It's more than just an amplifier. It's a radio...so it is also probably subject to continous operation for hours on end.
I know these stereos run hot, but melting the faceplate? Thank goodness for my 20-year old Marantz and Harmann-Kardon radios!!
No wonder I don't trust anything with the RCA or GE nameplate anymore (both made Thomson Electronics).
I'm sure the fact that the designers trying squeeze more and more electronics into an ever-shrinking package has a lot to do with it.