Handling Heavy Amps


There are several amps I’m interested in possibly purchasing but I’m dissuaded because of their weight. I’ve had lower back issues so I need to be careful. I live alone. Even if my wife was still alive she would not have been able to help much. Also Children live far. I see that many of you have these 60-100 pound behemoths and I wonder how do you manage. If I buy from my dealer he’ll load it in my SUV. However when I get home it will be difficult to get it out and onto the garage floor where I can place it on my handcart. Then when I get it next to my rack I need to maneuver it out of the box and up onto the rack. I guess I would need to see if my dealer would deliver it and place it on the rack. Probably for a fee. So that may work. But then if I need to paint, move furniture, resell the unit whatever I would need help. I think I can handle up to 40lbs. So how do you handle these amps? Is it a concern for you?  I’m spoiled by my Benchmark 12 lb AHB2. It’s also the reason I’ve been investigating Class D amps. 

jfrmusic

I’m a competitive powerlifter (if you’ve ever been awake watching ESPN ant 2:00 am and watched meat heads carry rocks, you may have seen me) and have struggled putting some components where they belong.  So you’re not unusual.


 A lot of the issue is how awkward the weights are and how you have to support the weight forward from your center of gravity coupled with the lack of any good hand grips.  A 50lb awkward weight is worse than a well-designed 200lb.

Smart designers put in handgrips, which changes things immensely.

The other thing you can do is partially disassemble things.  Usually, most of the weight are things like heat sinks.  These are generally not hard to take off and put back.  Get a screw driver and an Allen wrench and turn 100lb of deadweight into four 25 lbs small weights.

OP, great question cause many of us struggle with this issue moving around monster amps.  Gonna get me one of those hydraulic things...

That is surprising that your dealer is willing to pass up on an expensive sale by not offering to have a couple of employees deliver the amp to your home. Have you asked? I purchased a McIntosh MC 312 clocking in at 138 lbs in its box from Magnolia (Best Buy) and they delivered it to my house and put it in my stereo room without charge because of precisely that issue. I did have to have a buddy help me unbox it and put it in -- what I hope will be -- its final resting place for the next 20 years. :) Good luck!

I'm in the same boat - I have heavy amps that I doubt my back would allow me to heft now - a 150 lb Jeff Rowland and a pair of Classe monoblocs that weigh 'only' just over 100 lbs. each. You can always hire help to do the job for you.

@bigboypete 

I’m sure my dealer can arrange a delivery and set up. Just concerned about latter issues when it needs to be moved. Would still like to be able to handle myself.