I am a new owner of a DirectStream JR as of several days ago. It is fairly hot to the touch. Is this normal?
You will probably get a lot of replies but the short answer is yes. Warm to the touch but wont burn you. Probably in the 110F range.
That’s about right.
Thanks!
Definitely warm. If you are in an enclosed cabinet I would suggest a cooling device like this. I have several of them, and they keep my cabinet air circulating. In the open, the DSJ is designed to handle the warm operating temperatures.
Hey Geno!
Good to see you in these neck of the woods! How’s the Jr. sounding?
What a nifty device! Thanks for sharing.
They are pretty nifty smart component fans. You can also plug separate USB standalone fans into the rear ports which will work in conjuction with the component fan settings you establish.
Hi Jeff! Sounding very good. I’m really happy with it so far. Now i need a ZBIT to utilize the balanced outputs.
No. It is out in the wide open. I’ve never had a stereo component (other than a power amp) get hot like this. Not super hot, but very warm to the touch.
I have never felt the top of a Jr., but my DS DAC Sr. is barely warm on top, not even close to being very warm in my option. Just for peace of mine, I would shoot an email to PS Audio support to see what they say. Do yo have an IR thermometer you can take a reading of the temp on the top cover?
The Jr does run a lot hotter than the Sr. There’s less space than the Sr and more voltage is dropped with linear regulators than the Sr.
Several previous threads from the experts have stated the DSJ is built to withstand the heat it dissipates. I had to have my first one replaced when I first got it (a demo unit from dealer Audio Advisor) when it ran mega hot. It turned itself off due to the thermal protection within 30 minutes (or less) of cold start. Dealer Audio Advisor upgraded me to a factory new unit and it ran far cooler. If you are concerned about the heat put a component fan on top or even a low speed DC fan nearby to circulate some air. Are the RCA plugs at the back of the unit hot or warm? Warm is OK. I’m concerned about heat in my cabinet so I do run smart fans (six of them). They speed up only when the heat builds up. The trade off is they do put off a small amount of noise.
Thanks Ted! I can breathe easier now…
The plugs are pretty hot. Maybe I should think about a fan. I’m running a tube amp pretty close to it too, so a fan could help move some air over that also.
It is nice to know that the PSJ has a shut off feature in case it does get too hot.
Another question? With it being hot, should I leave the main power on at the back all the time, even when I power it off up front?
The DSJ turned itself off from cold every time in less than 30 minutes. It was definitely a bad one. Ted would have to weigh in if the thermal shutdown was a design feature, or a consquence of the heat shuting down a key component.
Maybe Ted will comment. The good news is that I’m about 3 hours into a listening session with no problem.
You ‘re gonna love it. I certainly like mine.
Most electrical components are rated for 105C which is Around 240F if I remember right. Way hotter than most people would be comfy with. If you can lay your hand on it the temp will usually be under 130F. Mine is warm (including the pack panel and input connections) when playing music. I haven’t checked it when not playing music or in standby. I haven’t turned the power switch off except to do a software update since I bought it in November and no issues so far. I usually leave the DSJr and M700’s on all the time and only put the BHK preamp to sleep at night. Some nights I forget to do that. I really like the DSJr.
I typically try to keep the temp of everything in the box when running below 50C, but the heatsinks for the top level supply in the Jr definitely get a lot hotter than that: depending on how high the input voltage is, perhaps near 70 or 80C. If you can keep your hand on it then it’s fine.