Need Advice: Big Hot Receivers (49TX) and Enclosed AV Units....? (1 Viewer)

[Rich H]

Hi,
I'm doing the home theater thing for the first time in my family/living room. Since this is not a dedicated home theater room I'm trying to keep things as tidy looking as possible. I'm considering buying, or having an enclosed cabinet rack with front glass doors made to house all the source/amplification gear.
I've seen these a lot in the spiffy home theater mags but my concern is this: What about overheating eqipment?
I'll be receiving the Pioneer VSX 49TX receiver, which is a beast that can run pretty warm (I'm told). I'm concerned about how to go about ensuring it has adequate ventilation.
Can some of you experienced folk advise me on how to end up with a set-up that will work properly?
BTW, these look like pretty cool rotating racks - although not enclosed:
http://www.avrack.com/main/main.html
Thanks,
Rich H.

 

[John Sully]

If you put the receiver in a slot with enough clearance all around it (required clearance will be spec'd in the manual) you should be OK. Personally, I'm not fond of putting amps in an enclosed space and would rather put them on top of the cabinet.

 

[Robert George]

The 49TX, like most of Pioneer's better receivers for the past few years, uses MOSFET amps. These do tend to run warmer than bipolar designs. Take those MOSFET amps and cram them into a chassis with some relatively serious processors and a decent power supply and you have an Easy-Bake oven if you put it in a closed rack.

I suggest at least several inches above this receiver and placing it on the top shelf of any rack.

 

[Juan_R]

The 49TX requires 8 inches of clearance from the top of the receiver, it says so in the manual.

 

[Will]

Personally, I'm not fond of putting amps in an enclosed space and would rather put them on top of the cabinet.

At least around here, people who worry about earthquakes might be cautious about putting something heavy on top of a cabinet.

 

[Mark Larson]

If you're depsperate for aesthetics, there is always the small fan route to go... Run a small (table) fan and make it suck the air out of the reciever and out to the back of the rack (which is ideally open).

Close the rack, and you might be able to get by without hearing the fan.

 

[RajeeK]

I have a 49TX and also had the same cooling problem. I use a fan to cool it. I just made some custom hole cuts that are hidden and purchased a quiet fan from radio shack with an adjustable voltage adaptor for speed/noise control and it was done. Total cost $30. You can see how I did it in my Home Theater link below and I have Radio Shack SKU#'s there for ya. Solder the wires together, mount it wherever you want if needed and away you go.

 

[Rich H]

Oh man, now my head is spinning. Thanks for the replies everyone.

Rajeek or George:

May I ask a favor? I don't have my 49TX yet, won't be hear for several weeks, but I have to get started on the equipment rack. I need a measurement not listed in the on-line specs. That is: the distance in inches from the front of the 49TX's FEET (metal pucks it rests on) to the back end of the rear FEET. I need this because some of the racks I'm looking at might be a tiny bit shallow for the chasis depth of the 49TX, but if the feet of the unit fit with in the shelf then the unit should still remain stable, even if the chasis sticks out a little over the edge. (I notice the metal pucks are slightly inset from the front and back of the unit).

Can either of you do this quick measurement for me? (I'm buying on-line, so don't have access to a unit).

Many thanks.

Rich.

PS, Rajeek: How does the on/off of your fan operate? Do you leave it on all the time? Is it hooked up to turn on with your equipment? Or do you have to remember to turn the fan on separately?

 

[RajeeK]

Rich,

The distance from the front part of the front feet to the rear part of the rear feet is 14 1/8". Mine actually hangs off a bit on the rear, so I have stacked "protector feet" (like the kind that stick under dining room chairs so they won't scratch a wooden floor) under the unit a few inches infront of the rear feet to help give it extra support.

The fan is simply hooked up the the AC outlet on the rear of the receiver which is a switched outlet. I have an extension cord plugged into the reciever that plugs into the AC adaptor. So it auto on's when I switch the receiver on.