Old Yamaha M-80 amp HOT!!!!!!

[Griffin.R]

Ok as we speak I'm just casually watching a documentary on netfix and i thought oh i know my amp is super hot how about i take a meat thermometer and stick it on top, keep in mind my speakers aren't even approaching the power the amp has but its incredibly hot. i don't know if the room temp matters but its 82 degrees Fahrenheit, i pull the thermometer out and it is right around 150 degrees right above the amp touching the metal, i do have 4 computer fans that only spin at like 1000 rpm on top of the amp and they blow air up (supposedly taking out hot air) it has about 3" from the next divider on top, should i flip the fans over, give it more space or buy better fans or is it fine and should i bake cookies on top? thanks in advance for help.

quick thought after i posted, i just wanted to say theres no problems at the moment with the heat like it doesn't turn off protection doesn't come on and sound is fine i just wanna know if i need to do anything before it does cause a problem

 

[PENG]

Ok as we speak I'm just casually watching a documentary on netfix and i thought oh i know my amp is super hot how about i take a meat thermometer and stick it on top, keep in mind my speakers aren't even approaching the power the amp has but its incredibly hot. i don't know if the room temp matters but its 82 degrees Fahrenheit, i pull the thermometer out and it is right around 150 degrees right above the amp touching the metal, i do have 4 computer fans that only spin at like 1000 rpm on top of the amp and they blow air up (supposedly taking out hot air) it has about 3" from the next divider on top, should i flip the fans over, give it more space or buy better fans or is it fine and should i bake cookies on top? thanks in advance for help.

quick thought after i posted, i just wanted to say theres no problems at the moment with the heat like it doesn't turn off protection doesn't come on and sound is fine i just wanna know if i need to do anything before it does cause a problem

150F just touchng the top enclosing is too hot for longevity even if it does not cause an immediate failure. With only 3" clearance from the top shelf you may be better off standing the fans up and let them blow the air out from the back to the front. For the fans to suck hot air out inside to the top shelf you need more clearance for them to be effective.

Does this amp run that hot since day one or just starting now? What's the temperature at the same spot if you let the amp just idle for say 30 minutes?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I thought only Onkyo operate @ 150F?

Another Yamaha report. Hmm. Not a good month for Yamaha.

Somehow I get the feeling the actual reliability of brands all depends on people willing to report issues.

Most of these brands probably have about the same reliability if everyone reported issues when they occur, instead of just some reporting.

 

[slipperybidness]

I thought only Onkyo operate @ 150F?

Another Yamaha report. Hmm. Not a good month for Yamaha.

Somehow I get the feeling the actual reliability of brands all depends on people willing to report issues.

Most of these brands probably have about the same reliability if everyone reported issues when they occur, instead of just some reporting.

That MIGHT play into it, but I'm not buying into this theory.

I have NEVER had a Yammy problem. However, I have had SEVERAL Sony problems.

I don't think I've ever even heard of a Parasound problem online, but I have heard of several from Onkyo, NAD, Emo

 

[3db]

I thought only Onkyo operate @ 150F?

Another Yamaha report. Hmm. Not a good month for Yamaha.

Somehow I get the feeling the actual reliability of brands all depends on people willing to report issues.

Most of these brands probably have about the same reliability if everyone reported issues when they occur, instead of just some reporting.

The OP is at fault for causing the heat build up on the amp, not Yamaha. Any amp will run host if there isn't enough airflow across the chassis which is clearly the case here.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That MIGHT play into it, but I'm not buying into this theory.

I have NEVER had a Yammy problem. However, I have had SEVERAL Sony problems.

I don't think I've ever even heard of a Parasound problem online, but I have heard of several from Onkyo, NAD, Emo

Well, I didn't say "all" brands.

I probably should say "Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer AVR".

I would place Parasound, ATI & co, Bryston, and many other high-end brands on another list above that.

No comment on EMO, Sherbourn, and other DI brands.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The OP is at fault for causing the heat build up on the amp, not Yamaha. Any amp will run host if there isn't enough airflow across the chassis which is clearly the case here.

He has 4 PC fans and 3" clearance for his Yamaha. I assume the front, 2 sides, and rear are also clear.

I have 2" clearance and zero fans on my Denon.

So I don't consider that totally his fault.

How much clearance and how many fans are you using?

 

[3db]

He has 4 PC fans and 3" clearance for his Yamaha. I assume the front, 2 sides, and rear are also clear.

I have 2" clearance and zero fans on my Denon.

So I don't consider that totally his fault.

How much clearance and how many fans are you using?

In case you are forgetting, the M80 is 25+ years old so maybe the heat build up could be because of components are no longer operating within their specified tolerances. Its just a guess if its this model...

As PENG said, he's trying to pull air from front to back the amp instead of blowing air across the chassis. If improperly setup which seems to be the case, the pulling of the air is not being effective.


I have 5" clearance on top with no fans and its running cool.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

In case you are forgetting, the M80 is 25+ years old so maybe the heat build up could be because of components are no longer operating within their specified tolerances. Its just a guess if its this model...

As PENG said, he's trying to pull air from front to back the amp instead of blowing air across the chassis. If improperly setup which seems to be the case, the pulling of the air is not being effective.

Yeah, could be.

 

[Griffin.R]

In case you are forgetting, the M80 is 25+ years old so maybe the heat build up could be because of components are no longer operating within their specified tolerances. Its just a guess if its this model...

As PENG said, he's trying to pull air from front to back the amp instead of blowing air across the chassis. If improperly setup which seems to be the case, the pulling of the air is not being effective.


I have 5" clearance on top with no fans and its running cool.

this is the model i will post a picture later today, I'm gonna let it idle for 30 min see what its at and then push some things up that don't ever get hot so this has some room

 

[slipperybidness]

Anybody know if this is a pure Class A topology? That could explain the heat (in addition to the non-ideal location).

Generally, if you can put your hand on it and leave it, then it is OK. If you must pull your hand away, then it's too hot.

 

[j_garcia]

Looks like a pretty heavy duty amp. I don't see anywhere that says that it is class A but it is 250W and appears to be a well regarded amp. Heat is a byproduct of amplification, so it getting hot is normal, though 150 does seem a bit high. Since it is that old, it very well could require a bit of dusting inside to get it cleaned out a bit.

keep in mind my speakers aren't even approaching the power the amp has but its incredibly hot.

Speakers in this case don't have "power". The wattage rating on the speakers is not an indication of how much power they require.

 

[Griffin.R]

As suggested i let the amp idle for 30 minutes and took the temp it was at 121 F with no input or output just sitting in an 80 F room.
So i spent a bit moving things around and gave my amp just a little over 5" clearance on top and after another 30 minute idle with fans blowing air up off the amp its at 90 F
After 30 minutes of casually watching tv as a test it only heats up to 90 F same as idle so i guess it just needed 2" more to not suffocate.
i got a picture but the others don't work this happened to me the other day seems like only one per post for me.

 

[PENG]

As PENG said, he's trying to pull air from front to back the amp instead of blowing air across the chassis. If improperly setup which seems to be the case, the pulling of the air is not being effective.


I have 5" clearance on top with no fans and its running cool.

I believe it was worse. My understanding from his first post is that his fans were mounted on top of the unit so they suck air out from the inside of the AVR and blow the hot air directly onto the bottom of the shelf divider on top.

I know that method well as I did the same with my AVP. It worked well enough when I had over 4" of clearance. Then I had to lower the divider to give more clearance to the Oppo 105 that is fanless. Immediately I noticed the top sucking fan could no longer cool the AVP enough and I had to add a second fan at the back to blow air directly across the top of the chassis, problem solved. T

The OP has no choice but to either add fans to blow from back to front horizontally. There is no way a fan will work sucking air vertically as the hot air will bounce back down too quickly.

Edit: His last post confirmed how I thought the fans were positioned.

 

[PENG]

Anybody know if this is a pure Class A topology? That could explain the heat (in addition to the non-ideal location).

Generally, if you can put your hand on it and leave it, then it is OK. If you must pull your hand away, then it's too hot.

From Googleable information only, it is "auto" class A, up to 30W. That's quite similar to my 4B SST and the Parasound A21, except the A21 is only class A for the first 8W. So yes the M80 would run hot even idling but the overly hot 150F is due to inadequate clearance for the vertical sucking method. From my own experience, the vertical suck configuration would work fine if there is at least 4" clearance. Looking at the OP's last post, class A or not, his problem is solved.

 

[PENG]

As suggested i let the amp idle for 30 minutes and took the temp it was at 121 F with no input or output just sitting in an 80 F room.
So i spent a bit moving things around and gave my amp just a little over 5" clearance on top and after another 30 minute idle with fans blowing air up off the amp its at 90 F
After 30 minutes of casually watching tv as a test it only heats up to 90 F same as idle so i guess it just needed 2" more to not suffocate.
i got a picture but the others don't work this happened to me the other day seems like only one per post for me.

View attachment 13645

I asked for the idling temperature as I was guessing along the line of it being perhaps class A, that's before I Google the beast. It turns out it really isn't full time class A but will expectedly run hotter than pure/full time class A/B amps. Anyway, you now have enough clearance and fans, the amp must be thanking you, if it can talk.

 

[Griffin.R]

I asked for the idling temperature as I was guessing along the line of it being perhaps class A, that's before I Google the beast. It turns out it really isn't full time class A but will expectedly run hotter than pure/full time class A/B amps. Anyway, you now have enough clearance and fans, the amp must be thanking you, if it can talk.

yeah its a few decades off the talking technology, and this is completely resolved. its been running for a few hours between music moderately loud and just whatever i watch on Netflix and without using thermometer i can tell its still under 100 degrees. who knew 2" cools 50 degrees

 

[PENG]

yeah its a few decades off the talking technology, and this is completely resolved. its been running for a few hours between music moderately loud and just whatever i watch on Netflix and without using thermometer i can tell its still under 100 degrees. who knew 2" cools 50 degrees

If in good working conditions those amps must sound really nice especially the first 30W of pure class A, with very low distortions. I hope you are pairing them with some nice sounding speakers and listen to high quality recordings too, aside from Netflix DD+ sound.

 

[Griffin.R]

depending on what you consider nice i guess, my system is mostly things i have from my dad after he passed, the speakers are some old bose 901 series v that were serviced in 2008 i believe (the older generation had some deteriorating foam issue) and they have lifetime factory warranty. i have more on my system in pros and joes system category in post your system here on last page if you are interested i have full story there.