How to keep my stack of Adcoms cool...

if you DO decide to put a fan in to suck the air out, you might want to locate it in the middle of the back instead of the top. cause then it will pull all the heat to the top

Locate a squirrel cage or better yet axial (like a jet engine) in the crawlspace or a nearby closet. Put a small furnace type fiberglass filter over its intake so you are blowing fresh, clean air (clean filter regularly). Run the fan's output to your cabinet via insulated flex duct or similar (a good S-bend will cut noise out of the fan to the cabinet). Dump the air supply into the bottom of the cabinet. Cut ventilation into the top rear, a bit smaller than the area of the hose's crossection.

You'll end up with a slightly pressurized cabinet, this will help keep dust out- fringe benefit. You'll also get good, quiet airflow through the cabinet. Pull the shelves the amps are on and take a hole saw to them (don't put holes where the amps' feet go...) If there's no flow around the back of the other shelves, give them the old swiss cheese treatment as well- the air will move up with the convection currents and out of the cabinet.

Any "muffin fan" type fan you cabinet mount WILL make a racket, if not from it's own rattling, then from vibrating the back of your cabinet.

Sell your adcom amplifiers and replace them with a Sunfire multichannel.. It runs cool and can be closed up.. I had to do the same as I couldn't hide away a 125lb EAD Powermaster 2000 in a cabinet because of the heat generation, but my Sunfire Cinema Signature 225wattsx5 channels ran cool pushing 4 Magnepan 1.6's and an aerial center channel. Besides you will enjoy the extra power.

Cytocycle:

I am not sure that the "extra power" deal would pan out if I switch to the Sunfire. My GFA-555II's are cranking out 850w (@ 4 ohms) into each of my CS3.6's, the bridged channel on my GFA-2535 is putting out 325w (@ 4 ohms) into my SCS3, and its two unbridged channels put out 60w (@ 8 ohms) into my AR TSW 110 surrounds. So, yes, the surrounds would benefit, but the rest would not. Those 3.6's really liked the extra juice, compared to running just one GFA-555II in stereo mode. That Sunfire is a great amp, to be sure, though.

Pmkalby:

That is an interesting suggestion. And quite doable, too. I have a full basement, and right below my entertainment center is drop ceiling with easy access. Plus, that would be cooler air moving through the cab... Nice!

Thanks, all.

Tom.

If you are able to do things in the cellar, put the amps down there. This would be easier and better than ductwork. Run the speaker wires down there also.