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Tandberg 3012 - Hot fins

Hello guys,

I recently stated using a vintage Tandberg 3012 integrated amp and noticed that the cooling fins located on the left side of the amp in the area of transistors (4 each) gets very hot (almost to hot to touch). The amp works great and sounds superb but I am wondering if this heat issue is normal or if it may later become a problem or is indicating that something is soon to fail. I used the amp this winter with a cooler room temperature and the heat in the reported area was definitely not as high. I just want to know if this is normal for this amp.

Thanks,
sympaticonorm
sympaticonorm OP
103 posts
 
Are you pulling my leg. How would you adjust bias on this S/S amp? Can this be done by anyone with technical skills or does it have to go to a repair shop with specialized test equipment?
gtb75
6 posts
 
It is absolutely normal for that amp to run very warm - even at idle. My father purchased a new 3012a when I was a kid (I was probably about 10 years old) and it definitely ran very warm. I picked up a used 3012a (it's a great amp) for a bedroom system and it also runs warm. It seems like most of the older Tandberg amps (pre 303x series) ran very warm because they have a higher class A bias than most amps do. Either way, completely normal and nothing to worry about. Just don't stack anything on top of it - it needs the airflow!
laobali
1 posts
 
I was given a 3012A some years ago and as I live in a hot country I was also concerned about the heat from the transistors. I didn't want to modify anything permanently so I placed a small 12V computer cooling fan on the top of the case secured with soft gum and used the AC Out for the power supply. The air gets quite hot at medium volume. Whether the cooling does any good or not, it gives me peace of mind!
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