Amp heat sinks are ringing

Before you get to the point of placing everything but the kitchen sink, french (Oops a.k.a Trader) fries, etc. in your heat sinks.

1.) Call Classe, see what they have to say?

2.) Your room needs more work, forget "Foam", & don't go crazy spending thousands of dollars on specialty acoustical panels.

A.)Tell us more about your listening room! Hardwood floors, huge bay/picture window, cathederal ceiling, etc.

B.) What kind of stands are the amps on, Metal???

Get some Homasote Fiberboard 4'x8' panels covered w/ Burlap, they are 5/8" thick & fire rated. You may have to special order these $28-50 ea. This is what radio stations & TV broadcast room walls are covered w/ instead of drywall. They cut easily (yet messy) w/ a carpet knife. You can make up your over rectangular wall panels, paint the burlap & frame the edges w/ oak edge trim from Chateu' Depot. Or cover entire walls w/ it, as once painted it looks quite attractive? Pillows, Heavier Drapes, etc.....

You won't believe this but if you search the web, you'll find interior paints w/ acoustical dampening properties, along w/ Low E, etc. at $45 a gallon.

Secondly, I would concentrate more on the base the amp is on, & dampen/isolate the heck out of it.

Placing any foreign object in my heat sinks would be the last step, Gosh the CAM-200's where actually on my auditioning list. Well not now that you need auto parts to get them to sing, oops not ring. Only Kidding :0)~

Seriously, need more info on your room itself!!!

P.S. Gnobber "STOP" Running your fingers along the heatsinks!!!

Electrical Tape adhesive won't work w/ heat, you would have a MAJOR MESS on your heat sinks & hands!

Call Classe and let us know what they recommend you do. I am curious as to what they come up with. Goldmund's style is fantastic - even their accent comes through their text. I need to buy a Goldmund amp. Arthur

If you really want to do this right ( the Goldmund method is "partially there" ), it will require drilling holes or being very creative in using threaded holes that are already in the chassis. These holes are used to anchor the multiple metal damping strips that clamp against the outer edges of the heat sinks. By using multiple clamps ( ala multiple versions of the Goldmund method ) and staggering their spacing, you not only reduce the amplitude of each resonance, but spread the points of resonance out at various intervals. This means that you no longer have one large "ringer" but several smaller, different sized "ringers" of much lower amplitude.

The problem with this approach is that it is not "universal" i.e. what does one do with heat sinks that are staggered in height or depth ? While the manufacturer may have gone to staggered heatsinks to spread out the resonance / reduce the amplitude of the ringing taking place, there really is no easy solution if one wants to try and "damp" such designs.

As several folks noted, using something that is heat sensitive or will melt is NOT a good idea. That is, if you have a good quality amp that is of high bias. You have to remember that some of these amps have their heatsinks running at well over 130* and hitting 150* - 165* at the heatsink in the summer with a room that has no air-conditioning is not uncommon. As such, the smell of cooking wood aka having a "kiln" in your house is not something that i would look forward to. Using soft rubber or some type of material with adhesive is also a no-no as it may melt / produce fumes.

Elizabeth's idea of using the "stoppers" from "chemical beakers" or test tubes may work pretty well as these are designed to be exposed to high heats when "making potions" in the lab as the beakers / test tubes are heated over Bunsen ( sp ??? ) burners. The fact that she's running them on an a Class A amp that does get QUITE hot and has had no problems with them verifies that. As mentioned though, i would be careful with how / where you place them. The further out towards the end of the heatsink that you can get them, the lower the temperature they will be exposed to and the less airflow blocked.

With amps that run cool to the touch, you might not run into many problems using some of the other methods described. Just remember that if you did want to remove your "mod" at a later date, you may have to scrape the goo / gunk that was used to adhere your "damper" from the heatsinks. AS such, use something that is relatively easily reversible or get ready to pull your hair out trying to clean between the heatsinks.

Audiobugged: While one can work on optimizing room acoustics and "draining" the energy from the amp into the stand, the vibration of the heatsinks has to pass through the entire chassis prior to being "drained". There's just no way around the ringing unless you directly address the problem. Sean
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PS... To those "fans" of Goldmund products, i apologize for calling them "Goldman". I must have been fantasizing about Oscar from the Six Million Dollar Man again : )