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Advice on stacking equipment

In a possible space saving and redisplaying exercise Im thinking of stacking my line stage ( see system for details) on top of my cd player.To be honest I'm in two minds regarding the audible benefits of isolating/coupling equipment. But like most of us I I've bought over the years a number of aftermarket accessories in the pursuit of improved performance . At present I have a 1" thick sheet of black delrin under my klyne pre. one set of black diamond cones and 3 DH squares under my cd player along with some (12) small medium hard rubber like feet brought and recommended to me in by a high end dealer in England in the early 90s . I'm wondering what other members have used with good results when having to stacked equipment. Or is it always a bad idea? Thanks.
128x128pcoombs
bar81
791 posts
 
That's also an excellent point; generally, stacking electronics on top of each other can result in increased electronic interference between the units vis-a-vis each other which has the potential to degrade system performance.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Not only interference. Stacking reduces surface area and makes air flow - convection cooling very difficult. Electrolytic caps' life is temperature dependent (2x shorter for each 10 deg C increase).
pcoombs's avatar
pcoombs OP
84 posts
 
Ok I think I'll put the stacking idea on the back burner. I'm also thinking of putting all the equipment along side each other. How close do you think its safe to go before interference kicks in?
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,322 posts
 

"How close do you think its safe to go before interference kicks in?"

No simple answer. You have to listen. IF it sounds clean, then it is.

OR, you can get a meter to measure magnetic fields at key locations if that makes you feel safer.
rodman99999
6,159 posts
 
The 'Inverse Square Law' states that the strength of a magnetic field diminishes in proportion to the square of the distance. In other words: Your components' separation needn't be large when they're placed side by side. The transformers, microprocessors, and circuitry will have more distance from each other automatically that way. Also- Dress your power cords/interconects/etc accordingly(don't parallel any AC wires within 6in of your signal cables. Anything that HAS to cross, should do so at a 90 degree angle and, at least, 1 inch away.
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