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Post by aeneas01 on Mar 12, 2018 5:25:55 GMT -5
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Post by audiobill on Mar 12, 2018 5:34:50 GMT -5
I would never stack power amps like that........
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Post by bluemeanies on Mar 12, 2018 5:41:22 GMT -5
Not being vacicious but what kind of ventilation can you be getting stacking those amplifiers like that? When I had XPA1's they were on there own racks totally open, front,back and sides with at least 3.5 inches of clearance from the rack above. |
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Post by aeneas01 on Mar 12, 2018 5:44:13 GMT -5
I would never stack power amps like that........ yeah, doesn't seem like the best approach, but there is no shortage of hi-fi, often high-end hi-fi, equipment images on the net that show racks with components stacked right on top of each other, separated by nothing more than the unit's rubber feet... re the burning smell i mentioned, any thoughts? |
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Post by audiobill on Mar 12, 2018 5:46:23 GMT -5
Not specifically, but do a little research on the effects of heat on capacitors, etc.
You'll replace or repair amps much sooner than needed.
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Post by Boomzilla on Mar 12, 2018 6:57:01 GMT -5
Rule of thumb - 1.5 to 2 inches of ventilation above EVERY power amplifier (and that's if they're NOT stacked, and have room-temperature air supply at their bottoms).
If you stack amps, then double the overhead ventilation distance.
Your stack (and inside a rack to boot) is asking for trouble.
"Pro" amps are made for close proximity (yours are not), but to handle the heat, the pro amps are fan-cooled, and have their ventilation from front-to-back, not from bottom-to-top.
In short, I'm not at all surprised that you're smelling burning, and things are (rapidly) going to get worse once parts begin cooking.
Fix your ventilation or buy a bunch of new amps. Your choice.
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klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,092
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Post by klinemj on Mar 12, 2018 7:41:51 GMT -5
Agree with others that you have a lot of heating element stacked on top of each others. I do have my XMC-1 on top of an XPA-5, but I have spacers that lift the XMC-1 at least an inch. FYI, I use some really exotic materials for my spacers...Home depot carries foam and felt furniture sliders. They work great as spacers also. This one I link mentions adhesive, but the ones I have don't have anything sticky on them...just foam and felt. -->CLICK HERE TO SEE AN EXAMPLE!<---Mark |
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Post by mack71 on Mar 12, 2018 7:59:56 GMT -5
An intense smell is a normal phenomenon for new Emo. I had it with Xpa 1 gene 2 and Xsp -1. In a few days the smell will go away. I see that you have Xpa1- gen1, which is less hot than gene 2 (class A), but it is worth to provide for better ventilation. Too high temperature shortens the life of each device. |
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Post by davidl81 on Mar 12, 2018 8:13:21 GMT -5
I think the pictures that the OP posted are not pictures of his setup, but pictures on other people's setup that he is using as an example.
OP, Can you post a picture of your setup? What kind of doors are you speaking about?
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Post by mack71 on Mar 12, 2018 8:22:28 GMT -5
You're right, I'm sorry I did not read the last sentence. But I confirm from my own experience that an intense smell is a normal phenomenon for new EMOs and disappears after a few days I think the pictures that the OP posted are not pictures of his setup, but pictures on other people's setup that he is using as an example. OP, Can you post a picture of your setup? What kind of doors are you speaking about? |
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Post by emofrmcgy on Mar 12, 2018 9:39:50 GMT -5
My old mps-2 would emit a burning smell when pushed to moderate levels right up until the day I sold it. (I was told it was normal and not to worry about it by emo support)
I stack my amps in my audio rack but use active cooling to draw the warm air out of the amps. All of my old emo amps were perfectly fine with this, we discussed it it numerous occasions. 😉😉
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Post by aeneas01 on Mar 12, 2018 11:15:15 GMT -5
Rule of thumb - 1.5 to 2 inches of ventilation above EVERY power amplifier (and that's if they're NOT stacked, and have room-temperature air supply at their bottoms). If you stack amps, then double the overhead ventilation distance. Your stack (and inside a rack to boot) is asking for trouble. "Pro" amps are made for close proximity (yours are not), but to handle the heat, the pro amps are fan-cooled, and have their ventilation from front-to-back, not from bottom-to-top. In short, I'm not at all surprised that you're smelling burning, and things are (rapidly) going to get worse once parts begin cooking. Fix your ventilation or buy a bunch of new amps. Your choice. not sure i follow? the photos i posted are not of my rack/system - instead the photos show examples of 6 different emotiva owners who have stacked their "bottom-to-top ventilation / non-pro amps" on top of each other... and as i mentioned, there is no shortage of such photos if one google images the topic, tons of other examples of the exact same thing, all kinds of "bottom-to-top ventilation / non-pro" amps stacked on top of each other, not just emotiva amps... a large percentage of these photos show high end equipment setups to boot, you would think if stacking was such a component killer, i.e. such a no-no, it would be difficult to find such photos... but to be clear, i'm not saying this approach is fine, just commenting that it seems that a ton of folks do it, even folks who would seemingly know better (assuming it is bad for their equipment) given the obvious financial investment they have in their equipment. but back to my original question, about the burning smell... as i mentioned i have lots of space above each amp (4"+), and my cabinet is well ventilated (rack mount fans that circulate from top to bottom and out the back)... i've never had this issue with any other equipment, so it (the smell) threw me for a loop... but it sounds like, from a couple of other posts, that this may be "normal" for emotiva amps, and will eventually go away, fingers crossed. |
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Post by davidl81 on Mar 12, 2018 11:19:04 GMT -5
Rule of thumb - 1.5 to 2 inches of ventilation above EVERY power amplifier (and that's if they're NOT stacked, and have room-temperature air supply at their bottoms). If you stack amps, then double the overhead ventilation distance. Your stack (and inside a rack to boot) is asking for trouble. "Pro" amps are made for close proximity (yours are not), but to handle the heat, the pro amps are fan-cooled, and have their ventilation from front-to-back, not from bottom-to-top. In short, I'm not at all surprised that you're smelling burning, and things are (rapidly) going to get worse once parts begin cooking. Fix your ventilation or buy a bunch of new amps. Your choice. not sure i follow? the photos i posted are not of my rack/system - instead the photos show examples of 6 different emotiva owners who have stacked their "bottom-to-top ventilation / non-pro amps" on top of each other... and as i mentioned, there is no shortage of such photos if one google images the topic, tons of other examples of the exact same thing, all kinds of "bottom-to-top ventilation / non-pro" amps stacked on top of each other, not just emotiva amps... a large percentage of these photos show high end equipment setups to boot, you would think if stacking was such a component killer, i.e. such a no-no, it would be difficult to find such photos... but to be clear, i'm not saying this approach is fine, just commenting that it seems that a ton of folks do it, even folks who would seemingly know better (assuming it is bad for their equipment) given the obvious financial investment they have in their equipment. but back to my original question, about the burning smell... as i mentioned i have lots of space above each amp (4"+), and my cabinet is well ventilated (rack mount fans that circulate from top to bottom and out the back)... i've never had this issue with any other equipment, so it (the smell) threw me for a loop... but it sounds like, from a couple of other posts, that this may be "normal" for emotiva amps, and will eventually go away, fingers crossed. I have never had that smell before, but I have a new A-700 as well so when I install it I will let you know if that happens to me. It sounds like heat is not really an issue in your case. You have good airflow and if heat was a problem I would think your amps would not be cool to the touch. |
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Post by aeneas01 on Mar 12, 2018 11:24:38 GMT -5
My old mps-2 would emit a burning smell when pushed to moderate levels right up until the day I sold it. (I was told it was normal and not to worry about it by emo support) I stack my amps in my audio rack but use active cooling to draw the warm air out of the amps. All of my old emo amps were perfectly fine with this, we discussed it it numerous occasions. 😉😉 i sure hope that's not the case with my new amps... while the smell isn't overwhelming, it is very evident, and something i would prefer to live without... moreover i get the smell whenever i use the amps, despite using them at a low volume (i.e. not pushing the amps), despite the amps always being cool to the touch... also, fwiw, i have the amps triggered by my receiver, they turn on/off when my receiver does... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Mar 12, 2018 12:23:43 GMT -5
Hi aeneas01 - You're right - lots of people DO stack their equipment, and often with insufficient ventilation. Yes, most of the time the equipment will tolerate the thermal abuse without complaint. But I think it's fair to say that the hotter the equipment runs, the shorter its service life. I'm glad that you ventilate your equipment. I've smelled "hot electronics" before in new equipment, but never a burning smell. The two do differ. Hot electronics is typically the smell of some coatings burning off the surface of component leads and resistors. Note the darkening that occurs on the resistors' shells as time goes by. But "burning" is more acrid and stronger. It's often (but not always) accompanied by visible smoke. I hope your smell goes away soon and that it's only the normal "hot electronics" smell. |
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Post by leonski on Mar 12, 2018 13:18:03 GMT -5
That is not even close to 'Plenty of Room'.
And NO, properly running electronics does not emit an odor. You are COOKING something.
How can you actually TELL they are 'cool to the touch' when you can't get over the heat sinks or power supply with your hand or a measureing device?
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Post by emofrmcgy on Mar 12, 2018 13:31:23 GMT -5
That is not even close to 'Plenty of Room'. And NO, properly running electronics does not emit an odor. You are COOKING something. How can you actually TELL they are 'cool to the touch' when you can't get over the heat sinks or power supply with your hand or a measureing device? Because I don’t know about you but 4” is enough for me to reach my hand in and feel the top of the case. |
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Post by kybourbon on Mar 12, 2018 13:51:10 GMT -5
I had these made to work as both a speaker stand for my Ascend Sierra 2 and as an amp stand for my XPA-2 GEN1 (my XMC-1 is in the other and they are connected by XLR cables). I have about 6" of clearance (maybe more... I need to measure) and would not go any shorter. YMMV. Attachment Deleted |
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Post by leonski on Mar 12, 2018 14:20:51 GMT -5
My reaction was to those pictures. Awful to crowd amps on TOP of other amps like that.
4" ? with good clearance in Back as well as to the sides, that should be OK.
In any event? BAd smell of 'burning' (tough to describe a smell!) is Not Right. Something inside is getting pretty warm.....
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Post by aeneas01 on Mar 12, 2018 16:50:35 GMT -5
thanks d81, would be very interested to know if you're getting the same thing once you install your a-700, looking forward to hearing from you... also, fwiw, as i mentioned i have 2 a-700 in my rack, but it's impossible to tell if the smell is coming from one or both, in fact it's close to impossible to tell exactly where the smell is coming from, i'm just assuming it's the amps because nothing else has changed... and, yes, you're right, hard to believe that it's an overheating issue given that the amps are cool to the touch, surprisingly cool even.
sounds like you think the photos i posted show my setup? if so, those aren't my rigs, just examples of what many folks do.
you know what, i think that's indeed what i'm smelling, "hot electronics", as opposed to a burning smell, albeit the smell is pungent and obvious... assuming it is "hot electronics", is this normal/benign for emotiva amps? again, i've never smelled this from any other av equipment i've owned.
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