You’ve already dialed in toe-in, imaging’s solid—but lately, things feel off. You sit down to listen and the sparkle’s gone. Bass that used to anchor the room now just softens and smears. It’s not bad—just a little less alive than it should be. But you haven’t changed a thing. Except… the room’s 10 degrees hotter than it was last month.
What to Do
Take a closer look at how your system handles heat. Amplifiers and power supplies need to breathe—especially Class A or high-bias designs. If you’ve stacked your gear tightly or closed it inside a cabinet, now’s the time to rethink. Pull them out. Let the heat dissipate. Better still, add ventilation fans or raise the AC set point and improve airflow. Some audiophiles even install temperature sensors behind their gear—$15 on Amazon, and you’ll know when it’s creeping past comfort.
If it’s hot to the touch, it’s already under stress. That’s when sound quality starts to shift.
Here’s Why That Works
As temperatures rise, electrical components drift. Output transistors start limiting current. Voltage regulators sag. Capacitors shift their values. In analog circuits, that can flatten dynamics. In digital ones—especially DACs and clocks—you may get jitter where there was once precision. High temperatures can push systems toward thermal protection long before they audibly distort. What you hear is softer attacks, sluggish transients, dulled harmonic contrast.
But cool things down, and everything tightens. Dynamics return. Focus reappears. Bass firms up again. It’s not magic—it’s physics. Heat doesn’t just wear down components. It steals resolution.
And the worst part? It happens slowly, so your ear adjusts before your mind catches it. You think the recording changed. But it didn’t. The room did.
