I have three FW amplifiers stacked atop each other since there is no other way i can do it.
In the spring and summer I worry that they may be getting too warm. I am not one for frigid temperatures and would rather not run my A/C unless it has to be.
I had tried using numerous quiet computer fans in the past but this made a mess with all of the wires and the contraptions to hold the fans in place. Never worked too well.
I have come up with a cheap and quiet solution. NOTICE I did not say it was attractive.
Stack two of the 20" box fans (LASKO brand) you can get at HOME DEPOT for seventeen dollars a piece - there are holes there ready for you to bolt them together. Should have said before to remove the grills - you need to do this to be able to bolt them together and the things look much better without them. Mine are mounted behind a MERRILL AUDIO cast iron stand and you can barely see them from the listening chair. I did place wings between the fan case and the rack to direct the air flow/
I had read folks saying they were slowing down their box fans with VARIACs and I thought why not use an old transformer laying about? I have a toroid which I wired for 48 volts and connected an outlet to its output and i have an excellent breeze blowing past my amps. The assembly is silent. The amps stay at a temperature I assume they like to be, they are still quite warm but now easily fall within Ing. Pass's "five seconds rule" - where before it was a little painful to hold on for five seconds.
I had read concerns about heating of the fan motor with this lower voltage. The motors are no warmer with 48 volts as with 120. The transformer (which is 400 VA) never changes temperature at all. No surprise, there.
Of course, I think my amps are sounding better in gratitude for this easing of the temperature.
Just wanted to reiterate - this setup is silent.
Please excuse the errant extra S in the topic - embarrassing.
In the spring and summer I worry that they may be getting too warm. I am not one for frigid temperatures and would rather not run my A/C unless it has to be.
I had tried using numerous quiet computer fans in the past but this made a mess with all of the wires and the contraptions to hold the fans in place. Never worked too well.
I have come up with a cheap and quiet solution. NOTICE I did not say it was attractive.
Stack two of the 20" box fans (LASKO brand) you can get at HOME DEPOT for seventeen dollars a piece - there are holes there ready for you to bolt them together. Should have said before to remove the grills - you need to do this to be able to bolt them together and the things look much better without them. Mine are mounted behind a MERRILL AUDIO cast iron stand and you can barely see them from the listening chair. I did place wings between the fan case and the rack to direct the air flow/
I had read folks saying they were slowing down their box fans with VARIACs and I thought why not use an old transformer laying about? I have a toroid which I wired for 48 volts and connected an outlet to its output and i have an excellent breeze blowing past my amps. The assembly is silent. The amps stay at a temperature I assume they like to be, they are still quite warm but now easily fall within Ing. Pass's "five seconds rule" - where before it was a little painful to hold on for five seconds.
I had read concerns about heating of the fan motor with this lower voltage. The motors are no warmer with 48 volts as with 120. The transformer (which is 400 VA) never changes temperature at all. No surprise, there.
Of course, I think my amps are sounding better in gratitude for this easing of the temperature.
Just wanted to reiterate - this setup is silent.
Please excuse the errant extra S in the topic - embarrassing.
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Dear ZM,
Believe me this setup is not worthy of a photograph, but if you insist ...
Two cheap box fans, stripped of their grills (well, maybe there's something there?) bolted together and running at a slow speed. Luckily my rack obscures it! It does work very well, though.
AT,
If all amps were mono then that might be possible but they are not and I like the idea of longer speaker cables instead of long interconnects so it will stay the same even when the stereo J2 is converted to monos. Have tried it both ways many times before and I return to longer speaker wires. Amps are between the speakers so the cables are not that long - I am guessing they are 1.5 meters each - each driver has its own cable. Speakers are horns so the cable for the tweeter would be as long as it is either way., probably longer since the amps are situated about the mid point. So in my application I do not see any advantage from situating nearer the speakers.
Believe me this setup is not worthy of a photograph, but if you insist ...
Two cheap box fans, stripped of their grills (well, maybe there's something there?) bolted together and running at a slow speed. Luckily my rack obscures it! It does work very well, though.
AT,
If all amps were mono then that might be possible but they are not and I like the idea of longer speaker cables instead of long interconnects so it will stay the same even when the stereo J2 is converted to monos. Have tried it both ways many times before and I return to longer speaker wires. Amps are between the speakers so the cables are not that long - I am guessing they are 1.5 meters each - each driver has its own cable. Speakers are horns so the cable for the tweeter would be as long as it is either way., probably longer since the amps are situated about the mid point. So in my application I do not see any advantage from situating nearer the speakers.
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