NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

[OlinMusic]

My Rivera seems to get pretty warm in the back.

Here is the thing - I can deal with heat, but the speaker cable seems to get pretty warm to touch (meaning the metallic input) after it's been fired up a while, esp at band level volume.

IS THIS A PROBLEM?

ALSO, the amp had a 50/100w mod in it when I got it. Do I have to change the impedance when I switch to 50? I cannot tell if it merely shuts off 2 tubes. I touched the tubes on 50w and all are hot.

HELP!

[OlinMusic]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

Um Hello?

[suislidE03]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

Does the whole speaker cable get hot? if its just the end that plugs into the amp then the heat is coming from the amp, so no worry there.

[Nightburst]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

You might have to change the impedance but don't quote me on that.
When I switch my amp to half power I need half the impedance as well.

[OlinMusic]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

Well the end only gets hot. The end that's IN the amp. I have NEVR had this happen - I mean it gets pretty hot, not searing, but hot all the same.

Any others on the Impedance ?

[Jeff Seal]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

Please forgive me if this seems "simple", are you using an actual speaker cable and not a guitar cord??...shielded cable has a tendency to do this when used as a spkr. cable.

..just a thought

JS

[OlinMusic]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

No, I use a monster and mogami cable
Trust me, I wondered!

[marvar]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

have you changed power tubes lately? just curious- perhaps your bias is off, due to drift or old/new tubes making your amp run hotter.

[J Moose]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

If both ends of the cable are hot, you've got a problem! If only the 'amp' end is hot (like my Rivera Rake Reverb) then all is well...it's just heat transferring from the amp to the metal of the cable. Think of it as a heatsink & you'll have the basic idea.

Usually you don't have to drop or half the impedence when running at 50% unless some super genious did something REALLY crazy. My Rivera has a pentode/triode sorta thing where you're using the all the tubes but just not to their full capacity. If it's entirely shutting off two tuif bes then the base plates won't glow at all...otherwise all four are going to glow.

You could also pull the inside pair and get your 50 watts that way but then you'll be running mis-matched tubes if you go back to 100.

In either case you don't need to change the impedance. 8 ohms is always 8 ohms, 16 is 16...blah blah blee blee!

[OlinMusic]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

Ah, finally - what I wanted ot hear!

If I burn to death or explode it's all J MOOSE's fault

BTW how is the Rivera Rake?

[Gearjoneser]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

I think J Moose is right. If the amp is simply running the tube differently (triode/pentode), then you don't need to touch the impedence. If it's the kind of design that shuts off a couple tubes, then you need to halve the impedence, so the power section isn't seeing double the load....making it hotter.

Sell that Rivera! J/K LOL

[OlinMusic]

Re: NEED TECH ADVICE - My speaker cable is HOT????

You know what? I have offers on it - I might sell it for $900

I dunno, beautiful amps, but just not rock n roll. However they are perfect for country, blues, jazz, and pop/rock - and that junk PAYS!