Allanbhaganinfo, your analogy does not work. Class A amplifiers generate heat because they are on all the time. The engine in your car makes heat- all the time- because it is on all the time too. But it is not correct to compare the two!
Class A amplifiers get used not because they make heat but because they are the best sounding amplifiers made. IOW, any amp that is not class A won't sound as one that is (all other things being equal). Especially when one is investing thousands of dollars in an amplifier, one ought to be aware that the sound quality investment is better served by an amp that is class A (and runs hot).
It is assumed that the amplifier is also designed to handle the heat that it makes- we've been making class A amplifiers for the last 28 years and so far the heat of the tubes has not caused us any reliablity issues- and we get good tube life too. Its all in the how you handle Class A requirements.
Class A amplifiers get used not because they make heat but because they are the best sounding amplifiers made. IOW, any amp that is not class A won't sound as one that is (all other things being equal). Especially when one is investing thousands of dollars in an amplifier, one ought to be aware that the sound quality investment is better served by an amp that is class A (and runs hot).
It is assumed that the amplifier is also designed to handle the heat that it makes- we've been making class A amplifiers for the last 28 years and so far the heat of the tubes has not caused us any reliablity issues- and we get good tube life too. Its all in the how you handle Class A requirements.