heat

[ryanianmckinnon]

my amp seems to be getting pretty hot just from listening to music between 1/4 and 1/2 volume. I hope it isnt a problem but im wondering if its good or bad for it to be hot

[Mr Peabody]

Is this amp new to you or is the heat just something that started? A higher current amp typically produces more heat and requires good ventilation, to say the least for tubes or Class A. What brand is it?

[ryanianmckinnon]

it is new to me i just bought it about a week ago, and idk i was just worried cause my old amp didnt get as hot but i was listening to it fairly loud. and yeah i think that is what it was.
Also it is very well veltalated it has 3 and a half inches of clearance from the shelf above it so that isnt a issue. It is the Rotel RA 1062

[Mr Peabody]

But is the shelf open either in front or back for the air to move? I haven't owned Rotel so not sure how they run. True, most amps will tend to warm up if driven hard.

[ryanianmckinnon]

as u can see in the picture above ( if u didnt see before u replyed ) there is lots of room and the back is open the front is closed but i open it sometimes, and yeah that is true i just didnt want it to over heat or something, im also wondering should i get a fan or two for it so it runs cool ? or is it good for it to run warm ?

[dakatabg]

Put it at the top on the shelf and if it keeps getting hot than it is not the space and the amp!

[ryanianmckinnon]

yeah i might do it we will see how it goes and if it keeps getting hot.

[frenchmon]

I have a Rotel amp and if you crank, they will heat up. Just make sure its well ventilated.

[JoeE SP9]

At 60WPC it's not exactly over endowed in the power department. Also it could be biased to run Class A up to a couple of Watts. If so that would explain the heat. Even partial Class A operation will cause an amp to run hot.

How many WPC was your old amp?
What's the efficiency rating of your speakers?

BTW: Nice looking amp!

[JohnMichael]

I used a Rotel RA 970BX integrated amp and it was a little warm. Rotels hold up well and I do not think there is a problem. I have not turned my heat on yet this fall and my Krell once I began listening to music raised the temp from 67 degrees to 68 degrees. My Krell runs warm.

[ryanianmckinnon]

yeah i have it pretty loud sometimes but i just have it fairly loud for an hour or two or more so it gets kinda hot, and it is very well ventalated i might give it more room soon. And im happy to hear that rotels get warm so its not a problem with my amp then :)

My old amp (denon pma2000r) was running 80 watts a channel and the speakers are also bi-wired which it might possibly make it work a little harder, and im not sure what the efficeincy is but im running paradigm monitor 9's V.6

[mlsstl]

One general rule of thumb regarding solid state electronics is to see if you can touch it without the urge to yank your hand away. Even if it is quite warm, it is still no big deal if you can touch it.

Even if you can't comfortably touch the amp, keep in mind that many solid state devices can comfortably run at 50, 60 degrees centigrade or more without problem. It depends on the devices selected and the implemenation.

[ryanianmckinnon]

yeah it got kinda hot today that i almost moved my hand away right away but it is built to shut off if it gets to hot which it hasnt yet so thats good, and yeah its not like it is badly built and im wondering if the ra 1062 is a class a amp i cant seem to find out but im sure one of you guys know.

and when it runs hot it doesnt seem to effect the performance at all so its not anything bad i was just worried, but if anything does go wrong its covered by rotels 5 year warrenty :)

[frenchmon]

Have you ever been over to Club Rotel at htguide.com ? A nice bunch of Rotel lovers. You should check out some of the systems in the photo sections and you will get all your questions answered about Rotel gear.

http://www.htguide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php4?f=20

[Poultrygeist]

Go to Walmart and buy a 4 inch Massey High Volicity fan which sells for under $10. You can aim this puppy to blow directly into the amp vents. You only need 4.5 inches of clearance to place the fan directly on top of your Rotel. I linked a picture of it on another recent thread.

I've got one blowing on a SE amp and one blowing into the vents of a Bada tube hybrid amp.

[E-Stat]

I hope it isnt a problem but im wondering if its good or bad for it to be hot
With AB amps, it is usually a good thing. As JoeSP9 indicated, it could mean that it is biased more heavily into class A for better low level resolution. My Threshold Stasis runs pretty hot and has not suffered after nearly thirty years of use.

rw

[ryanianmckinnon]

yeah i checked out that site, all i can say is wow there is some nice rotel systems there.

i have been looking around for a fan im not gonna spend alot of money on one, i will go check walmart soon and see if they have them.

yeah its not bad im not to worried now from all that i have learned from this post.

right now im in the mist of upgrading my system im hoping to get a monster power conditioner sometime soon to protect my rotel amp and my laptop computer ( 17' macbookpro) which in total so far between the both of them its worth about 3500 then hopefully in the future im gonna get a cd player or record player im not sure what route i want to go yet

[Glen B]

I have been looking around for a fan im not gonna spend alot of money on one, i will go check walmart soon and see if they have them.

Get a quiet fan from End PC Noise and run it off a wall wart supply. One of 20dB or less is as quiet as it gets.

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=zalmancasefan.html?id=QT2Nm6Qp

[ryanianmckinnon]

that seems like a good fan and its cheap to, i also have to get an adapter to plug it in right ? what kind of adapter would i need ?

[Poultrygeist]

What no Walmarts in BC?

[Glen B]

What kind of adapter would i need ?

12V DC, 300mA adapter.

[RGA]

I am concerned if this amp is hot enough that you have to move your hand away. You should not need a fan for amplifiers.

I would definitely ask your dealer about this because unless it is a Sugden or other pure class A amplifier it really should not get that hot. Rotel is made in China which is fine but some shops over there are eventually left to run by managers over there who will often "put on a show" for inspectors and then revert to doing things that might be considered shady - say using cheaper parts to increase their margins.

I saw this first hand with some western restaurant chains and the school I was teaching at. The school for example turned the multi-purpose room into a "Library" one week before the inspectors came. Yup there was a sign that said Library and they had some bookshelves in there. No actual books but hey. Inspectors saw the sign - ticked the box and there you go - a Library up to western standards. A week later it was all put back.

I have a Rotel 1082 myself but this is sometimes what happens and that heat is a concern IMO.

[ryanianmckinnon]

yes there is plenty of walmarts here, where i live in victoria bc im pretty sure we have the biggest walmart in canada, its MASSIVE.

Thanks glen b.

RGA, it gets hot but i've never had to removed my hand right away, it gets warm like my computer but never that hot, if it ever got that hot i would call sound hounds im guessing u know the store and try to figure out what is wrong with it. SInce i have taken then picture i have given the amp more room to breathe, it now has 5 and a half inches above it so heating up shouldnt be a problem. we will try it out but i think that fixed the problem.

[RGA]

Yes I bought my amp from Soundhounds as well. They'd know since they've been selling them for many years. If it runs warm that's no problem at all.

[ryanianmckinnon]

oh nice what kind of amp was it, was it the rotel ?. they have some nice products in there, it shouldnt be a problem now it has gone away and if i am using it for hours at a high volume i usually just put the big fan on it for a min or two to cool it down then its good to go

[RGA]

Man I have bought virtually everything from Soundhounds:

Rotel RC 1082 preamp
Audio Note OTO Phono integrated amp
Audio Note J/Spe speakers
Audio Note TT2/Arm3/IQ3
Audio Note AN K/Spe speakers
Sugden A48b integrated amp
Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT Headphone amp.

Terry often buys bulk and a closeout model and passes that on so sometimes he can blow his competition out of the water on prices.

[ryanianmckinnon]

wow thats alot of stuff from soundhounds, i love going there they have soo much stuff there and they always try and help u get what u need.