How hot is too hot?

**Tom Bombadil** · 17 May 2004, 06:16 Monday

A non scientific answer I am afraid but I use a 1098, 1080 and 1075 in an open rack. The 1080 is the hottest and warms my hands nicely, followed by 1098 then 1075. There is about 5 cm of air between the top of each component and the shelf above.

There is advanced protection circuits to monitor temperture so unless this trips in, your kit is operating within parameters.

Hope that helps

**aarsoe** · 17 May 2004, 09:36 Monday

If you are looking for a specific degree number - then I cant help you, but I wanted to draw your attention to some very important issues when it comes to heat.
Being in the computer industri the general rule is that if you raise the ambient temperature by 2-3 degrees celcius then you should expect half of the expected lifetime.
Now this applies to moving devices like HDD's etc, so I am not sure it will be the same - but capacitors generally suffers greatly in hot enviroments..
My guess would be about 5 degree's celcius for HiFi components.
In other words - if your 1066 is 10-15 degree's warmer than normal, and if I assume that the components have a life expectancy of 20 years - then they would only last 5 years or less in the conditions you have them in now..
(And 20 years is a very positive estimate)..

So I would advise you to get two pairs of fan's to suck and blow air into the rack.. You can do this without to much noise - just use computer fans from PABST..

**aarsoe** · 17 May 2004, 09:38 Monday

Sorry - missed that you already have fan's. So either get more fan's or think about my comment above..

**Glenn** · 17 May 2004, 13:15 Monday

Stevebez

Interesting timing, reading your post. I just changed from a RSX-1055 to a RSP-1068 and noticed how much hotter the 1068 is. I was wondering the same thing myself; is this as should be? My 1068 is also hotter to the touch than my 1075 amp (actually, the amp runs surprising cool). What is in the 1066/1068 that makes them so hot?

My only thought is that they only have two small rows of cooling slits on the top, as opposed to the entire top having cooling slits as with the 1055 receiver and 1075 amp.

**Andrew Pratt** · 17 May 2004, 13:31 Monday

I think the amps are designed with a greater surface area of heatsinks to help dissipate the heat better then the pre amps.

**Glenn** · 17 May 2004, 13:44 Monday

What's actually the source of all the heat in a preamp? I didn't think that processing circuitry would general all that much heat. I see the big round transformer, through the two rows of slits in the 1068, but what else is in there that generates heat? Having asked that, curiousity will not have me opening up my new 1068, though

**Kevin D** · 17 May 2004, 17:57 Monday

My acid test has always been that if I can leave my hand there and not be uncomfortable its fine.. Your milage may vary.. I don't tend to keep things long enough to see if I'm cutting life by that method. I've got 1.75" above all my Rotel pieces in a coat closet with no back or sides and two 5" fans blowing the hot air out and the 1098 is still pretty warm.

Kevin D.

**Stevebez** · 19 May 2004, 05:59 Wednesday

More fans I think...

The units are pretty OK I think... All I have done now is install two fans to circulate the air in the cabinet better (top shelf) ... got about 20cm of clear space above the 1066 now and it still gets pretty hot, due to being enclosed, but now with two small 40mm fans just circulating the air, it has really helped alot.

Got the 1075 and 1080 on bottom shelf with fans blowing from below through slits cut into the wood shelf. This seems to work pretty well, and the 1080 only gets really hot under extreme usage - which is seldom and not for too long ... thx to the neighbors!

Thx for advice guys ... I will keep you up to date on any other ideas I come up with.

Rgds Steve.

How hot is too hot?

How hot is too hot?

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