SummerTime and Amp Heat

05-30-11: Onemug
Fans? We don't need no stinkin fans! (loosely quoted from Blazing Saddles).

I live in the desert southwest, A/C works for me. My Pass monoblocks run pretty hot but Nelsons designs account for this and seem to last for a long time. I don't need or like to leave stuff on 24/7. I'd say, just be smart.

I grew up with central air and heat. The dealer that helped put my parents system in a half century ago, put muffin fans on the amp.

I too run a fan to draw heat from my B&K EX4420. My amp is the older model of your Ref2220. It draws 75 amps of current peak to peak and runs quite a bit warmer than my also 200w/ch B&K Ref4430. I would rather be safe than sorry and it also keeps my other components in my stand cooler.

Bill

05-30-11: Willland
I too run a fan to draw heat from my B&K EX4420. My amp is the older model of your Ref2220. It draws 75 amps of current peak to peak .......

Noooooo! it does not draw 75A p-p all the time! The amp specs might say that it is capable of supplying 75A peak but the amp does not do that unless the load requires it. The 75A peak is just the max capability of the power supply transformer & capacitor bank to supply that much current.
it runs warmer to the touch 'cuz the bias is on high(er) side (to perhaps make it run longer in class-A before switching over to class-AB).

The links are to long to post. Just Google capacitor life shortened by heat.

see if you can find out what at temperature the specific B&K model is supposed to run - if possible. Then make sure that you are operating it under those specified conditions.
For ex, many of Pass' designs (specifically the older Thresholds) were meant to have their heatsinks at 52-54C. That was supposed to be normal operating conditions.
FWIW.