Drill holes in rack shelf to keep amp cool?


I have my first seperates system going and it sounds great but the amp gets awful warm. I was thinking about drilling some holes in the shelf it sits on right under the heat sink to get a little more air flow.

The amp is on the bottom shelf which is only a couple of inches above the floor but I figure it would help a little.

Anyone tried this?

Mark
mhedges
Thanks for the responses, everyone.

The amp is an early 90's Sony TA-N80ES. It is open underneath the heat sink. If you want to see a picture of it's insides go to:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyes/TAN80ES/TAN80ES-MK1.html

I have a picture of my setup on my system page if you want to see it. It is a simple rack that is open on all sides and the back.

I like the idea of a fan but I am not sure where I would put it. There isn't much room on top of the amp or under it. How deep are these fans?

Mark
Looking at the picture of your rack, I'm doubting drilling holes below would make a significant difference. As has been noted, heat rises, and you've already got a lot of breathing room around the amp. Do you have reason to think it is running *too* warm, as opposed to just warm? John
John-

You make a good point. I haven't really cranked the amp yet so I don't know how hot it could get, but for average listening volumes it is only slightly warmer than my surround reciever.

I am probably being a little paranoid. Its just that I have read that these amps do sometimes overheat and I want it to last a long time.

Mark
I replaced my solid wood back panel with an open plastic mesh screen. Even "cool running" stuff builds up heat in the summer.