[alfa] Re: Overheating Spider amplifier

[Sonny <maxid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It is hard for me to visualize where and how the sometimes overheating amplifier is mounted, but a common contributing factor when amplifiers overheat is that they are mounted upside-down. Amps are generally designed to work best when the heatsink is *above* the output transistors. But again, I don't know if this is the case here. In a sedan, a horizontal placement under a front seat seems to work well with smallish amps despite the sometimes limited airflow in this location, but it may be too exposed a position in a convertible. 

A good material to use for fabrication in a convertible is marine plywood. Acoustically, it is marginally less good than MDF (medium density fiberboard), but MDF, esentially being compressed paper, is susceptible to humidity. Marine plywood is the preferred material for doors in sedans in most climates where inside/outside temperature differences and water coming in cause humidity problems. Nevertheless, most installers seem to use MDF for everything, possibly because it is the material they have in stock and are used to working with.

Cheers,
Sonny '91 164 S
Baltimore
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