Its stated on the resistors that they are 10W8.2(an upside down U type of symbol)J and 10W2.2(same symbol))J. I bought the crossovers from a reliable and professional seller that sold 100's or more and he informed me this is the first time this problem has occurred. And he has all excellent feedback from many buyers. He did inform me as long as the resistors don't burn it will be fine, and that I can remove them if I wanted to and by removing them will not cause an affect on the crossovers, and (as he also said exactly) "Sounds like they are trying to displace a large amount of heat. You can always remove the stand-offs if they worry you, that white plastic peace you talk about, the white stand-offs just allow the crossover to sit up a bit, other than that they have no function but help maintain a constant 8 ohms to your amplifier.. They will get warm since they are displacing power in the form of heat..
Those white resistors, as in your first photo, are cast ceramic, not plastic. As others have said, normal use will make them get warm or even hot. But they shouldn't fail unless they are faulty, or if the crossover is not correctly designed.
Raising them above the crossover board allows them to cool faster.
If you remove them from your crossover board, you must replace them with something, even if its only wire, or you will have an open circuit – no current can flow. Are you certain that's what the crossover designer said, that you can remove them and not affect the function of the board? If so, why were they put there in the first place?
In resistors, the label 10W8.2RJ translates as 10 watts, 8.2 Ω, with ±5% tolerance. The wattage is the failure rating, and the letter J means the printed resistance can vary by ±5% from the label's 8.2 Ω value.
Is this crossover board new? Or have you had it for some time and that burning smell is a recent development? If they're new, that smell may wear off. But if you've had them for some time, it could be a sign that the resistor is going to fail.
If the 10 watt 8.2 Ω resistor or the 10 watt 2.2 Ω are the correct values, and they get hot enough to fail, replace them with 8.2 Ω resistors that are rated at 20 or 25 watts. Or, you can use two 16.4 Ω 10 watt resistors, wired in parallel to each other. That will give you 8.2 Ω resistance but with a 20 watt rating. For the 2.2 Ω 10 watt resistor, replace it with two 4.4 Ω 10 watt resistors wired in parallel and you'll get 2.2 Ω rated at 20 watts.
