Joule - Electra: Just How Hot??


I'm considering Joule Electra mono blocs as a source of amplification. My fundamental question is not about the sonics rather this is a question for those that actually have J-E in their system: How much heat do they throw off and how do you manage--especially in the warm months of the year? Or is the heat issue not really a major problem? My room is 25 X 17 X 13 (LxW xH)with 4 air conditioning vents and 2 heat extraction ducts.
amilcar
I haven't had any problems with the VZN-160's. The preamp is
a Conrad Johnson Act 2 and I haven't had any problems with it.
Well there you have it. I guess any companies gear could fail at some point. I have been lucky so far knock on wood.
Again, "build-quality" and "reliabilty" are two different things. I've never known the Joule stuff to be anything but reliable. Build quality is a little more subjective and debatable, more related to fit and finish than whether the thing works and will do so over the long run. I think the Joule gear is reliable. As is my Atma-sphere gear which arguably does not have "eye candy" build quality - though I happen to like the way it looks.
I own the VZN-100 monoblocks in Musicwood. Build quality is simply suberb- these amps are functional works of art. Reliablity is excellent. I would only advise that the contacts of the driver tubes be occasionally cleaned with fine sandpaper. I say this because I've had one driver tube melt down, but fortunately I caught it before it did any damage to the tube socket. I live in Tucson AZ and therefore only use the amps during the colder months. If your AC is reasonably quiet, you should be fine.
Personally, I could not spend $15-30k on an amplifier that did not absolutely exude the essence of care, craftsmanship, and quality. Simple.