AVR getting too hot at low and no volume, only 2 channels driven

[viivo]

Stuff: onkyo rc260, timewindows 1a (6 ohm as far as I know)

I'm asking because I'm worried I might have messed up with the crossovers. Could that in any way cause the amp to overheat? Or is it that the speakers are dropping below 6 ohms? Within 5 minutes of turning on the receiver I can feel a tremendous amount of heat on top and the fan starts up not long after. This is at very low volumes, but it also does it while muted or there is no audio signal.

 

[alcoholbob]

Is the receiver in an enclosed space?

 

[viivo]

No, there is a good 10 inches of clearance on top and 2 feet to either side.

 

[alcoholbob]

I would just pick up a usb fan and have it suck out air from above the video chipset and see if that does the job.

 

[MrGlobe]

I can't say for certain, but it sounds more than plausible that a malfunctioning component in the crossover could cause the speakers to dip below the 6 ohm nominal impedance. It could also be a problem with the wires that are connecting the receiver and speakers.

Does the problem persist with another pair of speakers hooked up instead? If you can isolate the problem to the specific load presented by the TWs, it should help you get closer to solving the problem.

I wouldn't just attach a fan and forget about it, running a receiver at the high end of it's thermal limits isn't going to do anything good in the long run. Also, posting at AudioKarma would be a great way to get information from a large group of users who have experience with this specific speaker model.