small room... tube amp... summer


for those in relatively small rooms, how do you deal with the heat from your tube amp during summer? can i point a fan at it? any suggestions? it's really heating up my room and there's no AC in here! do i just have to bear with it or are there any practical solutions?
koven

Simple.... if they're big heat producing amps... don't be in the same room.

Neither of my tube amps, the Butler or Dodd MK II, put out so much heat the AC can't keep things under control.

using a small fan will eventually develop a new air flow pattern and aid cooling of the amp.

AS the input here regards a smallish room, large amps don't really seem in order, or the speakers ought be changed out probably.

A large wing span slow moving ceiling fan could be just the ticket too.... along with the aC of course.
I have a box on the other side of the wall that has the amps in it. It allows very short speaker cables to the speakers, and keeps the heat of the amps outside of the room.

I have a customer in Guatemala City who runs our biggest amp (42 power tubes per channel) day in and day out, without the need for air conditioning. He had some inexpensive ductwork added into the ceiling, that opens above the amps, which are on all day and all night. The hot air is ducted out of the room, there is a fan at the other end of the ducts that forces the air out. The room stays comfortable, even when its not so cool outside. He says it did not cost that much to do- and the system is very quiet.

Good sounding electronics are going to make heat. If you design your system around minimal heat production, the sound quality is obviously taking a back seat, and it will show. So I recommend simple approaches like the ones I mentioned above as they are low tech, inexpensive, and more effective than air conditioning.
A very practial solution would be to put a laptop cooler under the unit. There are cheap usb wall wart adapters, say $5, that will power the coolers, so you don't actual need a laptop.
You would probably be better off with that 'lap top cooler' under you instead of the amp !

Butt seriously...about the only answer is to get a small window A/C unit for that room .

Good luck .