I have had mine in a cabinet with about 2-3 inches clearance above and 2 inches on each side. I use a infra-red thermometer to check it and it has gotten to 105 degrees. I spoke with Joe at McIntosh (Chucks counterpart) and he said that it should not be an issue at all. He said as long as it maintains a good convection and disapates heat evenly that I should not worry. It is 4 1/2 years old and no problems. Except for the bulbs that burn out about every 30 months. I used to have a Yamaha M85 that would get as hot as 138 degrees and it never had a problem. I beleive that the McIntosh should actually shut down if it over heats. I could be wrong on that but check with them on it.
MC352 owners
Hello there, I just had my Mcintosh MC352 biased and checked out but it still runs a little hot..... I put an electric thermameter on the heatsink and it read 92 degrees. Chuck at Mcintosh said it should be fine but I'm wondering if your amp runs that hot too. It gives off heat like a small tube amp.