VSX-9900s upgrade and question

[lonewolf1973]

I recently scored a VSX-9900s for $130 on the bay, and replaced my newer Malaysian made VSX-914. There is no comparison between the 914 and sound quality produced by the Japanese made 9900s.

I did try to score a D1S, but would have been another bill or more, and it seems more folks have trouble with direct only audio with those.

One thing I've noticed with the 9900s, other than the sound improvement, is this sucker runs hot. It is in a cabinet, and I'm considering adding a muffin fan over the top of receiver, but space is limited and it seems like that the heat will still deadhead once it reaches top of cabinet (approx 3" above top of receiver). What are my options, I haven't been able to run it too long for fear of overheating the 25 year old electronics... Any suggestions?

 

[jeffpaletz]

Find an area to use the receiver that has more space. Heat kills electronics, especially older electronics. A fan will bring dust, try to avoid that. Are there doors on the cabinet? Remove them. How much space is above the receiver, 8-12" is recommended. My cabinets had glass doors on them back in the 1980s. I removed the doors decades ago.

 

[lonewolf1973]

Yes the door has definitely got to go. Still debating some sort of fan. They sure make a difference moving heat away on computer boards, so I would expect the same with a stereo receiver/amp. I do understand that dust is an enemy too, as it somewhat insulates the heat to the board. But I bet that heat is a bigger enemy and dries up the electrolytics and possibly cracks in solder joints.

I am still amazed at how much better the 9900s sounds than the 914. Better Japanese electronics I assume, and double the power consumption!