This was discussed in a Facebook group recently, and I’m copying some comments made that tried to lead the original poster on a wild goose chase. Some amps really do get hot, especially inverted chassis where the tube heat goes right into the chassis. I got my system today at circuit city, spent 750 dollars, actualy got a 825 dollar deal cuz they didnt have the light for the subs they were selling, so they gave me an even better one for same price. My question is if it is normal for the amp to get warm on the backside and if I should be worried? all my power and grounds are the same gauge. If you have guitar related questions, use the "Search" field or ask the community. Press J to jump to the feed. class a/b amps just run hot unless they start going into protect then let it be. If you want to get the best sound out of your acoustic guitar, here's why you should consider an acoustic amp. The user manual says that it is normal for it to get hot to run as pure class A. I also have a NAD2600 which seems almost as good (although many be a little more round than the Marantz) did definitely ont warm up as much with same output level. Hi, I am looking for some advice regarding my amplifier. The amplifier is the link between the audio source (iPod, CD player, record player etc.) More From Doityourself. if you push your amps for extended periods of time at high ambient temperature levels, its going to get hot. Welcome to r/guitar, a community devoted to the exchange of guitar related information and entertainment. If the dealer that installed your system is not going to help, then I would suggest called Rockford Fosgates support line and see what they have to say about it. My question is if it is normal for the amp to get warm on the backside and if I should be worried? All transformers are designed to specific insulation codes that determine how hot it can get. try to not play music too loud, or have your subs "bump" too much. Its recently started getting really warm where I am from and I noticed that when I really push my amps they get very hot during summer days. If the wire is getting hot then you have fairly high currents running though the wire. This flash is normal. all my power and grounds are the same gauge. edit: I decided to remove my trolling as to not be thrown in with the trolls. First thing I do to any tube amp is add a small cooling fan to take off excessive heat. I have cooked eggs on a few amps before.....clipping FTMFW! In general, things get hot when current flows through them. if the amp is getting extremely hot (feels like its going to burn your fingers off) then i would discontinue use for a while to prevent capacitors melting and exploding, then ruining the amp for good. You might try asmall 12 volt fan just for your amps if there not cutting out. Also, if your amp is designed for high gain settings, it will most definitely make more noise than an amp designed to run cleaner. That's why they have those heat sinks or small fans. Run a 12volt fan on it, I did the same on my Memphis St Series amps, I live south Florida and it's hot everyday. The functions of an amp can be split into two main sections. If it's not going into a thermal protection mode, producing smoke, or a burning smell, then it's probably normal. If you have a 100-watt tube amp, it’s probably going to make more noise than a 15-watt tube amp. So as others have pointed out, your capacitor is most likely connected backwards, and you should disconnect it immediately. Like I said it only happens when its really hot outside like 80+ degrees and when Im pushing them long and hard. BTW, that area on the amp that you highlighted in red is expected to get hot. It's normal for a breaker to feel warm when current is passing through it, but it should never feel hot. Keep in mind that a typical multi-channel amp is only about 50-60% efficient. Adjust the gain and volume controls. There will be a knob that labeled "gain." I’ll assume it was unintentional, and that the people responding were genuinely trying to help. Your unit is heating to the point that the amplifier is operating in another region of its performance curve, causing the distortion. Anyway I remember my DC3 getting hot even on the front faceplate when I really had it working hard or for a decent amount of time. Is that true? It's definitely too uncomfortable to touch. Problem: Amplifier is getting very hot/shutting down. My Memphis Big Belle gets pretty hot so it may just be how they run... Are your power and ground wire the same size? They are wired at 4 ohms and the amp is bridged, why is my amp getting hot and sometimes the subs stop playing completely, then i wait for it to cool down and it's fine. Also, if your amp is designed for high gain settings, it will most definitely make more noise than an amp designed to run cleaner. High end for poor boys. or worse yet, a burnt resistor. as for the heat, it sounds normal to me. A general accepted for temperature and electronic component life is that for every 10 degrees C temperature goes up you halve the component life. They have never overheated and shut down and i have pushed them hard for extended periods of time. Im just wondering if its normal for them to get too hot to touch? Sure, amplifiers can get warm, but not to the point where you cannot keep your hand on top of it. Foreword: I get so many questions about amplifiers going into protection (or blowing fuses after remote turn-on voltage is applied) that I've decided to provide a page to help determine if the amplifier is faulty or if a fault in the system is causing a problem. Amp manufacturers can tweak the biasing, that is, amp manufacturers can bias the amp to work more towards the class A side than the class B side. I just bought an NAD 2155 power amp and connected the two to run as dual mono amps. Replace toaster or coil and you should be fine. Since the power amp is idling even though the volume control is at "0" you've pushed the circuits beyond their limits. Class A receivers such as this are designed to operate in a very inefficient portion of the amplifier performance curve, and then naturally generate lots of heat. One thing you can do to help it out, is to run the AC. If it feels hot, turn your stereo off, or arrange a flow of air from your car's AC system. It really does depend on the transformer, some get REALLY hot by design. Yes. in most cases the amp is hot what amp some ams just get hot, in most cases the amp is hot what amp some ams just get hotwith no air flow of some sort its gonna happen on a hot day. I live in the Netherlands so it is quite cold from oktober till march. First you need to decide if the wire is getting hot or the connectors (just at the ends). BTW, that area on the amp that you highlighted in red is expected to get hot. 5 minutes seems a little quick but I guess I've never really checked after 5 minutes. Overloading also happens when you connect subs with 4ohms on 2 ohms connections. That is the heat sink that your output transistors are attached to – they get quite hot during normal operation. Turn the gain on your amplifier all the way down. I also noticed that the amplifier stays very warm after it has been off for a while (12 hours or so). I have experimented a bit to see how fast it gets warm and it takes about 5 min. Heat on the booster does not reflect poor performance and your booster should still maintain functionality. In some amps, this can result in a burnt fuse. A properly-connected capacitor shouldn't have current flow in a DC circuit, so it should not warm up. You should operate with care and keep children and pets away. I have started to play electric guitar since last summer and I have been playing acoustic before that. Radio has Low FM volume but AM is normal. The amplifier is usually an aftermarket part that is installed trunk of a car or the rear of a truck. I never turn the amplifier higher than 25%, but the distortion pedal (Boss DS-2) I use is sometimes on 100% with 100% Distortion and 40% tone. By hot I mean you can barely stand to keep your hand on the amplifier back plate for any length of time. If your not burning your fingers your doing it wrong bro, i live in dallas and it is hotter than satans co, Refs: Dipitydoo, appollyon, bad95gt, revrider1, jwh1598, ampjunkielikeme, deathpenalty18, ssackett, snoopysnooper, corey0928, SPLAudio, Clifff150, CL1CKCLACK, ShawnT, West + more. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It gets warm. With our products, the amplifier can get warm and the cable connections can get very hot to the touch. It gets very hot, up to the point that the video circuit starts to fail. In addition, a lower impedance than the amp is rated for can cause this problem (and in the case of a lower impedance, it can cause permanent damage). Im just wondering if its normal for them to get too hot to touch? I am not really pushing the sub as the gain is set below half. Hi, I just bought on ebay a Marantz PM94. (I mentioned this in another thread a few weeks ago). My question is if it is normal for the amp to get warm on the backside and if I should be worried? JavaScript is disabled. I have changed the (standard) impedance setting of the amplifier from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms after which the amplifier runs much cooler and without video hick-ups. My 5-channel amplifier gets hot during summer too. regarding wire size, 8 gauge is fine for just the jl amp, but with both amps, 4 gauge is recommended. Turning down the gain means that the amplifier is not amplifying the signal coming in from the stereo head (the part mounted to your dash). Other than that when you load to … I have changed the (standard) impedance setting of the amplifier from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms after which the amplifier runs much cooler and without video hick-ups. This is a forum where guitarists, from novice to experienced, can explore the world of guitar through a variety of media and discussion. Amp in Protect Mode - Troubleshooting. Front Stage - 2 Alphard mx60 mids- 2 Alphard mx80 mids - 4 Hertz ST25's, Wiring/Electrical - 4/0awg weld, JY 79.8Ah lithium, 290&370 hair JS Alternator. The largest car audio forum community, since 2000. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. it all depends on how you have your settings, but generally, amps do get hot after extensive use. P.S. The amps are 1 jl audio slash 150 x2 and the other is a a memphis mcd1100. Working with Armored Cable: Dos and Don'ts. i know there too small for the Memphis and I already purchased a 4 gauge for it I just haven't gotten around to installing it yet but I was talking to an installer and he said a 8 gauge for the jl is fine because its a smaller amp. I think in the Jl's manual it even recommends a 8 gauge. The house is mostly at 20 Celcius. (I mentioned this in another thread a few weeks ago). If it does, and you're sure it's securely anchored to the panel and the wires are tight, there's probably something wrong with it. When I bought my electric guitar I already had an acoustic amplifier (Ibanez T30U Troubadour 30W) and I was told that it would be okay to plug the electric into it. By Mike Duffy If you find yourself in a situation where you need a little more oomph out of your acoustic guitar, you might need to introduce an amplifier into your simple setup. For our purposes, we’re going to pay closer attention to Continuous Power, because it indicates how powerful an amplifier is in normal operation. Now let’s dig into why that might be. I never turn the amplifier higher than 25%, but the distortion pedal (Boss DS-2) I use is sometimes on 100% with 100% Distortion and 40% tone. Unfortunately, many amplifiers get hot during use, especially if they have any bias into Class A operation. My amplifier is getting really hot, is that normal? Thanks for visiting. I figured it might be normal because like the other person said it is the heat sink so of course its gonna be hot if it's doing it's job. So I just need to watch out in the summer? Does the amp go into protection? So i have a somewhat old sherwood 250 x 2 amplifier hooked up to some older JL W3 D4 subs. And the back side of my amp would definitely get very hot (ie. Getting hot is what amplifiers do. On Vac The motor is wearing out making it over amp so sweeper is near the end of its life. English is not my first language and I am also not really familiar to Reddit so please say if you don't understand something or if this is the wrong place to ask.