[ryant]

So I recently purchased a Gigalab Moon DAC. I hooked it up through USB. It sounded great right off the bat but after about 2-3 hours of listening I noticed some slight popping/crackling sound from the right channel only. I ignored it but after a minute or two it was almost constant static. At that point I went to turn off the DAC when I placed my hand on it and it was VERY warm. It didn't burn me but it was uncomfortable to touch. I quickly shut it off and let it cool down.

I thought I would at least try an optical cable to make sure it wasn't just extra noise from the USB cable but sure enough after a few hours it started making that same popping/crackling noise and the unit was very warm again. Finally I decided to grab an extra 120mm fan and place it blowing on the DAC. After a few minutes it stopped popping and the unit was barely warm to the touch.

So my question is, is it farily normal for these units to get this hot? I know my room is pretty warm on a regular basis (mid 80's or so with all my computer gear on). I plan on calling the company I bought it from on monday but I thought I would try and get your guys opinion first. The unit sounds perfect with the fan blowing on it so i'm reluctant to think it's defective but i'm not sure.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Budgie]

I know the TDA 1543 converter does run hot.

Does your dac have plenty of room around it for air circulation?

 

[ryant]

It's just sitting on my desk. There isn't anything within like 8-10" of it. I have been using it a lot this weekend with the 120mm fan blowing on it and it has worked flawlessly. I'll probably still call the company just to ask them if other customers have had this issue before.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[FallenAngel]

Parallel TDA1543 can require heatsinks (depending on configuration; not sure about the gigalab dac).

 

[audioli]

I have the Gigalab moon mk2 and it hardly gets warm at all in use. The 8 Dac chips use the bottom of the case as a heat sink.

 

[Adriel]

With ac set for 74 degrees and blowing across the audio system, it stays room temperature. If I turn off ac, allowing ambient temp to reach 78 degrees, it reaches the warmth of a laptop power supply. Not hot, but very very warm. In a hot climate I have no doubt it would overheat.

 

[ryant]

Yeah It ran fine with a fan on it but by itself it would over heat. I ended up sending it back and trading up to an Audio-gd Compass and have been very happy. The compass runs a bit warm too but doesn't seem to have the same heat issues. I will be moving soon to a place with AC so I don't think i'll really encounter any issues. The gigalab was a great sounding unit it just didn't work in my area sadly.