Air must flow UP naturally (convection) thru the amp to provide cooling. Encouraging that is a good thought.
Knocking a hole in the BACK of the cabinet and pulling air OUT might help. But that'll turn the cabinet into a dust trap. Ask me how i know.
I do an ANNUAL PM where I take the whole thing apart, clean contacts, dust, and reassemble.
I solved my amp heat problems by locating each stereo amp BEHIND each speaker and on a stand. That cooled the rack/ cabinet off dramatically.
'D' amps tend to run much cooler and this also helps.
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lukeh
Minor Hero
Posts: 24
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Post by lukeh on Sept 28, 2016 16:44:14 GMT -5
I have a sanus rack now too but I still found the amp and process got hotter than I'd like. The blowers are pulling air up through the bottom of the chassis and exhausting it away from the chassis. I've seen a 20 to 25 degree drop in chassis temperature with these running on the units. No cabinet here, at least not yet, maybe never I suppose.
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Post by The History Kid on Sept 28, 2016 17:49:28 GMT -5
Mine arrived today - the T9. I got it because the ventilation on my stack is so bad. We'll have to see how well it works. So far, I haven't broken 100 F.
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Post by The History Kid on Sept 28, 2016 21:30:14 GMT -5
Here are my observations on the T9.
Out of the box, it's light weight, which caused me to worry a bit about placement in my space - since it would require that the surge protector sit atop it. However, ACI boasts that it's safe to hold up to 30 lbs, so that would leave the surge box in the clear. It hasn't shown any kind of issue so far in that area.
Next, the fans. They run quiet and smooth - except...
God help you if you're at low volume and that fan turns on. At low volumes, the fans emit a very high frequency squelch. I considered this was because of the surge protection sitting on top of it, so I tried moving that - with no changes. Then I tried a different outlet - still no changes. No, it seems that's how this unit is. Whether it's a faulty unit or not, I'm not sure - but the squeal is definitely there, and will be noticeable if my Fusion is under 13.5 volume. Turning the fan up causes the squeal to subside - as it only seems to be apparent at low speeds - but then the fans make a fair amount of noise because - duh - they're on high. I'd say that the fans could inject as much as 5 dB of noise, but I haven't had a chance to measure that yet.
The probe is reporting my ambient cab temperature with units off at 78-82 F. With units on and idle, between 87-91 F. With units on and running, between 88-94 F. I attribute that to the fact that the ambient room temperature right now is between 70-78 F, and will ultimately fall this winter to between 64-70 F. Thus, I don't foresee this unit seeing much action until the spring/summer months, where temperatures in the room frequently meet or exceed 80 F. I have the fan unit set to activate at 100 F, and the alarm to tone at 105 F.
The controls themselves were easy enough to use. I'm still trying to understand the USB ports on the back, unless they're for additional fans that ACI sells to be placed elsewhere.
All that being said, I want to let it do what it does for a couple of weeks before I make my final call on it. I don't foresee the need to have the fan on at low volume levels as it is, so the issues I'm having may be moot altogether. However, if someone out there is using this unit and has the thermostat set to activate at a temp that is met at low volumes, the T9 might not be the one for you - or I just have a faulty unit out of the box...
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Post by rbk123 on Sept 29, 2016 8:41:36 GMT -5
This is why I actually prefer the fans integrated into the chassis like Emo did with the UPA series. Heatsinks alone, no matter how big, usually are just not enough and I'd rather have my fans integrated than have to cobble something external. No different than PC's yet when it comes to amps people have this mindset that heatsinks only are a must, and then go out fashion some external air flow setup.
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Post by leonski on Sept 29, 2016 13:02:57 GMT -5
This is why I actually prefer the fans integrated into the chassis like Emo did with the UPA series. Heatsinks alone, no matter how big, usually are just not enough and I'd rather have my fans integrated than have to cobble something external. No different than PC's yet when it comes to amps people have this mindset that heatsinks only are a must, and then go out fashion some external air flow setup. PCs have been fighting the 'heat wars' nearly from the beginning. Water Cooled is a very good, if QUITE complex solution. The trouble with cooling stereo is that most cooling solutions involving fans, ALSO make noise. And passive solutions DO work, but heatsinks are heavy and take up a LOT of space in a proper design. The designs with 'side fins' seem to make good use of available airflow (convection) as well as being a nice design feature. The OTHER downside of a heatsinked design which accounts for the maximum heat output of an amp is SHIPPING costs and the size of the shipping container. Both ADD costs to the end user for what may NOT be needed features. The Pass Labs 60 watt MONO 'A' amp weighs 88lb. I suspect MOST of the weight is in heatsink and power supply. 'D' amps, which are easily in the 80% efficiency range (PLUG to SPEAKER) are a good solution, at the expense of SOME specifications. For various reasons, a 'D' amp will not put out maximum RMS power for long time periods. |
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Post by rbk123 on Sept 29, 2016 15:08:36 GMT -5
The trouble with cooling stereo is that most cooling solutions involving fans, ALSO make noise. And passive solutions DO work Of course passive solutions do work. They work in PC's and laptops as well. The problem is they don't always work hence why you have this very popular thread. However the concern of a fan in an amp making noise is laughable. The amp is going to be so far from the listening position that the case fan won't be heard. Even then, they would have to be louder than the music/movie you are hearing/watching. If fan noise was a worry, this thread wouldn't have all these examples of external fans as a solution, which are far louder than case fans. |
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Post by Chuck Elliot on Sept 29, 2016 15:29:41 GMT -5
A lot depends on the quality of the fan being used. The fans in my HTPC were very annoying until I swapped them out for low noise Noctura fans.
I have used Noctura fans in both of my setups and they are great!
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Post by Gary Cook on Sept 29, 2016 15:34:55 GMT -5
No fans anywhere near my gear, ensure sufficient space in between and let convection do the job. My view is that Emotiva engineered them without fans and incorporated sufficient cooling to operate within the design parameters of the components they used.
Cheers
Gary
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Post by The History Kid on Sept 29, 2016 15:43:31 GMT -5
No fans anywhere near my gear, ensure sufficient space in between and let convection do the job. My view is that Emotiva engineered them without fans and incorporated sufficient cooling to operate within the design parameters of the components they used. I personally would prefer this approach, but one must always be conscious that there are situations where such space is not permissible. I am having trouble seeing the benefit of a unit like the T8 would have. Seems to me that if you're not getting proper ventilation through the top of a unit, that's more of a design flaw or problem with the unit, not something that should require an outboard unit. That being said - the T9 - like what I have, displaces heat to the rear. That's a big thing for me, since I don't have space to not stack gear on top of another. So displacing heat to the rear/outside of the cabinet is a huge help. That being said - I'm still not getting temperature readings that have required the fan to engage. Emo gear seems to run pretty cool. |
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Post by leonski on Sept 29, 2016 16:02:52 GMT -5
A lot depends on the quality of the fan being used. The fans in my HTPC were very annoying until I swapped them out for low noise Noctura fans. I have used Noctura fans in both of my setups and they are great! I thought Noctua was my secret. Running a 12vdc fan on 9 volts makes it even QUIETER. |
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Post by Chuck Elliot on Sept 29, 2016 16:20:50 GMT -5
A lot depends on the quality of the fan being used. The fans in my HTPC were very annoying until I swapped them out for low noise Noctura fans. I have used Noctura fans in both of my setups and they are great! I thought Noctua was my secret. Running a 12vdc fan on 9 volts makes it even QUIETER. Most LN Noctura fans come with an adapter to run the fan at a lower voltage. If your equipment is tight, as some of mine is, it is a must. My XPA-5 only has 1" of clearance to the rack above. 2 90mm Noctura fans blow a silent breeze over the top of the unit and it runs cool. On an aside, I just built up a Gigabyte BRIX box. The spec says no cooling fans required. I still put 2 40mm Nocture fans on one of the air intake ports. Without the fans the unit runs at 65C with the fans 43C. Heat decreases MTBF - A known fact! |
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Post by leonski on Sept 29, 2016 17:16:14 GMT -5
Careful blowing over the TOP of anything. you might restrict airflow and actually create a hotspot.
My last PC was built using a LianLi case. it had 2 filtered intake fans. A TOP fan blowing out and aback panel fan, also blowing OUT.
The power supply had a fan on full-time AND a 2nd fan with a thermister control on about 15" of wire, which i placed UNDER the CPU.
I replaced the STOCK Intel cooling with a Copper /Aluminum 'Mushroom' design and let the fan run full-speed. It was noisy but ran cool.
Noctua makes both DC fans and PWM fans which need some kind of controller. These types of fans POTENTIALLY introduce NOISE into
a system so I'd stick with a wall-wart connected to a power conditioner and run my fans on DC.
I'd install FILTERS on ANY fan blowing INTO a computer. Dust will kill it too, and only somewhat slower than cooking it. Make cleaning the
filters a REGULAR PM item. Maybe make an adapter and run an automotive-style Cabin AirFilter? They're cheap and available.
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Post by Loop 7 on Nov 23, 2016 1:42:35 GMT -5
I ended up going with a Salamander rack that is open on all sides. For the amp, there's a rather odd looking 7" of space between the top of the unit and the next shelf.
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Post by vneal on Nov 23, 2016 7:03:06 GMT -5
I have been fortunate. Never a heat issue. My amp can run a week at a time & just be slightly warm
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Post by bluemeanies on Nov 23, 2016 7:43:58 GMT -5
I have thick glass shelves...totally open. Front, back and sides. No problem with any condensed heat situations. My Outlaw 7700 sits on a bottom shelf with at least four inches of space betweeen it and the glass shelf above which supports my Outlaw 990. My tubes are on top shelves with plenty of room to breath.
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