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 have the same criteria as @ryder - if I can’t handle it on my own I will not buy it. With so much good audio equipment out there, I am sure the OP can find something that is manageable weight wise and sounds good to his ears.

Op, I am not sure if someone have already suggest but one possibility is to place the heavy amp, if you really want it, on a separate low solid-top stand with casters. Alternatively, you could replace your current audio rack with an audiophile-grade rack with casters. The weight capacity of each caster can be up to 80 lb, potentially holding all the gears you have on the rack.  Furniture sliders could be another option too.

Something like this ...

with the optional casters like this ...

P.S. I apologize for a little humor mentioned above. I do not know your better half has passed.

I have this problem too!  For many years I owned a 55 pound Audiomat Arpege and a 51 pound Audiomat Prelude.  Both integrated tube amplifiers.  The Prelude was in my living room audio system and the Arpege in my TV system,  Both Audiomats come with three very pointed and very sharp spikes for feet.  To avoid scratching the stereo console it takes extra care  and extra  strength.   Everything was okay until my husband died two years ago.  He would do the heavy lifting.  I can’t.  I am 85 years old and weigh 108 pounds.  Fortunately, I have a brother but this can’t go on forever.  My brother is getting older too and his back can be troublesome.  I’ve just had the tubes blow on the Arpege and not two weeks later, the selector knob started exhibiting static and uneven volume.  In both cases my brother came to my rescue,

But this can’t go on,  What to do?

I had to replace the Prelude recently.  Instead of buying an integrated amplifier, I bought separates.  Luxman tube gear,  Both the preamp and the amplifier weigh just under 40 pounds and there are no pointy feet to make things worse.  I can manage 40 pounds.  At least for now.  I probably should have bought solid state so I wouldn’t have the problem of changing tubes but tubes suit my speakers so perfectly, I went for tubes again.

 

What happens if I can’t manage 40 pounds and my brother isn’t able to be helpful?  Darned if I know.  I guess I’ll have to hire someone.  I’m not going with Class D.ř

I might have to sell the Audiomat and replace it with separates.

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...