Longevity of AVR with an external amp.

[Geertidow]

Hi all,

I bought my Denon X3800h about six months ago. Together with DIRAC art and my KEF R3Ms with two SVS2000 pro subs I am no longer in need of upgrades.

If I were to preserve my x3800h (and license) for as long as possible, would an external amp make a difference?
There would be no more amp activity on the Demon because I have no other speakers.

I often listen on ECO mode (volume below 50%) but not always.

Could a simple hypex amp severely increase device longevity?

Happy to hear some thoughts!

 

[staticV3]

Heat cycles kill most solid state electronics eventually.

Shutting off the internal Amps, should reduce the internal temperature difference between standby and in use, thereby reducing thermal stress.

If you want to check, just put a power meter on the Denon and compare power draw during use with the Denon driving your KEFs and with the Amps disabled and output set to Pre/Line only.

For the second test, there's no need to plug anything into the RCA outs.

 

[Chr1]

No harm in running a couple of silent USB fans on top of the AVR too if it gets warm.
Never heard of too much cooling being an when it comes to AVRs personally.

 

[Marc v E]

As a precaution I would make sure there is enough free space around the amp and a way for the hot air to escape.

Not sure if the expense of buying 2 monos or 1 stereo amp would save you in cost. Say for example, you'd buy an iom stereo amp. It would cost about 500 euros. The x3800h is about 1100 iirc. If the 3800 lasts 5 years then with external amps on, the combination of avr plus stereo amp gets break even at around 8 years.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I operate a Pioneer '505' AVR strictly as preamplifier. It feels lukewarm to the touch and draws about 40 watts per my Kill-A-Watt meter.

I hope using it as a preamplifier will severely lengthen its life, but do not know.

I do know much of the oldest used gear for sale at a local audio store typically has few moving parts and generates little heat - like a standalone digital tuner or preamplifier,

 

[Geertidow]

As a precaution I would make sure there is enough free space around the amp and a way for the hot air to escape.

Not sure if the expense of buying 2 monos or 1 stereo amp would save you in cost. Say for example, you'd buy an iom stereo amp. It would cost about 500 euros. The x3800h is about 1100 iirc. If the 3800 lasts 5 years then with external amps on, the combination of avr plus stereo amp gets break even at around 8 years.

Perhaps after 5 years Wiim has caught up.

There is around 15 cm on both sides and 10 above. More is not to be achieved.
I can always place my hand on top.

I've toyed around with fans but they make too much noise.

 

[Ruediger]

I can say that the 3800h stays pretty cool with external amps. OTOH I think it is a hot box with amps on. Def. an AVR that profits from external amps in terms of temperature.

Personally I chose external amps because I also want the Denon out of the chain for 2.0 music listening. A nice amp with balanced in as 2nd option gives that possibilty.

The 3800h is a relatively inexpensive AVR. So I don't think too much into this. If it dies I hope the 3900h has arrived at the same low prices.

 

[livinon2wheels]

Perhaps after 5 years Wiim has caught up.

There is around 15 cm on both sides and 10 above. More is not to be achieved.
I can always place my hand on top.

I've toyed around with fans but they make too much noise.

You can always put two fans in series to reduce their noise and likely move as much air as one did alone at the higher noise level. Think outside the box! no pun intended.

 

[Chrispy]

There's no percentage volume on a Denon, so not sure what you mean by percentage but if its relatively low volumes and eco mode suffices, then doubt external amps would do a lot. If you mean 50 on the absolute volume scale generally you'd have to turn it up quite a bit from there to get to half the amp capacity in wattage output. Sounds more like not a worry.

 

[Bleib]

Notice how many old AVRs are being sold? Most should be OK for a long time

But if fans are used, it's quite often possible to find devices with which you can choose off, mid and high settings such as this:

About USB 5V to 12V Boost Fan Cable, Adjustable USB to 4-Pin Fan Cable, 3 Speed, Adjustable Speed, USB to 12V Fan Cable : Amazon.se: Electronics

About USB 5V to 12V Boost Fan Cable, Adjustable USB to 4-Pin Fan Cable, 3 Speed, Adjustable Speed, USB to 12V Fan Cable : Amazon.se: Electronics

www.amazon.se

I have this, and during warmer days I might activate a Noctua 20cm fan to run on mid-speed. It's connected to the front USB port on the AVR

 

[livinon2wheels]

you can make your own multispeed fan easily. Most of these fans will run off a USB power brick. If that makes too much noise adding diodes in series with the hot lead from the power brick will step down the voltage by about .6 to.7 volts. Just be sure your diodes can handle the current. Pretty easy to measure with a VOM. Multiple diodes will drop the voltage as far as you could want to go.

 

[Ruediger]

With fans the first thing is to get a good one. The silent runners with good airflow and longlife bearings are not the cheap ones.

Noctua is a good address. Or the top lines from BeQuiet.

To power it from any USB and have a little potentiometer in the line would be my choice.

 

[xlinknz]

I have a (18kg) HK AVR-660 which was very high end at the time, the power amp section doesn't work anymore due to component failure but I did find it fully works for headphones or if I use pre outs. I intend to connect it to an inexpensive class D power amp for 2.0 use

 

[livinon2wheels]

I have a (18kg) HK AVR-660 which was very high end at the time, the power amp section doesn't work anymore due to component failure but I did find it fully works for headphones or if I use pre outs. I intend to connect it to an inexpensive class D power amp for 2.0 use

I believe that hifi and audio pursuits are going to be things enjoyed by the very few in not so many years. Finding ways to do it on the cheap and doing it with equipment already on hand is not just smart. Its brilliant. I applaud you for taking the HK receiver and pressing it into service because the preamp still works. I love it! I have the same mindset. If I have a location I want sound, I look for equipment that will support the space and figure out how to use what I have to fill it with sound. Thank you for validating my mindset.

 

[Putter]

I've had good luck using laptop fans. They can sometimes be found used at thrift stores although not that expensive brand new. I usually connect it to a powered outlet so it runs whenever the AVR is on although I have one that uses a thermostat.