How much space to leave above components?

[Marshall Sander]

In a audio cabinet, what is a recommended amount of space to leave above the receiver?

Also, do you need to leave the same amount of space above other components (e.g. dvd, cd, etc.)? If the DVD player is 6" high, is a 6.5" space sufficient?

Thanks.

 

[Todd_Michael_R]

Check with your owner's manual for proper ventilation for your respective components. You don't necessarily need the same amount of space above every component. However, I would hazard a guess and say that 0.5" clearance is not enough for your DVD player, but then again I don't know how it's vented nor do I know its space requirements. I give my amp at least 5" clearance to the next shelf above and 4" all around.

Hope this helps,

Todd

 

[KyleRoussel]

I suppose another factor is how long will it run for on average before being given a chance to cool down?

 

[Mike Matheson]

Marshall,

I've looked in the manuals of some of the gear I'm using and many include specific recommendations. Even these however I expect are making certain assumptions--that the rack isn't enclosed, etc.

I've had less than 1" available over my DVD player and haven't had any problems, but then it doesn't get that hot. My preamp and amps all need about four to five inches above them--they still get hot, and the shelf above them gets hot too.

Are your shelves flexible in terms of where they're positioned? Can you move them up/down?

 

[Marshall Sander]

I have about 21" of space in height and 60" of width. In that space (which is infinitely adjustable -- because it hasn't yet been built) I will need to fit all of my components (whether I have them now or in the future). The space will be inside of a wood cabinet, however, I have run a 3" a/c duct into the side of the cabinet in order to circulate air through the inside of the cabinet. With a good dust filter, I hope to position my receiver (or amp) right next to the a/c duct for maximum cooling.

At last count, I could think of 7 components which will have to fit in the cabinet:

Receiver

Amp

CD

DVD

Satellite

Tape Deck

VCR

If I leave about 10 inches for both the receiver and amp -- that leaves me 42" for 5 components -- while this seems like plenty of space, it would not allow me to put any more components in this cabinent in the event of some future need.

 

[Mike Matheson]

Marshall,

Since it's not built yet, could you install some sort of flexible shelving system? That might make it easier to deal with future (unexpected) components.

My VCR and tape deck I rarely turn on--I don't power them up with the system. Partially because of this, and partially because they just don't get that hot, I am using tight tolerances for these components (I often have something sitting on top of them, for instance).

I found that my old CDP and DVD player didn't get that warm so they also were stacked together and with only about an inch and a half of space above the stack. Worked fine.

But I've got a flexi/flexy rack and thus have open sides, front, and back. Easy access for air.

Will you be including a fan on just the one side of the cabinet, or both? Could you have two fans, one to push and one to pull back out (push in for the bottom shelf, pull out on the top)?

Oops--just reread your post and saw that you'd mentioned a A/C cooling duct, not an actual fan. Maybe consider a fan (or two). Depends a lot on the gear though and how much heat they generate. . .