ssouci
Well-Known Member
I'm wondering what others are doing to keep their vintage stereo tube amplifiers running cool, eg. older tube units by The Fisher, HH Scott, Eico, McIntosh, Marantz, etc.
most were designed to run on historically-lower mains voltages so will run hotter now because of today's higher volatges, but some will inherently run hot due to the component layout (companion and radiant heating, poor air circulation, no heat shields, etc.) and because of how the power transformers, output tubes and other components are be driven
I've recently acquired 3 vintage amps (Eico HF-81, Fisher X-202, and Electrohome console pull), and all start to heat up progressively while playing, and after approx. 1-1/2 hours will be pretty darned hot... and after 2-3 hours, you really have to start wondering if they're running too hot to be safe and/or damaging tubes and components... (however, they do seem to sound better when really hot... or is that just me?)... note: my wall voltage is ~118VAC, so not even as high as some, which I've heard can reach up to 125VAC
to experiment, I rigged in a small computer fan on my Electrohome console pull amp, and it works surprisingly well... I can now play it for unlimited hours, and it reaches a "very warm" state, but then doesn't go beyond that
now I want to add something to cool my (more valuable) Eico and Fisher amps, but want to do it not just effectively, but also attractively... I want minimal mess and wiring, and it's got to look professional and "cool"... nothing hokey
Q: how have you done this... did you add cooling fan(s)?... if so, how and where?... how do you power it?... attached or standalone?
Q: just how detrimental is the high heat many people seem to experience with these tube amps?... some claim it doesn't really matter, others say it greatly shortens the life of tubes and components
please send your feedback, experiences -- and hopefully some PHOTOS of what you did
thanks!
PS: here are photos of the fan I added to my console pull... a bit of a science experiment yes, and not the most elegant installation, but works very well... fan cost $15 and runs dead silent (Silenx brand, 80mm, 12V)... powered by an old cell phone charger transformer that I epoxied underneath the chassis(!)... hooked into main power feed internally, so it always runs on whenever the amp is switched on... btw, this little SET 6BQ5 amp sounds excellent
most were designed to run on historically-lower mains voltages so will run hotter now because of today's higher volatges, but some will inherently run hot due to the component layout (companion and radiant heating, poor air circulation, no heat shields, etc.) and because of how the power transformers, output tubes and other components are be driven
I've recently acquired 3 vintage amps (Eico HF-81, Fisher X-202, and Electrohome console pull), and all start to heat up progressively while playing, and after approx. 1-1/2 hours will be pretty darned hot... and after 2-3 hours, you really have to start wondering if they're running too hot to be safe and/or damaging tubes and components... (however, they do seem to sound better when really hot... or is that just me?)... note: my wall voltage is ~118VAC, so not even as high as some, which I've heard can reach up to 125VAC
to experiment, I rigged in a small computer fan on my Electrohome console pull amp, and it works surprisingly well... I can now play it for unlimited hours, and it reaches a "very warm" state, but then doesn't go beyond that
now I want to add something to cool my (more valuable) Eico and Fisher amps, but want to do it not just effectively, but also attractively... I want minimal mess and wiring, and it's got to look professional and "cool"... nothing hokey
Q: how have you done this... did you add cooling fan(s)?... if so, how and where?... how do you power it?... attached or standalone?
Q: just how detrimental is the high heat many people seem to experience with these tube amps?... some claim it doesn't really matter, others say it greatly shortens the life of tubes and components
please send your feedback, experiences -- and hopefully some PHOTOS of what you did
thanks!
PS: here are photos of the fan I added to my console pull... a bit of a science experiment yes, and not the most elegant installation, but works very well... fan cost $15 and runs dead silent (Silenx brand, 80mm, 12V)... powered by an old cell phone charger transformer that I epoxied underneath the chassis(!)... hooked into main power feed internally, so it always runs on whenever the amp is switched on... btw, this little SET 6BQ5 amp sounds excellent
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