AV Cabinets

[stoneheaver]

I have an AV Cabinet/TV Stand I bought from Best Buy. My question is this, since this is not a "Professional" AV Cabinet, should I be concerned about heat. I mean, I have my receiver in the cabinet, and sitting on that I have my 5 Disc CD player and VCR. Can most high-end AV equipment handle alot of heat. Should I have built in fans? Should I invest in a "professional" AV cabinet or should my equipment be able to withstand some heat? I have a Central Air house and I cut out the back of the cabinet, so it has plenty of space/air in the back. Any suggestions would be great...Thanks.

 

[Tom Andry]

First things first - don't cover any vents. If the piece of equipment has holes/slots in it, they are there for a reason and shouldn't be covered. Second, you seem to indicate that you have set things on TOP of your receiver. I've never met a receiver that would like this. Don't.

Now, most equipment has published clearances in the manual. Look to see what your equipment needs. If you cut out the back and it is not too close to the wall, you may not have a problem. I would watch a movie (or two) and periodically feel each piece of equipment. If it gets hot - get a fan, if not then you are probably OK.

 

[sjdgpt]

The truth about getting "hot" is that some equipment is just plain and simple going to feel hot. It was how the item was designed to operate.

My Denon AVR 2805 sitting on a glass shelf in an open air rack system with more than adaquate space above the AVR until the next shelf will feel warm to the touch at idle. At full power, it gets a bit warmer. But the shelf above the unit is absorbing very little heat. In other words, the heat that is produced is being disappaited, not retained.

It is retained heat, or an excessive amount of heat that we must be concerned with.

Run the equipment in an open air space and establish a normal temperature for the item. And then run the item in the rack. If the temperature difference is not significant, then we have no worries.

As an example, let's say at idle your AVR's case is 92.5F in the open air space, and 116 at full rocking power. If the temperature is 94.0F in the rack at idle and 121 at full rocking power, you have very slight problem, that may still be within the tolerance for your equipment. However, if the temps were 112 at idle and 145 at full power, I would say it is time for some ventilation.