Turn system off during heatwave?

The power amps I know have a thermal cut-out on them set for 70 degrees C. As for the new Unitis I don’t know. Best to ask Naim.

I’ve sent a mail to support; I’ll let you know on any response.

Me, too. Planning for data centre zone cooling is dependent on knowing thresholds and aiming to be well below the threshold of the unit with the lowest ambient rated temp. Some older network components are rated at a modest 25C!

I’ve noticed that recently, since there is a big drive to encourage people to set aircon warmer and warmer to save electricity (28.5 being the government recommendation now in my country after creeping up half a degree each year), things like monitors that previous were rated at 35C ambient are now often certified for 50C ambient.

As long as it is not a precursor to banning aircon :grin: that would push me to insanity.

It doesn’t seem to be common for any audio gear though. Probably because the internal operating temp is highly variable and so the max ambient temp is an impossibly moving target.

Yesterday evening I had a very good listening session despite the impossible temperature in my room. Windows closed obviously to avoid crickets and cicadas to be part of the performance… :sweat::sweat::sweat:
Outside it was probably 34/36 °C, inside hot was hell, therefore 2 records and 1 shower right afterward… :grin:

The system was ok, it did not seem to suffer but I have some doubts on the cartridge suspension system with such heat. Stageline/Flatcap were cold while the Nuprime power amp was hot as a tube amp. Recently I worry a bit for my records, such long time exposure to temperatures over 34 °C scares me a bit.
Not a great period for music lovers here in south Europe…

Greetings from (burning) Turin
Alessandro

If I still had an LP record collection, thats all I would worry about.
As for the concerns about this ‘heat wave’, its really is nothing to worry about. I’ve worked & lived in various mideast & Africa & at times would have given my right arm to have an ambient of 40’C. Internal car temperatures of 70’C when parked up are normal, I’ve seen something over 80’C, but internal temp gauge wouldn’t go over 80. ICE is no problem, maybe the old cassettes suffered over time, but radio’s, CD’s & the whole car electrical & electronics were not a problem.

I do really…

My iPad is going Wonky.

Well I’ve not bothered to put the system back on since the thunderstorms as there’s a chance of more again these evening and when noticed the AV2 was really warm when I unplugged it all. It’s so warm In the living room, I’ve given up any hope of being in there anyway! I’ll switch it all back on again at the weekend.

Hi-fi & hot weather just don’t mix very well. :fire: :speaker::cold_sweat:

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Indeed there is a heatwave here in The Netherlands right now and in some places here it’s over the 40°C what is extraordinary here. My system is playing nice summer music right now.

Records aren’t going to be much affected by heat unless they bake in direct sunlight, like on the seat of a car. I have records delivered to my home all the time, and they sit in hot delivery trucks all day and then deposited at my front door. I try to make sure I collect them from my door as soon as possible, but I’ve never had heat related issues. A rise in temperatures will affect equipment long before the records if they are stored properly (i.e. standing on end and out of direct sunlight).

Decades ago when I was a poor student with no air conditioning my collection survived many very hot summers, with outdoor temps rising to 100ºF for extended periods, and ambient temps even higher.

Hi thank you for your reassuring comment :smile:

I’m not so sure about that, I stored some 45’s in a box, standing on end/edge, in the attic & two summers later they were totally wrecked.

I was asleep through both storms and did not turn off the HiFi. The logos are still on so I am assuming they all still work…

Not necessarily so. I had a box of singles that got put in the loft by accident after a house move, and when retrieved a year or so later many were warped, some completely beyond playability even after painstakingly trying to flatten them. Of course, if tightly wedged together the risk is less (the singles weee only loosely filling a box, though they were oriented cirrrctly.

Said loft was not in the hottest part of the country, external temp never above 25, and I’ve no idea what temp was reached in the loft - I guess maybe up to 50C, so likely still hotter than the hottest probable in current heat wave affecting some places.

Well, that’s a very different use case. Attics aren’t like normal living spaces. They get extremely hot for longer terms. My house can be comfortable, but the attic can be well over 100ºF for long periods in the summer. I would never store records there. I’m sure if my records sat on a delivery truck all summer the same thing would happen.

In a normal listening space, records should survive shorter term heat waves just fine. They always did for me.

Josquin, I am very aware of temperature conditions in parts of typical houses. My attic however is not typical as its a store room & although warmer than the house in summer, it is nothing like as hot as some can be, maybe 40’c average & 50’c maximum. But during the summer it can be around 40’c throughout 24hrs it was the combination of standing on edge, temperature & time that caused the problem. The damage was just distortion on the one edge, playable but with a bit too much wow & flutter.

I agree that long term storage in high heat (i.e. up to 50ºC) will take its toll on records, and I would never do that. Short term (e.g. summer heat wave) proper storage in heat that’s high for living conditions (i.e. 40º C) on shelves or in boxed storage in closets, basements, etc should be fine. With attics, all bets are off, IMO.

You don’t have air conditioning where you live?

Who are you asking? I do have it now, but I’ve been collecting records for nearly 50 years. There was a time decades ago when I didn’t have A/C. Summers in St. Louis can get very hot and very humid. Last week we had heat indices approaching 45ºC.

I was confused by the OP’s question, it doesn’t make sense to unplug equipment if it’s in a climate controlled room. And I would never store vinyl in the attic, that’s just asking for trouble. You’re in St. Louis in the states?