# Stereo cabinet cooling system



## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

I think was the best forum to post this question.

I have several question concerning the removal of heat build up within a wooden cabinet that stores my stereo equipment. The cabinet has 3 separate compartments and I do not want to cut vent holes within the internal walls. Therefore, I am looking for an intake/exhaust thermal controlled fax system for each (3) compartment. 

Looking at the AC Infinity fan systems it appears each cabinet fan system will have a 19 DbA sound rating. Am I correct in thinking that if all 3 fan systems are on at one point, I will have a sound rating of 57 Dba (3 x 19)? If all fans are located in the rear of the cabinet, which will be about 4 inches from the room wall, will 57 DbA noise level be audible from 10 ft away from the front of the cabinet.

I found AC Infinity on the internet so I used them as reference. Are there other manufacturers of cooling fan systems on the market are better or more reliable? Any comments, suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.
thanks
Joe


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Joe11554 said:


> Am I correct in thinking that if all 3 fan systems are on at one point, I will have a sound rating of 57 Dba (3 x 19)?


Nope. The sum of 3 19dB sources will be about 4.8dB higher or about 23.9dB. Still pretty quiet.


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## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

Thanks for the reply Kal,
Do you know if there is any manufacturer better than the others or are they all selling the same stuff.
Joe


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Joe11554 said:


> Do you know if there is any manufacturer better than the others or are they all selling the same stuff.


I do not know anything about fans.


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## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

Anyone know about differences in quality, if any, of cooling fan among the various manufacturers?


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

I have never really heard anything bad said about AC Infinity other than maybe price.
When you said your equipment was in a wooden cabinet, does that mean it has a mostly solid back panel and is open in the front or does the front have doors?

The reason I ask is that I have experience with a cabinet that had doors and cooling the components was absolutely necessary! My receiver would still shut itself down even AFTER I installed some AC infinity fans in the back of the cabinet. There just was not enough air flow with the door closed so I had to leave the door half open when using the stereo.


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## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

Yes, it has doors in the front that close tight and the back also has a wood panel with 5 - 20" x 2" vertical vent holes. 

Originally I was thinking 6 - 6" x 6" fans (Airplate T3), three intake (bottom) and three exhaust fans (top), in order to have both an exhaust and intake fan in each of the three 8 cubic foot compartments, with all vent holes in back board sealed to create a airflow path from bottom to top. However, do to room restrictions at the bottom of cabinet, It may be easier to use AC Infinity 6" x 2" (Airplate S2) for the bottom fans. This means intake fans at 35 cfm are less than exhaust fans at 52 cfm, but I will then leave vent holes in bottom back areas to compensate. From your experience, do you feel I am better served with using the 6" x 6" fans at bottom? Everything will be controlled by a thermal controller for each compartment. 

I had to open the back of the cabinet in order to give access to interconnects, power and in one case to extend the base another 6" beyond the 20" interior length due to equipment length. Its going to be an effort but I was planning on closing in the open areas to ensure an airflow path from bottom to top. Do you think it would be beneficial to leave these areas wide open in the back?

Each compartment is 8 cu ft so in a perfect world the air would be completely exchanged within 10-15 seconds. Your comments from experience is appreciated.
Joe


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

How many components are in each compartment?

A picture would really help.

Edited.


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## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

A picture is enclosed.
The cabinet has 3 compartments, each measuring 20"Deep x 26" Wide x 27" High (14,040 cu in divided by 1728 cu in/cu ft = 8.1 cubic feet for each compartment)

The center compartment has 2 pieces of equipment, a Torus Toridal Power Transformer and a Bryston SP3 Pre/Pro, that heats up to 86 degrees when room temperature is 78 degrees with the back of the cabinet open and front door ajar. The other compartments have 3 components each, Left - a couple of YBA2 amplifiers, Innous Zenith Mk3 music server and Right - Magnum Dynalab Tuner Krell 20i CD player and Genesis Advanced Tech Servo Amplifier for the woofers in my Gen V speakers.


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

Does the center one get the hottest, because 86 degrees is not very warm at all.
If that is indeed the case then I think you would be fine with just some rear exhaust fans and some intake holes in the bottom of the compartments.


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## Joe11554 (Oct 15, 2014)

Correction 86 degrees was with front door ajar and with it closed the temperature increased to 89 degrees, still not bad. 
As you can see its under construction so most components are not installed yet. I put in the essential components and the center appeared to be hottest so far. I have too much $ invested not to be cautious so fans are cheap insurance if needed. 

I am on the fence about closing up the back or leaving it open. If left open the bottom fan will mix up and move the air around, while the upper fan is an exhaust since heat rises.
If I close in the cabinet back, the fans not become a more critical factor since outside air entering from the back is restricted.


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

Joe11554 said:


> Correction 86 degrees was with front door ajar and with it closed the temperature increased to 89 degrees, still not bad.
> As you can see its under construction so most components are not installed yet. I put in the essential components and the center appeared to be hottest so far. I have too much $ invested not to be cautious so fans are cheap insurance if needed.
> 
> I am on the fence about closing up the back or leaving it open. If left open the bottom fan will mix up and move the air around, while the upper fan is an exhaust since heat rises.
> If I close in the cabinet back, the fans not become a more critical factor since outside air entering from the back is restricted.


I would think the fans would be more efficient with the back closed and some intake holes/slots on the bottom of the cabinet to draw fresh air from. I really don't think you need fans on the bottom and the back based on the temps you have observed. However like you said the price is negligible for the peace of mind an extra fan will give you.


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## lotusguy (Apr 6, 2012)

Joe11554 said:


> I think was the best forum to post this question.
> 
> I have several question concerning the removal of heat build up within a wooden cabinet that stores my stereo equipment. The cabinet has 3 separate compartments and I do not want to cut vent holes within the internal walls. Therefore, I am looking for an intake/exhaust thermal controlled fax system for each (3) compartment.
> 
> ...


Talk with the experts at Active Thermal Management rather than taking someone's anecdotal suggestions. quiet cooling home page


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

lotusguy said:


> Talk with the experts at Active Thermal Management rather than taking someone's anecdotal suggestions. quiet cooling home page


Wow, advertise much? 
My comments were based on first hand experience with a smaller hotter cabinet .


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## lotusguy (Apr 6, 2012)

sealman said:


> Wow, advertise much?
> My comments were based on first hand experience with a smaller hotter cabinet .


Didn't mean to trigger you, but unless you are an engineer who works in thermal management, you are just guessing. I happen to know the folks at ATM because I met them at CES when I worked at Mitsubishi and they helped with an ongoing problem. I'm an electrical engineer, but I don't deal in BTUs like these people. Read some of the white papers on their web site. If you don't learn something you didn't know, at least you will not have spent any money. Passing this info along is not advertising, it's trying to add to the discussion.
I'm out.


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## sealman (Jun 10, 2013)

lotusguy said:


> Didn't mean to trigger you, but unless you are an engineer who works in thermal management, you are just guessing. I happen to know the folks at ATM because I met them at CES when I worked at Mitsubishi and they helped with an ongoing problem. I'm an electrical engineer, but I don't deal in BTUs like these people. Read some of the white papers on their web site. If you don't learn something you didn't know, at least you will not have spent any money. Passing this info along is not advertising, it's trying to add to the discussion.
> I'm out.


Well the OP said his gear compartment was hitting 89 degrees which is just warm and definitely not hot. I do not need a degree in anything to absolutely know that adding fans will reduce the heat to a close to room temp depending on the fans and their placement. I am not just making anecdotal suggestions regarding a severe heat issue and his problem does not need professional help.


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## John 2031 (Mar 2, 2015)

I think you want your air intakes at the bottom and the fans near the top. Warm air rises so why fight it... I also wonder about pockets of hot air if there is no cross flow of air. My stand has a top and bottom shelf, open all around with about 5 inches clear above my Denon 4520CI AVR upon which I have an Aircom T-8 and it will come on after I've had a movie going for a while and depending on the room air temperature. IF a semiconductor component is going to fail, the hotter the temperature the sooner it will fail. MIL-STD-883 may provide some idea about this.


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## audiodan (Jun 13, 2011)

Make the goal to get the heat out of the device. When a passively cooled device is in an open room, the heat column creates vacuum that induces flow through the device pulling air across the internal heat sink components which reinforce the heat column. They work together. When that same device is in a cabinet, it is much harder to create that flow, especially with an active cooling device that adds turbulence nearby.

If you put a fan in the cabinet, you just need to make sure the air is flowing through the device and not around the device. I recommend including ducts from the fan to the top of your device or make a simple hood to maximize the benefit. Good luck - looks great!


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## rgoebel (Oct 29, 2009)

Well I have built several various cabinets over the years and I find the 1 or 2 4" computer fans (the quietest, often use mag-lev) are more than sufficient. I use an inexpensive 12v adapter to power them, and my surge bar has an auto sense power deal that the main outlet senses current flow, and turns the others on. So the receiver is on the main outlet and the fans are on the secondary. That way the fans only run when necessary. Also, I arranged one fan to blow in and the other out, because i didn't want the gap around the doors to become a dust magnet. The sub amp (Crown XLS1500) is on a lower shelf, but seems to never get warm, so air flow within the cabinet is good. (you'll have to excuse the wire mess, as I have been making some changes and haven't tidied up yet  )


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## JessicajK (Mar 19, 2021)

I would also look for what material the fun is actually made of. There is a big difference between Copper and aluminum. We had this discussion with a friend who was remaking his house and was complaining about his AC being dead after 4 years of use alone. When I asked him what kind of coil his AC had he didn't even know. Upon checking on Copper AC Vs. Aluminum AC: Which One Works Better? | HelloDiya I explained him that his unit had an aluminum coil which is not as durable as a coil one and he then understood that it's better for the climate conditions in his area to buy that kind of unit.


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