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  1. #1
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    New Crown - thermal shut down - Boo!

    OK, so I have been using a Crown XLS 800D in one HT for eight months or so and it has run cold as ice and without incident. The fans were really loud so I turned them off.

    Anyway, I liked the Crown amp so much I recently purchased another one of the same make and model for the basement. Since I did not have any thermal issues with the first unit, I turned the fans in the new unit off too.

    Apparently, this new amp wants more cold air as it shut off twice during its very first playing session at moderate levels.

    I was driving a single set of 8 Ohm 4312s at the time. One of the speakers is 60 feet away and I am using thin speaker cable, however. The amp was mildly warm to the touch which surprised me. My first Crown amp is NEVER warm to the touch irrespective of the power I apply.

    Anyway my questions:

    1. Is the thin speaker wire in the basement application a reason that the new amp might run hotter than the same make and model amp runs in the TV room?

    2. Is it possible that two Crown amps of the same make and model would run at different operating temperatures both driving a single set of 8 ohm load speakers in a home setting?

    3. I'm sure I can stop the thermal shut down of the new amp if I turn on the fans but they are noisy; can I use a less noisy pancake fan or is there another potential solution to thermal meltdown?

  2. #2
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by robertbartsch View Post
    I'm sure I can stop the thermal shut down of the new amp if I turn on the fans but they are noisy; can I use a less noisy pancake fan or is there another potential solution to thermal meltdown?
    Try better wires but maybe you should just hook up the fans and put the amps in another room. I used to keep my first D150 in the closet since it was sold without even a faceplate. Did you at least have it up in the air where it could get circumferential cooling?

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    Dis Member mikebake's Avatar
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    How exactly did you turn them off? Were they designed to be able to be turned off?

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    ...new amp is sitting in an open glass shelf rack that was built for HT components - 6 inches of open space above and open to the sides and back. Rack is not against the wall.

    Both amps are "B" stock inventory which is either (1) slight damage to the case or (2) a return amp that has been factory reconditioned.

    I guess the Crown amps have good protection circuits like DC shut down and thermal shut down which is a good idea, I suppose. Anyway, putting units in separate rooms is not an option for me, however.

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    Dis Member mikebake's Avatar
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    Back to my question................

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    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikebake View Post
    Back to my question................
    I'll answer: The fans are on all the time unless you pull their power. The amp is a high-power DJ PA amp designed for a working rack where the noise won't be heard over the system. It's a nice design but very light with little heat-sink area or cooling fins. Made in China so maybe a better-quality whisper fan could help the problem.

    Here's a shot of the guts of another Crown XLS model posted on another site which might give you an idea why it needs the fan:

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    Dis Member mikebake's Avatar
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    Okay, so what we have is "New B stock Crowns -Thermal shutdown-boo! I didn't turn them off, I opened the case and unplugged the fans that are designed to cool it and not meant to be unplugged by the consumer and now it is shutting down- boo!"
    I got it.............

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    First those amps are pushing it to even be called a Crown....just my opinion!

    As others have said I would not recommend disconnecting the fans, however have you tried swapping the amps from one system to the other and see if the problem stays with the same amp or is related to the system that it is connected to. Maybe you have an extremely low impedance load on one channel of the basement system.

    Mike Caldwell
    www.mikecaldwellaudioproductions.com

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    Also Robert, if you think the one amp is running too hot or not functioning correctly like the other one, you should then have it checked out by a Crown Service station or send it back to Crown. You should mention that with the fan running, the unit seems warmer than the other one (almost cold) and you're concerned with the fact that if its getting warm with the fan, if you have a, ahem, fan failure, there could be a problem with the unit overheating (as you found out).

    Even out of the box, electronics can have problems and they sometimes need to be readjusted for bias, offset, or other parameters. Even with B stock, run-in or operation for the first 90-120 days can reveal some early component problems. While we would love to have all our stuff work from day 1 (Quality control), it just isn't always that way. And when stuff is made offshore, well there can be more problems unless the manufacturing and QC process is very good.

    Seems to me if there is a warranty, now would be a good time to use it.

    Those heat sinks are only there in sizes and orientation for use with forced air cooling so it's not surprising to see they're quite small. I can only imagine what the higher power amps look like with all those TO3 spaces filled and 3 or 4 more sinks that need more air. Would there be multiples of fans installed?

    Bart
    When faced with another JBL find, Good mech986 says , JBL Fan mech986 says

  10. #10
    Senior Member SMKSoundPro's Avatar
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    I agree with Bart and ask some of the same questions.

    Is it possible to stand the amp on its face to utilize convective air currents to cool without a fan? Not attractive I'm sure seeing an amp on its face.

    That sure seems to be an over-worked fan for a "pro" amp. If the other TO3 were full, how could there be enough cooling power for the one fan.

    In the Macro Tech series, the chassis is designed for serious cooling. Even in a Mackie amp, they use a T style of air current where the fan forces air across all of the output devices. Could be a better amp, but at least they got that part fairly right.

    From the internal view of this amp, I can assure you that one of these "crowns" will not be in my kit, no matter the cost.

    scotty.

    ps. try an old battle tested Yamaha amp like Bart and I are using. P2200 or 2201, 2002, or any othe other 250w/ch. offerings. They are a bargain!
    One step above: "Two Tin Cans and a String!"
    Longtime Alaskan Low-Fi Guy - E=MC² ±3db

  11. #11
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    Hey Scotty,

    Now I know what the pic of the heat sink reminds me of - those same types of sinks are in computer swithching power supplies and fan cooled too!! Most if not all use plastic power parts though, not TO3 based transistors.

    Otherwise, shhh! about the Yami's, we don't want the whole world to know about it. OTOH, if he can find them reasonably priced locally so not have to ship, they are truly a bargain.

    Regards,

    Bart
    When faced with another JBL find, Good mech986 says , JBL Fan mech986 says

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