That one is new to me. In 50 years of pursuing the high end, most of the time my amps weighed well over 100 pounds and went on the floor.
If you are lucky enough to have mono blocks they definitely sound best placed within a foot of their speakers with ultra short speaker cables. Virtually all amp stands are low to the ground intending to be within a couple inches of the floor.
I could see someone say that because they tend to be the heat generating component. But not anyone familiar with the high end audio industry.
My Tube Integrated is on top, high enough to receive remote beam to control volume, nothing above, have heat rise directly to the room, not too close to the side of anything else. And, it’s a beauty to see.
When I had amps with no remote volume, SS McIntosh, and 30 wpc tube mono blocks, they were on the bottom shelf which was tall and wide, full open front and back. BAD location, I got a torn meniscus lifting the 80 lb McIntosh amp out of there to sell it.
Yes, it’s nice to have the weight low in a rack, helps stabilize, and avoids a high fulcrum point when up top. Especially with flexible wood floors like mine. Perfectly level is your friend when weight is high.
I have my heavy amp and my heavy R2R deck on two separate cabinets to the left and right of the equipment rack for several reasons. AND felt on the bottom of the cabinets so I can spin the cabinets individually to access jacks/cables.
whatever is on the bottom can be removed without having to move the heavy amp above. I sized the inside clearance for many/most McIntosh pieces and made the stand hold 100 lbs. for big McIntosh/Other heavy amps.
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Heat, weight and EMF coupling are your concerns with amps.
Hot air rises, so if in an enclosed space it’s probably best on top. If you have plenty of ventilation it doesn’t matter as much.
Then there’s the weight issue. If an earthquake or tipping over is at all a concern it should be on the bottom.
Lastly, that transformer (assuming a linear power supply) is going to put out a lot of EMF which can couple unexpectedly to other gear if too close to it. Don’t worry, you’ll 100% hear it if it happens. :) It’s not subtle.
In my case I use a 3 shelf Butcher Block Acoustics rack and have my amps on the middle, plenty stable, lots of ventilation.
If your amp is heavy and your rack is tall it really should go close to the ground.
I just had a new stereo stand fabricated by an off road truck builder I know. Welded steel. I bounced on top of it to verify it's rigidity. I plan to put my new (larger) amp on top. It is a tube amp and I want it to breathe. Instead of shelves, I use planks that cross under each set of feet. The amp is a tube amp and I want nothing above it.
Under the main amp I plan to put my center speaker and my power supply.
Under the left side (choke chassis) I plan to put my DAC. Under the right side, I plan to put my streamer. My external crossovers will be on the outboard ends.
Setting amps on the floor just makes them hard to deal with. Mine will weigh 150 lbs in 3 chasses.
Steel tends to sing (vibrations at a particular frequency). Its a thing so hopefully your off road truck friend was able to mitigate that during construction. Best.
This high end fellow I know has a huge old heavy very thick solid cherry bookcase cabinet modified for a large screen in center, four monoblocks in it at bottom center. A pre pro, two Richard grey power centers there 220 volt. At the very top left and right hand corners about 7' off floor are two monoblocks German high end amps 220 volt I believe or two cords on each. Before this he had his arc 750's up there. Also a high end turntable was in there. His ancillary gear is in a rack on left of room. No room treatments whatsoever. 18 by 18' 12' ceiling. Two huge JL audio subs sit next to cabinet, two huge base towers and tweeter towers out front. He had 5 dacs, the best being a Berkeley ref 3. Damndest thing you ever seen.
@ghasleyI designed the stand. I've been working in an industry dealing with vibrations for over 40 years. I know those selling other things have talked down steel and many have read their marketing. I wish them luck.
I hit the lottery and bought a used BDI rack for $100. It is heavy gauge steel and Birch ply. It is strong. I have my tube amp on the top shelf , plenty of space around it. Preamp is below , with a shelf removed so it has plenty of space to breath too. DAC, tuner , streamer are all on separate shelves. Everything stays cool, as cool as tubes can be I guess
Things got very crowded after the divorce shrank my listening room.
The amps were on top, until I started Jonesing for my vinyls and TT.
Had the scrap metal, 1/2" Corian, a huge granite leveling table, mill, lathe and welder at hand, so: figured I could probably come up with a way to straddle the two subs that were built to stand vertically, next to the Acoustats, for which I used to have room.
All I had to buy was the 1" granite, felt for between that and the Corian, the powder coating job and 8 brass nuts, to lock the adjusting spikes that I turned out of 1/4-28 SHCSs, into the legs.
Posted the result in my system pics.
Haven't dusted this year (is it Spring yet?) and: the wallpaper was there when I moved in*.
Solved this issue long ago, even tho' a SS kinda guy....
'Puter fans....Quiet, turns on with the amp. No electrical racket noticed, low power draw. Use it on the stand-alone units, anything I want to remain cool under pressure.....
For you 'tube types', a means of making use of that heat when winter returns...unless global warming makes that whole issue moot... ;)
(Keeps the dust out, too...*G*)
(( ....that, and the 'current crop' .... "To pun....or not to pun....isn't a question...😏..." even has the ability to give y'all a 'light show' in the comfy Barcalounger of your 'phile foxhole....))
@ghdprentice I am interested in your comment on the sound improvement using ultra-short speaker cables. I have always understood the speakers like to 'see' a bit of resistance and capacitance. I run Krell KRS200s that stand immediately behind the speakers whose connectors are low. So I could turn the amps around and run on less than 1 foot of cable.
Should I?
Another benefit might be that I could afford to run the most expensive speaker cable in the world. But would it make much difference is there's only a foot of it?
Roger Modjeski recommended at least two feet of air space above his Music Reference tube power amps. Lack of ventilation greatly reduces component (capacitors etc) lifespan. The companies that mount their output tubes on vertically-orientated circuit boards are apparently not concerned with that issue. I am.
@rodman99999....*L* Well, yeah....we design, build, and install playground structures (beats a 'real' job), so it kinda comes with the turf....
In our case, playground mulch or surfacings....details, details.... ;)
MOF, got a pallet with HDG steel frames and hardware sharing our parking space.
*L* 'Someone's' got to 'do' this sort of thing...."
Once upon a while, I used to 'do' commercial graphics and signage....my 'cocktail party' quip when asked 'What do you do?' was....
"I get to tell you where to go...."
That got varied responses.... ;)
(Bay Area, later in Houston....office buildings, hospitals, garage structures...that sort of thing. Like doing playgrounds, the kids are more appreciative of being told where and what to play on and with....*G*)
A bedroom 'lift' would help get me out of bed...not so much 'up'....I can still manage That by self, thanks for not asking.... ;) *LOL*
Right @rodman99999, but those tubes are not mounted on circuit boards inside an amp enclosure, where the heat would flow past circuit components. The Wavestream V8 is one cool (no pun intended ;-) looking amplifier! So is the Atma-Sphere M60.
@rodman99999: Love the chrome! EAR-Yoshino also builds their electronics with lots of chrome. Their 868L pre-amp and CD player have chrome faceplates, many of their power amps chrome transformer covers and tube cages. Fancy schmancy ;-) .
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