So why are Heatsinks so bloddy expensive???

[JCoffey]

Just feels like a scam to me. I mean Heatsinks can run in the hundreds of dollars for a pair, yet you can buy a $70 car stereo amp from the pawnshop thats not too much different in size, and the whole blooming top of the case is a heatsink. So why so much? I mean it's extrueded aluminum isnt it? I know some are machined, but I mean come on!!!!

 

[uli]

mass production

simple answer



Uli

 

[Nelson Pass]

Why don't you just buy the $70 amp and steal its
heat sinks?

 

[Leeuwarden]

He can't buy that $70,- amp because a chipamp has (practically) no heatsinks...

 

[joensd]

Go for an amp from Passlabs.
Most of them have adequate heatsinking.

 

[byteboy]

An amp from Passlabs at a pawnshop?

Go for an amp from Passlabs.

An amp from Passlabs at a pawnshop?

Where?
What Pawnshop?
When?
Will it still be there?

 

[Steve Eddy]

Just feels like a scam to me. I mean Heatsinks can run in the hundreds of dollars for a pair, yet you can buy a $70 car stereo amp from the pawnshop thats not too much different in size, and the whole blooming top of the case is a heatsink. So why so much? I mean it's extrueded aluminum isnt it? I know some are machined, but I mean come on!!!!

Who's selling heatsinks for hundreds of dollars for a pair?

How 'bout $120 for a pair of these?

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

Minus the amplifier of course.

Machined and anodized and subject to availability.

se

 

[JCoffey]

Well, I guess thats my problem is that to me even $120 a pair is too much, since I cannot believe they cost that much to manufacture and package. I'm probably way off base, but I just dont think they're worth it. And it sux, cause you have to pay to play, and you cant skimp on the sinks.

BTW those sinks do look extra sexy, LOL

 

[Steve Eddy]

Well, I guess thats my problem is that to me even $120 a pair is too much, since I cannot believe they cost that much to manufacture and package. I'm probably way off base, but I just dont think they're worth it. And it sux, cause you have to pay to play, and you cant skimp on the sinks.

Well the thing is that the companies that actually produce the extrusions haven't much interest in chopping them up and selling them as generic blanks, except for some of the small stuff intended to be used on a single device.

And they don't want to take a 10 foot bar and chop off a couple of pieces. They want to sell the 10 foot bar. And some of the bigger suppliers have higher minimums than that.

Lemme see what I can do for just a raw, cut and deburred sink.

BTW those sinks do look extra sexy, LOL

Hehehe. Thanks. You should see the two-tone silver one.

se

 

[Cobra2]

How 'bout $120 for a pair of these?

I would concider it....can I also have the rest of that box with them?

Arne K

 

[Steve Eddy]

I would concider it....can I also have the rest of that box with them?

Not for $120 you can't.

We're looking into what it'd cost to do a blank of that chassis. Been tryin' to talk Da Boss into doing something like that ever since that guy here in Sacramento (Spire Audio) went out of business some years back. Though I don't expect our prices will be able to be as low as his (which I suspect may be why he couldn't make a go of it).

se

 

[5th element]

If you can w8 for sinks then im sure you will find something perfect on ebay. I have just done that now. The sinks themselves measure 20cm long 10 high and 4 wide, £3.50 each. I just ordered the last five he had (already bough 6 off him saw how good they were and bought the rest) £26.50 for the 5 including p&p. It just so happened that these turned up at the same time I wanted to build my 200 watt monoblocs, the sinks now make up the sides to the amps case. Slones design 11.8, not yet got the 200 watt power supply up yet so im running at 25 wpc, but hey they sound fabulous and look neat next to the bass boxes they are driving.

Cheers Matt

 

[metalman]

A little heat is easy, but Pass makes a lot

To get a good feel for why good heatsinks cost so much, give a quick perusal through "Basic Heat Transfer" by Kreith & Black, published 1980 by Harper & Row, Section 2-6 "Heat Transfer from Fins" pgs 74-84. There is a clear limit to how long, how high, and how closely spaced you can make the fins before the heat transfer starts decreasing instead of increasing.

From a practical standpoint you can't make heat sinks with an Rtheta below about 0.28W/C, and they cost significantly more to manufacture as compared to a 0.35W/C heatsink. This reduces the industrial/commercial demand for high dissipation heat sinks and imposes an economy of scale penalty on their manufacture as well.

As an experiment a few years ago, I designed and cast a set of my own aluminum heat sinks, aiming for 0.3W/C. Between designing and building the casting patterns, casting the aluminum, and then surface finishing the castings, it cost me around $400 and three weeks worth of spare time to make two 0.32W/C heat sinks, and for that I had free access to an aluminum foundry. Oh well, at least I can say I've actually done it.

 

[metalman]

That's what I get for rushing

Must correct my unit's. I had a dyslexic moment and used W/C instead of C/W. Please excuse my error.

 

[Coulomb]

Heat sinks cost hundreds of dollars.. poppycock! Check these out, all purchased off eBay for a fist full of dollars, sorry Mr. Eastwood.

http://24.71.244.254/Photo/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Metalwork&id=DSC00149

http://24.71.244.254/Photo/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Metalwork&id=DSC00159

http://24.71.244.254/Photo/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Metalwork&id=DSC00039

http://24.71.244.254/Photo/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Metalwork&id=1044114045097_sink13

http://24.71.244.254/Photo/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Metalwork&id=heatsink1

I got these through lot's of leg work on eBay, they range for $6 per foot to $20 per foot for the most expensive ones.

 

[bigparsnip]

Hi, have you checked out conrad heatsinks in australia? You can pick up 0.32 C/W heatsinks for only 25 USD each, which ain't too bad. It's just a shame that it costs so much to get them shiped over from there (although, I think for me here in the UK, it will still work out cheeper that buying something from home).

YOu can have a look at what you can get, and how much they are here.

 

[jleaman]

Wow you guys would not believe all the network stats and stuff im getting from my server being used lots.: O ( ANTHOY )

It's a good thing i have a decent WELL mantained firewall as some one has been portscanning me and sending malisious packets to it also.

Oh well they will loose there internet conection soon. As i have sent eh reports of there ip's out lastnight.

 

[Magura]

Hmmmm....this sounds like something ive heard before.

Its quite common that people who dont know how things are made think that its too expensive.

In this case its rather simple.

Price for raw aluminum: 4 to 7 usd per kilogram
Price for the die: 1000 usd and up (1000 usd for a VERY simple die)
Price for processing the material...hard to calculate just like that, but a significant number per kilogram, lets say 5 usd.
Add shipping, and youve reached a minimum of 10 usd per kilogram of heatsink.

To make a living by selling a product you have to multiply the purchase price by 2 to 2.2 to get the retail price....
And there you go, roughly 20 usd per kilogram of heatsink....I believe thats not too far from the price you pay.

Regards

Magura

 

[Petter]

We're looking into what it'd cost to do a blank of that chassis. Been tryin' to talk Da Boss into doing something like that ever since that guy here in Sacramento (Spire Audio) went out of business some years back. Though I don't expect our prices will be able to be as low as his (which I suspect may be why he couldn't make a go of it).
se

I almost did business with the Spire Audio guy before he went out of business. He had very very nice stuff and an excellent setup in my mind. A real benefit for the ten thumbed DIY guys like myself.

Now, I heard he quit because he hurt his hand. It would be nice to know whether he is in good health now.

Petter

 

[Steve Eddy]

I almost did business with the Spire Audio guy before he went out of business. He had very very nice stuff and an excellent setup in my mind. A real benefit for the ten thumbed DIY guys like myself.

Yes. And his stuff looked much better than the stuff more typically available from the likes of Bud.

Now, I heard he quit because he hurt his hand. It would be nice to know whether he is in good health now.

Ah. I don't remember if I'd heard any particular reason for why. Just know that his prices were almost philanthropic.

se