[MRC001]

... Do any of you cool your HA-1? I just started cooling mine and I was wondering if you all have any thoughts on the subject. It really keeps the whole unit cool now. Looks sort of dorky tho but who cares, right?

Being a pure class A amplifier the heat is normal. Mine heats up as well and have no issues with it. I guess it was engineered in such a manner to be able to cope with high temperatures.

It can't hurt to cool it, especially for the HA-1 which runs hotter than most solid state preamps. Sure, it is designed to run hot and is well ventilated. But all else equal, higher temps mean slightly higher internal noise (thermal noise depends in part on temperature) and shorter life of internal components.

Note: I'm not saying the HA-1 will melt or self-destruct. It's been totally reliable for many people. My point is only that does run hot and has had more than its fair share of heat related failures. So additional cooling isn't a bad idea.

 

[gPope]

I’ve not tried the LCD-1, but do run LCD-2C’s with mine with excellent results.

Thanks! Double the price so it must be twice as good...

 

[gPope]

It can't hurt to cool it, especially for the HA-1 which runs hotter than most solid state preamps. Sure, it is designed to run hot and is well ventilated. But all else equal, higher temps mean slightly higher internal noise (thermal noise depends in part on temperature) and shorter life of internal components.

Note: I'm not saying the HA-1 will melt or self-destruct. It's been totally reliable for many people. My point is only that does run hot and has had more than its fair share of heat related failures. So additional cooling isn't a bad idea.

So, what's the best way to cool the HA-1? Lay a fan on top of the grille? Wouldn't that be noisy?

 

[Raptor34]

So, what's the best way to cool the HA-1? Lay a fan on top of the grille? Wouldn't that be noisy?

Buy a silent cooling fan and just put it exhaust up on the grill. Yes, looks very weird but it works and no noise.

EDIT: This is the fan I bought at amazon. AC Infinity 140mm cooling fan. It's a tad big so maybe the 120mm would be a better fit for the HA-1.

 

[MRC001]

... Buy a silent cooling fan and just put it exhaust up on the grill. ...

Right. Just remember the natural airflow is bottom to top. Make sure the fan doesn't reverse that flow, but accelerates it.

 

[gPope]

Buy a silent cooling fan and just put it exhaust up on the grill. Yes, looks very weird but it works and no noise.

EDIT: This is the fan I bought at amazon. AC Infinity 140mm cooling fan. It's a tad big so maybe the 120mm would be a better fit for the HA-1.

That looks great but what USB receptacle did you plug it into?

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-MULTIFAN-Receiver-Playstation/dp/B00G05A2MU

 

[Raptor34]

That looks great but what USB receptacle did you plug it into?

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-MULTIFAN-Receiver-Playstation/dp/B00G05A2MU

I used the USB plug on the HA-1 face plate. It's only active when the amp is on soooo when you turn the HA-1 off, the fan shuts down as well.

 

[gPope]

I used the USB plug on the HA-1 face plate. It's only active when the amp is on soooo when you turn the HA-1 off, the fan shuts down as well.

Very good, thank you.

 

[Raptor34]

Very good, thank you.

yer welcome.
cheers