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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 1, 2014 20:23:03 GMT -6
and of course, they run super hot. When I walked in the room, I got a distinct smell similar to when a ballast burns out in a fluorescent bulb...Both seem to still be working...Should I be concerned?
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jan 1, 2014 23:15:05 GMT -6
Wouldn't think so. I leave class a amps on all the time. Fact is, hardly power anything down except for the tube stuff. If I don't, it gets like an oven in here. As long as everything is well ventilated your fine. These things are made for heat.
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Post by svart on Jan 2, 2014 9:31:06 GMT -6
A fishy smell? The fishy smell is usually the first sign of a vented electrolytic cap, which can happen when they wear out and/or overheat.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 2, 2014 10:13:14 GMT -6
That's kind of what I'm wondering, Svart. It wasn't particularly "fishy", but it wasn't a normal smell in the room. If a cap went bad, can I hear it?
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Post by tonycamphd on Jan 2, 2014 21:25:30 GMT -6
If a cap went, u should know it by listening. Compare lft to rt channels for balance, volume and audible distortion artifacts.
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Post by svart on Jan 3, 2014 7:46:56 GMT -6
Not always. Good designs should always have more than enough bulk capacitance and blowing a single cap might not do anything at all in this case. Then again, you might find a change in the audio from side to side unless it's a cap common to both sides, like in the power supply.
When the cap goes bad you could hear it POP or a fizzle, or you might not hear anything.
You might open it up and take a quick look inside. You'll quickly see if it's a cap usually.
Signs:
Top of the can is bulging, or open
Brownish liquid on top of cap around the seams, or around the bottom of the cap
Cap is missing completely and paper and metal shards are sitting where the cap used to be..
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Post by svart on Jan 3, 2014 7:48:20 GMT -6
Then again, it could also simply be really old flux that just heated up and started smelling. Remember Japanese radio gear from the 70's and 80's and how it used to smell?
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 3, 2014 9:45:59 GMT -6
It's actually two mono locks.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2014 21:13:36 GMT -6
Well,
heat in gear makes a difference. It generally speeds up aging of the electronic parts normally and shortens units lifetime.
Especially, parts like electrolytic caps are aging faster with heat. Heat speeds up the the chemical processes that are considered beeing aging. Therefore, i do not like designs that have built in "capacity reducers" - like if electolyte caps are placed so dense to heating up parts like e.g. regulators that they are 'near boiling point'.
In fact, too little ventilation and heat is the no.1 killer of consumer electronics like notebooks and modern tv's. Not only the chips, also the caps...therefore we do not like dust in units in the first place....
Sure, in a class a power amp monoblock, there is lots of heat. Therefore a lot of heatsink material is used and has to be carefully calculated. Also, it is heavy and expensive...so mostly it is calculated that the transistors do not melt and the unit survives the warranty times easily. In quality gear it is a large safety margin.
But heat is not a positive factor, and your gear does not sound better, if you left your class a gear on power for 24/7...
Well, i thought differently long time ago and left whole racks on 24/7.
Not only it cost me a little fortune in my yearly electricity bill recalculation (damn, the bill was the highest ever that year...stupid me). It did not sound different. Well, tube gear sometimes may need a bit of time to heat up and sound consistent. And your old Minimoog, other stuff with thermocoupled transistors maybe. But that's all.
Since your monoblocks are relatively new, John, i would guess it may be residues of flux and the like heat up first time that high. BUT still, i would take the advice from svart and do an optical check for faulty caps as described, for sure...
BR,
Martin
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 10, 2014 23:12:15 GMT -6
I cut a piece of plywood for them to sit on and they've been MUUUCH less hot.
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