DIY fan addition...useless?

[cerwinmad]

I have a Onkyo TX-SR503 reciever currently running two cerwin vega VE-12 fronts, two VE-5M surrounds and a VE-5C center, with a VE-28s sub. during extended use at high volume it gets very hot, like too hot to touch. the manual says its normal to get hot. its never hit thermal cut out. i have added a cooling fan from a computer power box. it runs off a nine volt adaptor (i used nine instead of twelve so it runs slightly slower and not as loud) plugged into the outlet on the back of the reciever so it turns off and on with reciever. it sits on top of the reciever drawing air off and keeps it alot cooler. my question is are these recievers designed to run at a certain temp? will it be less efficient at a lower temp? i know class A/B amps run hot, but whats normal?

 

[mike c]

you did the right thing, high temps will shorten the life of electronics.

but are you sure using 12v the fans become noisy? I use two 12v pc fans at a time, and I don't hear them at all. (projector, receiver, ps3 fans are way noisier than PC fans)

 

[cerwinmad]

i havent tried the twelve volt, just assumed this as my computer seems loud. will do it as soon as i get a twelve volt adaptor. it works well at moment it definitely keeps it ALOT cooler.

 

[mike c]

i think you will notice that it's the PC's POWER supply fan that's noisy, and not the cooling fans that are noisy.

 

[cerwinmad]

its the fan thats intergrated into the power supply im using. the old computer i got it out of only had this and a cpu fan, no cabinet fans. thanks alot, im glad im doin good!!! its fairly obvious cooler is better, but i wanted a more experienced opinion to be sure.

 

[MDS]

Cooler is better but just how much clearance do you have above and to the sides of the receiver where the vents are? I have a 502 and it doesn't even get remotely close to warm.

 

[mike c]

no wonder its noisy. PC casing fans are way way cheaper and quieter

all my receivers run hot even with nothing above/around them (denon, and especially both yammy and HK)

 

[cerwinmad]

Cooler is better but just how much clearance do you have above and to the sides of the receiver where the vents are? I have a 502 and it doesn't even get remotely close to warm.

About 5 inchs each side and 3 inchs above it, i removed the back of the TV cabinet to aid airflow. it only gets hot when i play music or a movie loud (very loud) for a couple of hours. the fronts are rated 300w each, the centre 150w and the surrounds 125w each. the onkyo is rated 130w x 2 (6ohm, 1kHz, JEITA) asian, australian version.

 

[chadnliz]

I think it is a great idea, a friend does exactly as you do, by decreasing the voltage it slowed it enough to be near silent, my old Onkyo TXNR900 ran hot aswell, I think it was 140W X 7 channels all equal.

 

[MDS]

That should be plenty of ventilation. I have less than that but it never gets hot. I accept the fact that some people have different experiences...guess I've just been lucky.

Now if you buy one of the monster receivers like the 705/805/875 and put it in a rack with 1/2" clearance at the top and no clearance at the sides like they do at CC and Best Buy, then you can't really complain about heat.

 

[cerwinmad]

I think it comes down to how much your pushing the amp. i have had no problems with the reciever and am more than happy, i dont believe its a fault.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have a Onkyo TX-SR503 reciever currently running two cerwin vega VE-12 fronts, two VE-5M surrounds and a VE-5C center, with a VE-28s sub. during extended use at high volume it gets very hot, like too hot to touch. the manual says its normal to get hot. its never hit thermal cut out. i have added a cooling fan from a computer power box. it runs off a nine volt adaptor (i used nine instead of twelve so it runs slightly slower and not as loud) plugged into the outlet on the back of the reciever so it turns off and on with reciever. it sits on top of the reciever drawing air off and keeps it alot cooler. my question is are these recievers designed to run at a certain temp? will it be less efficient at a lower temp? i know class A/B amps run hot, but whats normal?

All solid state devices have a time/heat longevity curve, so cooler is better. Too hot to touch is far too hot. After 60 degrees C failures due to heat become exponentially more common. 60 C is where you can touch it but it is starting to get uncomfortable.

 

[cerwinmad]

yeah to be exact it gets hot enough where you can hold your hand on top for about five seconds then its starting to hurt. Now i have the fan going it stays cool and only gets warm after long sessions at high volume. cheers for the info guys!!

 

[progprog]

cerwinmad-

Go take a look at newegg.com. They sell separate case fans in all kind of sizes. A case fan is DEFINITELY much, much quieter than a power supply- in fact, the bigger ones, like 120mm or so, are virtually inaudible when you run them at a medium speed. I've been using case fans to cool electronic equipment for awhile now, as heat really does cut the life span.

 

[mike c]

 

[cerwinmad]

Thats exactly what ive done, works well. Does excessive heat affect sound quality at an audible level?

 

[mike c]

Thats exactly what ive done, works well. Does excessive heat affect sound quality at an audible level?

define excessive? i guess until the heat has destroyed some electronics, I don't think it will affect SQ.

 

[cerwinmad]

ok yeah. just curious if testing was ever done on receivers, to test output at different operating temps. hey just wondering.. you sig says bass hour... new sub arrived i presume?