Amplifier Overheating?

JTJ · 20th February 2010, 08:45 PM

I have a Pioneer SA 930 Stereo amplifier. I have left room in the cabinet for ventilation. To-day I laid a thermometer on top of the amplifier and it reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit after about 15 minutes.Is this a cause for concern? I live in Southern Australia, and the temperature in our house this morning is 20 degrees celsius [70 degrees F]
Thanks, JT

wwenze · 21st February 2010, 12:17 AM

92 degrees is nowhere near hot yet.

More accurate measurements should be taken with the thermometer touching the heatsink, and after temperatures have stabilised.

JTJ · 21st February 2010, 04:44 AM

Thanks, wwenze.My old amplifier never got warm. When I finally discarded it a few months ago, I was told that I should buy a heavy one. My informant said that the heavier,the better the quality-and the better the quality of sound. I didn't realize that the one I bought would consume more electricity. Here in Australia we are busy replacing our light globes throughout the house,in order to help the environment. Can you tell me if my amplifier will consume more electricity the more the volume is turned up. Thanks JT.

tomchr · 21st February 2010, 05:05 AM

JT: If you want to save power, turn the amp off when you aren't using it.

Unless you play your music at party levels all the time, you likely will not notice any difference in power consumption when you change the volume.

If you really want to know the power draw, get yourself a watt meter. I used one called "Kill-a-watt" (about $20 at Amazon.com) and it seem to do what it was supposed to. In some countries, you can borrow one at the library (yes, really! Denmark does that) or the power company.

I was mostly worried about stand-by consumption of my TV. My conclusion that watching a hockey game on a Saturday afternoon used 10x the power that the TV set used during stand-by the entire week. So I quit worrying about it and just turn stuff off when I don't use it.

~Tom

chris661 · 21st February 2010, 01:17 PM

Sounds like a switch mode amplifier, or class A, depending on age.

By design, these get hot. The upside is better quality, and power consumption doesn't change according to how loud you push it.

wwenze · 22nd February 2010, 02:58 AM

One thing that's always been in my head regarding class-A, since it's a linear regulator of sorts and total power consumption is always constant would it mean that the louder the speakers play, the less heat is dissipated by the amplifier?

20th February 2010, 08:45 PM	#1
JTJ diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2010	Amplifier Overheating? I have a Pioneer SA 930 Stereo amplifier. I have left room in the cabinet for ventilation. To-day I laid a thermometer on top of the amplifier and it reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit after about 15 minutes.Is this a cause for concern? I live in Southern Australia, and the temperature in our house this morning is 20 degrees celsius [70 degrees F] Thanks, JT

21st February 2010, 01:17 PM	#5
chris661 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sheffield Blog Entries: 8	Sounds like a switch mode amplifier, or class A, depending on age. By design, these get hot. The upside is better quality, and power consumption doesn't change according to how loud you push it. __________________ "Throwing parts at a failure is like throwing sponges at a rainstorm." - Enzo My setup: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi...tang-band.html

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21st February 2010, 12:17 AM	#2
wwenze diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2008	92 degrees is nowhere near hot yet. More accurate measurements should be taken with the thermometer touching the heatsink, and after temperatures have stabilised.

21st February 2010, 04:44 AM	#3
JTJ diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2010	Thanks, wwenze.My old amplifier never got warm. When I finally discarded it a few months ago, I was told that I should buy a heavy one. My informant said that the heavier,the better the quality-and the better the quality of sound. I didn't realize that the one I bought would consume more electricity. Here in Australia we are busy replacing our light globes throughout the house,in order to help the environment. Can you tell me if my amplifier will consume more electricity the more the volume is turned up. Thanks JT.

21st February 2010, 05:05 AM	#4
tomchr diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Greater Seattle Area	JT: If you want to save power, turn the amp off when you aren't using it. Unless you play your music at party levels all the time, you likely will not notice any difference in power consumption when you change the volume. If you really want to know the power draw, get yourself a watt meter. I used one called "Kill-a-watt" (about $20 at Amazon.com) and it seem to do what it was supposed to. In some countries, you can borrow one at the library (yes, really! Denmark does that) or the power company. I was mostly worried about stand-by consumption of my TV. My conclusion that watching a hockey game on a Saturday afternoon used 10x the power that the TV set used during stand-by the entire week. So I quit worrying about it and just turn stuff off when I don't use it. ~Tom

22nd February 2010, 02:58 AM	#6
wwenze diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2008	One thing that's always been in my head regarding class-A, since it's a linear regulator of sorts and total power consumption is always constant would it mean that the louder the speakers play, the less heat is dissipated by the amplifier?