A method for operating a distributed wireless audio system including several loudspeaker cabinets all of which can communicate with each other as part of a computer network. The method receives temperature data that is indicative of temperature of a first loudspeaker cabinet, which has a network master responsibility of obtaining an audio signal from an audio source and wirelessly transmitting some of the audio signal to a second loudspeaker cabinet of several loudspeaker cabinets, for playback by the second loudspeaker cabinet, while playing back some of the audio signal by the first loudspeaker cabinet. The method determines whether a thermal threshold of the first loudspeaker cabinet has been reached, based on the temperature data. The method, in response to the thermal threshold being reached, gives up the network master responsibility from the first loudspeaker cabinet to the second loudspeaker cabinet, where doing so reduces temperature in the first loudspeaker cabinet.