Stacking Amps and Receivers

[martinbono 0]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and have a simple question. I have resurrected my old Carver HR772 receiver last year and enjoying vinyl once again. I just purchased a Carver TFM-45 amp that I will be hooking up and I wanted to know if its ok to put the amp on top of the receiver with just the feet providing space for venting or do I need to buy something that will create more space between the two units ? If more space is needed some recommendation(s) would help me.

 

I have a pair of Bose 901s Series V that will be the beneficiary of the new power from the TFM-45 amp... looking forward to UPS arrival soon.

 

Any reply would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Martin

[PMAT 1,842]

Welcome to the forum Martin. Sure you can stack them, with one concern. If you're running them hard and they're getting hot then you need something to separate them.I use walnut blocks. You can add rubber feet to the blocks. Or you can buy something fancy.

[martinbono 0]

Thanks..good to know.

[dcl 3,173]

Hello Martin, somewhere is a thread on how warm do your amps run, perhaps someone will chime in with the thread link, or search it. As I recall, no reports of hot systems,  or even too warm to touch.  I used  inexpensive small diameter PVC pipe, 1 inch height,  from the hardware store at one tome but no longer, the amps never were more than warm to touch. And, welcome, post some pics when you get a chance.

[johnrotten 1,070]

I keep thinking "convection" and the heat that rises. Amplifiers dissipate heat upwards unless incorporating fans to expel heat directionally. I would not stack amplifiers unless they had a fan. The performance and life expectancy of components would be less than ideal, especially for whatever was on top.

[weitrhino 1,425]

That TFM45 should run relatively cool considering the mag field power supply unless you're really flogging it for extended periods. What's not clear is if the HR772 will also be running and shedding it's own heat upward. Look, most everybody stacks their equipment. As long as ventilation is adequate you shouldn't have a problem. If you're concerned then put the amp up on some kind of risers.

[Ar9Jim 6,061]

Other than heat, it is possible to induce noise from stacking in some cases. One time I had a dead quite BillD C1 on top of a pair of M1.0Ts and picked up a hissing sound in the otherwise quiet background. After spacing further apart the noise went away. The receiver may be different since it was designed with an amp inside to begin with, but if you hear a hiss with no music playing, try adding space between them.

[sKiZo 186]

All valid points, but if there's no noise or heat issues, there's really no issue, other than possible feet marks on the cases. Some felt stick ons should take care of that as long as you're careful. Stack em up.

 

Where a lot of folk go wrong is placing the equipment too close to a wall. That interferes with heat dissipation. Maximize whatever air space ya got.

 

I just stacked a tube DAC on top of a mono tube amp that I use to drive my center channel. The DAC was getting hot, so I also stacked an acrylic plate under that, with a couple inches of air space beneath, and just the DAC legs as spacers above. Works like a champ, with no additional heat load on the DAC. The acrylic gets hot, but I'm thinking that actually improves air flow over the mono amp, as that should (theoretically) increase chimney effect and drag additional air out from below.

 

[zumbini 6,140]

The effects of exposure to heat are not always immediate, and heat is the enemy of electronics, so it's best to err on the safe side. 

[martinbono 0]

Hi again... I just wanted to say thank you to all that replied to my question. I will post a picture when i get it setup.. expecting arrival of the TFM-45 on Tuesday from UPS it's shipping  from Northern Cal to New Hampshire.

[sKiZo 186]

Huh ... what's the time limit on edits? I was gonna add a pic of my stack on a prior post, but ... ah well.

 

Hey, I got a pic to add to a prior post! I mentioned putting a piece of acrylic between a mono amp and my Maverick tube DAC ... 

 

 

 

As you can see, it's quite a massive piece of acrylic, left over from another project. I used some old knobs for legs underneath to get some airspace. The Eico is perforated all around with an open back, so no worries there. The top of the acrylic gets somewhat warm during use, but very little heat is transferred to the DAC, so I call it a win. 

 

And ya, it's kinda tight on the sides of the Eico as well, but we works with what we gots. Also no major heating of the wood on the main amp or the table.

 

Oh. Sorry bout the shaky pic ... one too many cups of coffee today .... <G>