J.B:
Thanks for the reply, i didn't even notice the arrows the first time i fitted them.
My original interconnect restricted the volume control going past half way due to it been way to loud with my 685 speakers. So now have a RA silverstreak (pre owned) with 11dB which allows the volume control past half way still sounding clear.
What i have got is the cd player sat on top of the amp inside a cabinet (most of the back panel of the cabinet is removed for the leads),but with the amp vents on the top lid, below the cd player maybe things are getting to hot with substained times loud playing like saturday night when the problem occured.
Maybe i need to space them out more to let the amp vents release more heat??
If by halfway you mean 12 o'clock, then it seems to me that you probably don't need any attenuation... 10 / 11 o'clock would be a fairly good place for the volume control to be I would think; high enough to avoid any channel imbalance (if that is an issue) and also to allow the amp to be functioning at a suitable level.
If heat is a problem, I think it would be fairly obvious if you stick your hand over the amp; do you notice any heat?