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Audio Research Classic 60 & 120 owners

For those who own one of those, does the power transformer (left one on the 120 and the center one on the 60) get quite warm to the touch after a few hours of operation? Mine get very warm. So much so that i can hardly keep my hand on it for very long. The bias setting is dead on with SED 6550C. Mine were upgraded by GNSC back in 2004.

This is not a new phenomenon. They have been warm like this for as long as i can remember. I had meant to ask other owners but never got to it until today.
Any feedback much appreciated.
smoffatt
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
The power transformer on any amp will get hot. If the unit has output transformers, (Tube amps) those would stay pretty cool, compared to the power transformer. Hope this allays your worries.
gmuffley
132 posts
 
Sounds normal to me for those amps.
nels
2 posts
 
HI, I'm glad to hear there another person enjoying these amps. I've had the ARC 120's in my rotation since the early 90's. The temp situation you describe is exactly how mine behave. They do get hot after a while even with the fans and if I remember correctly they are drawing 300 watts each at idle. I typically use them only in the winter months here in Michigan. If you can manage the time, I would appreciate it you would share any feedback on the GNSC upgrades. I've been thinking about this path for a while. Cheers,
arcl60
24 posts
 
Hello,
I've owned Classic 60 and 120 in the past. Very good amplifier, extremely dynamic and detailed. As far as i remember the power transformer is quite hot after some time, 1 or 2 hours and this is normal. I'm still owning a V35 which is also an excellent amplifier, same circuit design as the Classic 30 but with balanced input.
Laurent
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
I have worked on quite a few CL-30 and CL-60. Yes the transformer does get quite warm. I also remember the power transformer being close to the output tubes. They are designed to run at that temperature and if there was an issue with too much current being drawn through the transformer your line fuse would fail provided the fuse is the proper current rating. You might want to consider replacing your filter caps at some point. I've had to replace those too.
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