Class A SS is not the way to go, because those amps run hot at idle. |
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I have to laugh everytime I read about SOOOO much heat from tube equipment. I don't presently own any tube gear, but I've been an audiophile for 50 years, which is to say that I grew up with tube gear. So many audiophiles today act like they are in Dante's inferno. Must be extremely sensitive to a little warmth. Don't you have air conditioning? Not trying to hack anyone off, but to me it's just hilarious. Oh well, what the heck. |
Right, Soundlock! I just lower the thermostat! |
Soundlock, your reference to Dante's inferno cracked me up, made me laugh quite a bit. Thanks for that perspective. |
Soundlock,
you must not live in Florida. I have 2 AC units for my 2 story house, and during the summer months, even with both units running, my audio room during the daytime is very warm. If I turn on my 845 based mono tube amps, within 45 minutes, I am down to my shorts. I think heat is a very valid concern. |
I've never owned a tube amp, although I'll likely make the plunge eventually. However, I've owned a Plinius SA 102 amp (140 WPC in class A) for approx. 14 months, and have never had any problems with it heating up my 15' x 20' x 7' room. Yes, the amp runs hot to the touch, and I give it plenty of room to breath, but I'd be surprised if my room temperature even goes up 1/2 degree when I'm running it in class A. |
Although Class A power amps are known for their great sound, they are very inefficient and will use a lot of power even when idling. It will be hot!! You may want to consider a Class A/B power amp which switches from Class A to Class B when full current is not being demanded of the power amp, which is probably 95% of the time. |
Pinkus: I own land in Leesburg, Fl, but I never lived there. However, I did live in Tehran, Iran for 2 years in l965, l966, l966 where the temperature hit 110 degrees and my all tube system didn't bother me at all. I also have 2 Ac units in my current home in Tennessee (3500 sq ft) and I ran a Krell FPB200 which is a hot box, no trouble at all. I guess some people can't take the heat as well as others. I can sympathize with you. Enjoy the music. |
Well I live in the SanFernando Valley of LA. It do get hot here in Chatsworth; no doubt about it. I ran CJ monos for years. Those be the Premiere 5's and 8's (28 tubes) I also had two dif. 845 SET monos and I never worried about my toaster going on the fritz.
I now have the CJ 350 ss. Mine runs cool to warm depending on how hard you push it.I can also say it is just a better amp than the 5/8's. I also had the Belles 350a ref. and it runs as cool as the CJ 350ss. Neither of these amps ever had me wanting me to go back to tubes. The cost of operation is soooo much nicer,too,w/ no tubes to replace. |
Avguygeorge
I agree the premier 350 is like the premier 8's on steroids. All the mid range magic of tubes but with the control and guts of ss. |
I've got a Pass Aleph 5 - the mini furnace I call it. That baby can really crank out the btu's. And on a cold winter's night here in Maine, me and the Mrs just curl up next to that baby. Granted, it does not throw as much heat as the Waterford, but she has waaayyy lower Thd that that old beater wood stove. Hope this helps. |
My 50" plasma is not tube based, but the sucker gives off some serious heat from the top rear. It will heat up my Florida room 3-5 degrees if left on for several hours. |
I power my Apogee Stages with Cary Slam 100 monoblocks. In the summer I use DAC4800A (digitalamp.com). It is awesome and for the price cannot be beat. Check out the websight. I switch back and forth thoughout the year because the sound out of this amp is wonderful |
My Pass Labs X250 runs class A for the first 40 watts, then switches to A/B. It does run warm in class A. I also noticed my 40 inch LCD TV gives off a good amount of heat, and have heard the plasmas give off even more. Thank the Lord for central air. |
Abucktwoeighty
Your Pass will not run any cooler when it "switches", er I mean, leaves class A and transitions into B. What an interesting thread as I'm taking the digital plunge and trying a bel canto S300. My ARC VT100MKII is currently out of service at the moment (re-tube, patiently waiting for tubestore to restock 6550C; btw upscale deserted ARC VT owners, for no *real* reason; therefore I suspect the tubes may be questionable to begin with and the ARC VT's bear that out but, more than likely, whoever is re-tubing/biasing is not doing it properly).
I live in Virginia and summers can be quite toasty. Even with a good central AC our townhouse seems like it struggles to stay cool on those 95 degree humid as @#$@# days. The tube amp will only make matters a bit more toasty. I will not be going to solid state for the preamp though, as this is where most of the magic comes from. |
I live in northern Minnesota. I actually like the heat my MC275 gives off most of the time... |
Minnesota has actually recorded the highest dewpoints anywhere in the world. We get very humid summers, with highs in the upper 90s and low 100s (usually in July). The smallest window air conditioner I could find will easily keep up with our S-30 in my living room- its class A and 30 watts per channel.
But- I would be looking into a class AB tube amplifier before I went with transistors! A class A transistor amp is going to make nearly the same heat as a class A tube amp- the filaments are a minor concern. IOW most of the heat comes from the class of operation. So a class AB tube amp will make **less** heat than a class A transistor amp will, assuming that they are about the same power. |
I like to fry eggs on top of my class A amps. |
clayton audio. I have the m-300's. You can barely feel the heat in my room which is somewhat small. They are class a and they are awesome. |
Radrog, I sincerely believe you, I finally had the chance of auditioning a Class A integrated amp, and WOW was it HOT! Class A can serve double duty for cooking or heating for sure. |
I sold my Pass X250.5 and bought a pair of Channel Islands D-200 mono's. I don't notice any difference in the sound. I do notice a difference in my electric bill, and how cool they run in the summer. |
I owned a TAD60 in Houston , TX. Never had an issue. Have since gone back to SS for other reasons. |
I was kidding. I have Krell FPB350MCX Mono blocks. They are biased and do not run that hot. Besides all the top line stuff is class "A". I would not even consider a Class a/b or b. |
