I wonder if my Cascade is getting sufficient cooling. The fronts of the chassis are running at over 105 F. Is that hotter than you would expect? Here are some details.
In all the videos I’ve seen of the Cascade, it is racked on separate shelves rather than being stacked. In one video you mentioned that you can measure the difference between racking and stacking but cannot hear any difference between racking and stacking.
Currently, I have my cascade stacked. I’ve noticed that analog and power chassis front surfaces measure between 105 and 110 F. The director chassis measures between 100 and 105 F. Ambient temperature in the room is 76 F.
The Cascade has 1 inch of space on each side and 5 inches overhead, in the cabinet it is in.
Are these temperatures what you expect from the Cascade? I like the stacked look, but I’m thinking of adding spacers between the chassis’ just to help with cooling. Do you think that would be a good idea?
I would not be worried about these temperatures Dan. Electronic lifespan will be increased if it runs cooler, but you are not in any risk around 100F. The worry would be if the cabinet was sealed or if this was an amplifier that procured a lot more heat. The parts are rated for much higher temps!
The ambience temperature range in my listening room is 82-84 F when the air-conditioning is not switched on. And I usually listens to the system without air-conditioning. I have been running in the Cascade DAC continuously for 1.5 weeks now. The Cascade Powerbase gets pretty warm when stand alone on an open platform. The Cascade analog converter and DD units, stacked together on another platform, get only slightly warm to the touch. The Powerbase gets even warmer when stacked at the bottom of the other 2 chassis. I have not measured the surface temperatures of the chassis, but i am concerned with the elevated temperature of the Powerbase, especially when stacked together with the other chassis. My previous Reference Powerbase ran even hotter than the Cascade Powerbase without stacking them. I think in the long run I would not stack the Powerbase unit, if this could affect the life span of the Cascade!
Still experimenting with the different placements of the 3 chassis of the Cascade. Another setup is putting the Digital Director chassis separately, which may be the best because the DD is supposed to be the “noisiest”
That is the Stillpoints Component Stand with Ultra 6 footers fitted. I am trying out this stand.
The wooden platforms I made them by gluing four pieces of solid bamboo chopping boards from IKEA. Weighs more than 13 kg each platform
