Bryston 4B gets HOT. Should I leave it on?


My 4B is 25 years old and gets smoking hot. I sherk my hand when I touch it. Is this seem normal for an old amplifier? It's off the ground and I'm going to add a fan near it to help ventilate...

My entire room gets warm because of it! I would rather turn it off when not in use to 1) save power and 2) reduce the heat buidup. However, I've been told that leaving it on is both better SOUNDING and EASIER on the components (less wear and tear). What do you guys think? Can I turn this oven off?
128x128baltman
Yes, you could wait until the amp quits working to send it in for repair, but by then you may face a much more expensive process due to deterioration or failure of other internal components. Like the Fram air filter ad used to say: you can pay me now (probably cheaper), or you can pay me later (almost certainly to be more expensive after a major problem). I'd send an E-mail to James Tanner and ask his advice -- that costs nothing, and may yield some very useful information.
I, too, owned the 4B for 10 years. Heat 'twas never a problem. Good advice above. peace, warren
If the amp is as hot as you state it is, you are going to increase the rate of failure of capacitors, possibly shorting out the transformer and / or bridge rectifiers when they decide to let loose, etc... This is not to mention that extreme heat will cause the value of other parts to shift, altering not only the reliability of the parts but also the sonics of the circuit.

If it were my amp and i liked it enough to want to keep it, i would either turn it off and leave it off until i could afford to get it fixed and use something else to listen to music through or "make the money appear" and send it in before something REALLY bad happens.

The guy that i dealt with at Bryston USA ( this was several years ago ) in their service department was Dennis. He was GREAT to deal with. You might try calling him up and asking his opinion about what he thinks since he is familiar with these products inside and out. Sean
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Turn it off now! Heat (read excessive heat, above normal operating tempatures) convert into an inverse quadratic equation. That is each time the temp goes up "x" degrees over its intended operating temp, the wear factor is something like four times the norm.
There is probably something about this none of us know, so just be quick about getting yourself and your gear out of possible danger.
Bryston has a stellar reputation for customer service. Call them asap.
Good luck,
Larry
Most Bryston amps I have ever owned even when on 24/7 never get any hotter than just warm to the touch. I wouldn't leave YOUR AMP on till you get it repaired/inspected by Bryston.