removing the feet off a receiver/amp

[ekautz]

I have an ikea TV stand and my new sony home theater unit is too tall to fit in the stand. I could put it on top of the tv but I would rather fit it under the tv where it should go. Can I remove the feet off the unit or will the unit overheat too fast and damage it?

 

[Cygnus]

I dont beleive that it will over heat. Does it have vents in the top? I think those feet are so you dont scratch the bottom of the component, or your furniture.

 

[ekautz]

Ya there are vents on the top. I guess that makes sense then. It does not clear the spot under the tv by 1 cm! So sometimes you just have to think out of the "box" to find a solution : )

 

[dillweed]

What is the sony home theater unit in question?

 

[sjdgpt]

Bad idea

I have an ikea TV stand and my new sony home theater unit is too tall to fit in the stand. I could put it on top of the tv but I would rather fit it under the tv where it should go. Can I remove the feet off the unit or will the unit overheat too fast and damage it?

Bad idea.

Besides keeping the unit from scratching the furniture, the feet serve a very important purpose of allowing air flow from the bottom of the unit, up and through the top of the unit.

If you cut off the source of fresh air, the amount of heat removed through the top vents will be greatly reduced and the unit may overheat or shorten the life of the internal components.

 

[Cygnus]

That makes sense, so how come there isnt taller feet on the bottom for more airflow?

 

[dillweed]

Assumptions

Again what is the home theater unit in question.

I imagine that we are all assuming that you are refering to an amp. If it is an amp I would not cut circulation from the bottom as it will shorten the life of your amp.

If it is a small entry dvd player I would do it if you have no other option but remember that a laser is reading a disc inside and vibration (cutting off feet will worsen vibration) will cause problems with playback.

 

[Nomo]

Bad idea.

Besides keeping the unit from scratching the furniture, the feet serve a very important purpose of allowing air flow from the bottom of the unit, up and through the top of the unit.

If you cut off the source of fresh air, the amount of heat removed through the top vents will be greatly reduced and the unit may overheat or shorten the life of the internal components.

I agree. My Yamaha actually does get pretty warm on it's underside. Those feet are more than just decoration.

 

[sjdgpt]

That makes sense, so how come there isnt taller feet on the bottom for more airflow?

The only air that is needed from the bottom of the receiver is the air required to displace the heated air that needs to rise and escape from the receiver. If the source of fresh air was reduced, the rate (speed) of the air flow would increase to compensate. Taller feet would not help or is needed, UNLESS, a mechanized method (fan) was added to improve the amount of air flow through the receiver. As it is, smaller (shorter) feet could be used for some receivers without causing a problem.

 

[markw]

A little thinking here on hot air rising.. bear with me.

If it's too tall to fit in the cabinet with the feet on, that means there is not a heckuva lot of space on top of the unit for air circulation. Since most recommend a few inches , I would think carefully about this alone.

And, since most receivers depend on cool air entering the unit from the sides and bottom, drawing heat from heat generating components and thereby getting lighter and rising out of the vents on the top, well...

It sounds like you are effectively blocking the vents on both the top and bottom. It seems a little like playing Russian roulette with an automatic if you ask me.

I'd think really, really carefully about this.

 

[cool miles]

The feet help protect the vibration and thus affect the laser reading and other elements of your equipment. You will have reduced performance by removing the feet. You may be able to improve performance, by buying better feet however. The airflow thing is a non issue.

 

[sjdgpt]

The feet help protect the vibration and thus affect the laser reading and other elements of your equipment. You will have reduced performance by removing the feet. You may be able to improve performance, by buying better feet however. The airflow thing is a non issue.

The original thread was regarding amps and receivers. Please correct me if I am wrong, but what amp or receiver on the market has a laser built into the unit?

Regarding airflow. Please read the fine print for most consumer electronic items. Restricting the air flow, either through the removal of the feet or failure to provide adaquate ventilation, will result in the warranty being voided.

The vibration issues, unless your home is located in close proximity to the railroad tracks, should be covered through internal vibration control and dampening devices. Add on, or after market feet, will do little to reduce the external vibrations that are in excess of the designs of the equipment. To truly reduce the extraneous vibrations that occur from being within close proximity of the railroad tracks, you must use a weighted or vibration dampening rack or table, and in severe cases, a bed of silicon gel can be used to further dampen the external vibrations.