Attn. Tweak1—
Re. Parasound A23, if your A23 is running HOT it’s either deficient (a defective part, or circuit improperly repaired or altered), or it is extremely confined and without normal free air circulation. A fully "in spec" A23 won’t ever get more than mildly warm, even when pushed fairly hard into a nominal 4 Ohm load (air circulation normal).
I’ve been an A23 user for the past 4+ years, and have never experienced appreciable heating, nor have the front panel overheat indicators ever illuminated. (What about your overheat LEDs?)
I’m also a longtime "seat-of-the-pants" audio engineer with extensive DIY circuit design, construction, and test experience, and I’ve personally had my own Parasound A23 up on my instrumented test bench to check power output, s/n, input gain, DC offset, tracking, etc. I find that this amp performs exactly as specified, and that it runs at a very normal (not hot) temperature. (A Disclaimer: I can’t check out THD anymore. That parameter is now too far below the residual distortion of my test gear.)
FYI, I’ve also fully reviewed the A23 schematic, and carefully inspected the internal construction. In my opinion, the A23 is truly an excellent power amplifier, with admirable design and execution. I especially like the care apparent in the power supply (lots of Zener stabilized decoupling), and in the DC servo circuit that optimally minimizes DC offset at the output.
In sum, if your own A23 runs hot (but has normal air circulation), I’m certain that something is wrong. I’d suggest contacting Parasound’s Service Dept.
Re. Parasound A23, if your A23 is running HOT it’s either deficient (a defective part, or circuit improperly repaired or altered), or it is extremely confined and without normal free air circulation. A fully "in spec" A23 won’t ever get more than mildly warm, even when pushed fairly hard into a nominal 4 Ohm load (air circulation normal).
I’ve been an A23 user for the past 4+ years, and have never experienced appreciable heating, nor have the front panel overheat indicators ever illuminated. (What about your overheat LEDs?)
I’m also a longtime "seat-of-the-pants" audio engineer with extensive DIY circuit design, construction, and test experience, and I’ve personally had my own Parasound A23 up on my instrumented test bench to check power output, s/n, input gain, DC offset, tracking, etc. I find that this amp performs exactly as specified, and that it runs at a very normal (not hot) temperature. (A Disclaimer: I can’t check out THD anymore. That parameter is now too far below the residual distortion of my test gear.)
FYI, I’ve also fully reviewed the A23 schematic, and carefully inspected the internal construction. In my opinion, the A23 is truly an excellent power amplifier, with admirable design and execution. I especially like the care apparent in the power supply (lots of Zener stabilized decoupling), and in the DC servo circuit that optimally minimizes DC offset at the output.
In sum, if your own A23 runs hot (but has normal air circulation), I’m certain that something is wrong. I’d suggest contacting Parasound’s Service Dept.