Amps on top?

Never heard anything about the shelf location - have read about having x inches clearance for airflow.

My Amp is on top.   Tube amps need ventilation.   If it was really heavy I would get an amp stand and put it on the floor.   

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.

I depends on system configuration.

Integrated amp on top so you can read the dials and adjust the knobs.

or

Power amp on the bottom (or a dedicated stand) because it's heavy and to make the speaker cables shorter. It doesn't have anything to read or adjust.

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.

If you look at my virtual system

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/9511

I made a ’ventilated stand’ to put the preamp on that cabinet below the amp, so I can easily get to it’s rear.

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/9703

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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