New Class D amp NAD 3050 getting HOT

[restorer-john]

Yes there's a top "vent" though it is more a design feature than anything else since there are no vents on the sides or on the bottom?

You can see a small grille below the heatsink.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

You can see a small grille below the heatsink.

You're right.

 

[JungleXray]

Firstly they are not at all efficient at idle to low powers. Measure the idle consumption with a killwatt and consider, all that is going up as heat.

The idle losses are significant and the internal temperatures often get well past the levels for long term reliability with much of this Class D stuff.

75 to 85 degrees C (185F) is not unusual at idle on the components I circled. They basically cook the nearby capacitors. Often the auxilliary SMPS transformer runs very hot.

View attachment 313986

Are you saying I should expect years of use from the NAD ... but not decades?

 

[restorer-john]

Are you saying I should expect years of use from the NAD ... but not decades?

I would expect as much.

 

[JungleXray]

I would expect as much.

Damn. Disappointing.

... bluetooth is nice though ...

 

[restorer-john]

Damn. Disappointing.

... bluetooth is nice though ...

Enjoy it while it lasts. Get your money's worth and be happy. But don't expect to pass it on to your son/daughter.

 

[formdissolve]

Some might not like this idea, but you can place 120mm fans on top of the unit to blow/suck air. I have done that in the past and 120mm sized fans running at low are barely audible even up close, yet cooled my amp by 10-15C on low. Dust can be a concern, but you just have to keep an eye on it.

These are similar to what I had, but cheaper: Fans

 

[Doodski]

AIRCOM S7, Receiver and AV Component Cooling Fan System, Top Exhaust 12"

Your source to create smart growing systems with components including advance grow tents, inline fans, clip-on fans, LED grow lights, and UIS™ controllers.

acinfinity.com

 

[mhardy6647]

What loudspeakers are you using with your new NAD, @JungleXray ?
Whats sort of music and what kind of volume levels?
Maybe this has been asked and answered, but I didn't notice via a quick swing through the thread so far.

I (not surprisingly) lean towards @restorer-john's suggestion, but I also wonder if it's not, perhaps, working harder than it was really intended to (i.e., into a relatively amplifier-hostile load... which describes so many loudspeakers, especially nowadays).

Wait!? You're using it with Cornies? Not a very difficult load stock... they're not "enhanced" in any way, are they? No weird aftermarket drivers or XO topology?
(I decided to leave my speculation at least visible, even though it should be erroneous, just in case there's more going on here than meets the eye!)

 

[formdissolve]

AIRCOM S7, Receiver and AV Component Cooling Fan System, Top Exhaust 12"

Your source to create smart growing systems with components including advance grow tents, inline fans, clip-on fans, LED grow lights, and UIS™ controllers.

acinfinity.com

Whoa, that thing looks awesome! I'd probably end up spending more on adding in uber-quiet Noctua.. but that's a good stock price. Might actually order that for my network switch since it looks "slicker" than just three random fans with rubber feet laying on top.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Some might not like this idea, but you can place 120mm fans on top of the unit to blow/suck air. I have done that in the past and 120mm sized fans running at low are barely audible even up close, yet cooled my amp by 10-15C on low. Dust can be a concern, but you just have to keep an eye on it.

These are similar to what I had, but cheaper: Fans

I like your ingenuity and your way of taking care of your equipment. When that's being said, I despise the idea, that it should be necessary to do on a brands spanking new piece of electronics. And especially the price taken into consideration.

 

[WILL]

You can use usb fan to cool the amp.
There is a usb port in the back of it.