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How to keep my stack of Adcoms cool...

I have three older Adcom amps in my entertainment center (two GFA-555II's and a GFA-2535), and predictably, they generate a good bit of heat. I usually leave the door to the cabinet open, but I would like to be able to close it sometimes, as it gets in the way of my speakers, somewhat, when it is open. My thought was to install a couple of cooling fans (one sucking air in, and one blowing it out), but I am somewhat concerned about the noise. Does anyone know of any very quiet fans, or of any other tricks to keeping your amps cool?

Thanks, Tom.
tombowlus
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Actually, I have always wondered why some high end outfit didn't come up with a water-cooled audio power amp. Advantages would include precise regulation of operating temperature (an advantage of water-cooled engines over liquid-cooled). However, the bigest motivation would be the braging rights in audiophile circles.
rhum_runner
36 posts
 
You could probably use some PC fans, they are quiet enough that you wouldn't hear them when music/movies are playing.
errivera
22 posts
 
If you need a really quiet fan check out the link below:

http://www.casecooler.com/casecooling.html

Notice at the bottom of the page is information regarding fans and fan noise. The Panaflow fans are probably one of the quietest fans you will come across. I have 4 of the 24 CFM fans in my computer and they are virtually silent.

Hope this helps.
tombowlus OP
416 posts
 
Wow, those are some quiet fans, Errivera! However, I had just ordered two Middle Atlantic QFans (50 CFM, 30db) and one of MA's Thermostatic Controls (turns fans on/off and varies fan speed based upon temp) before I read your post. We'll see how these work out.

Interestingly, I switched out my old "plain Jane" speaker cables for MIT AVt3 cables yesterday, and the amps seem to be running hotter at the same volume level. This could be due to the fact that the MIT's are brand new and haven't broken in yet.

Thanks for all the feedback, Tom.
pmkalby
130 posts
 
Eldartford-- A high-end amplifier company has gone the liquid cooled route. Unfortunately, it's CAR audio high end-- Precision Power used to make amps designed to be liquid cooled if you wanted, or convection cooled if not. Many a show car of that era had clear coolant lines with brightly colored coolant water color-coordinating with the paintjob,etc. It worked quite well.
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