Safe to stack electronics, which ones?

Laura Palmer

Hello everyone

I'm a little concerned about which electronics are safe to stack. Obviously I can't stack a CSi5 on a DVD player, but is it too damaging to stack an Xbox, on top of a VCR, on top of a DVD player, etc.. Is there a rule of thumb I should follow?

I know that if I get 2 of the the Outlaw 200 M-Blocks that I can stack them on top of each other, but can I stack a DVD player and stuff on top of it, or does it need room to breathe?

I know my HK635 should definetely have room to breathe so I probably won't put anything at all on top of it.

I guess I'd like to stack the Outlaws on top of the HTS 3500 but that's putting 36 lbs (between the two) on top of a 4.9lb power center and I don't want to crush it.

Another thing I was curious about was the center channel, is it safe to sit on a glass shelf? Or will the vibrations in the speaker be problematic on a glass shelf? What about the HK receiver, same thing?

I hope I didn't embarass myself with these idiotic questions

janmike

The old saying, idiotic questions are the ones you do not ask.

It has always been my opinion that investing in quality equipment is two-fold. One, I want it sound good and two; I want it to look good. That is why all my equipment is black. For me, it works. My speakers (all 5) are all the same colour. For me, it works. That is why I invested in some Plateau audio/video stands. One, I want to provide adequate space for airflow and I want it to look good. Not for others, for me. The Plateau stand currently is 4 levels (AVR, CPD, AMP, and Turntable) and is EXPANDABLE. Great for wanting to added another level or two down the road.

I have invested thousands of dollars in my equipment, so spending a few hundred of dollars for the storage of this equipment makes sense. The China collection my wife has (and I guess me too) is worth thousands & thousands of dollars. It just made sense to store those pieces in a nice looking cabinet. Oh, it protects them also. If it was me, I would purchase a nice piece of furniture (whether it be wood, metal or whatever) that would look good in the current room, yet be extremely mobile in the sense that I could move the entire setup to another room. Potential expandabiltiy is a nice feature as well.

Good luck and hope this helped.

dkg999

I have been running 3 Outlaw M200's stacked with no problems. I probably wouldn't recommend stacking them on top the power center, unless the metal top of the power center is much sturdier than normal. It's nice to have good cabinets/racks for your equipment, but also expensive. A cheap trick I use when stacking components to get more air circulation is to go to Hobby Lobby and buy the wooden toy wheels in 1.5" x .5" thick and 2" x .75" thick, paint them flat black, spray with a satin acrylic sealer, then put sticky back foam (8.5" x 11" sheets at Walmart for $.99) on both sides, and use them as spacers under the feet of the components. Works great and doesn't look too bad. I recently added the .5" thick spacers between my Outlaw M200 amps just to make sure I had plenty of air circulation.

VR3

Stack Er' Two

5 Amps stacked on top of one another...

VCR on top of the Receiver...

DVDP on top of the CDP

VCR/DVDP/CDP all dont produce alot of heat

Receiver/Amps do - nice to give them room to breathe IF YOU CAN

cfrizz

Laura, give the amps & receiver breathing room. You can stack cd player, vcr, dvd, tape decks

I have my monoblock, dvd & vcr stacked together. But I made sure the mono was on top & I will never put anything on top of it.

Cathy

Laura Palmer

Terrific. thank you everyone for your help.

In fact I just bought a stand today that I think will suit my needs for my center channel and receiver, so now I just need a component rack for the rest of my components.

I can't wait to get everything setup!!

dustradio

I Always Stack The Video Stuff Togather And Try To Isolate Athe Audio Stuff Togather. Seems To Really Work Better.

wingnut4772

I am sure Laura found that post really helpful.

Serendipity

I wouldn't stack anything on top of a receiver, amp, or cable box. IMO, they get too hot and need the room to breathe.

However, I stack CDPs, DVDPs, and other source components because they don't generate a lot of heat...and are usually lighter.

jmwest1970

...talk about digging up old threads. It almost made 3 years. :rolleyes:

wingnut4772

I wonder whatever happened to Laura? I guess she got a life..that or ran off with the Twin Peaks midget.

Dennis Gardner

Watching the guys here stumble over themselves to reply to her first posts on the forum was hilarious. She would ask the same questions that usually went ignored when asked, and guys would post on top of each other parroting their usual fodder........fun times.

zingo

I was wondering who dug this up... Someone PM her and see if she answers. Ask her how the stacking went!

obieone

So, just to clarify, Outlaw M200's safe to stack?(only 2 high)

BaggedLancer

obieone wrote: »

So, just to clarify, Outlaw M200's safe to stack?(only 2 high)

Yes.

cfrizz

Wow oldie but a goodie!

Here ya go Dennis. The response to Laura's first post! ROTFLMAO!!!

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26546

obieone

Thank you!

treitz3

Wow. What a thread.

cfrizz

It was a riot wasn't it! LOL!

jakelm

Hey, does anyoe know where I can buy black paint?

Systems

jakelm wrote: »

Hey, does anyone know where I can buy black paint?

I think you forgot to add this:D But if you are actually being serious I would try the black paint store ,they usually stock it.;)

BottomFeeder

Maybe a dumb question but, as they say, the only dumb question is an unasked question. So here goes...

Will it hurt my cdp if I stack my NAD C320Bee on top of it? One of the legs of the NAD sits squarely on top of where the tray is on the cdp. It plays fine, but...any problems?

Thanks!

cfrizz

As long as the cdp doesn't have any vents to block & stop air flow, stack away.

Serendipity

I have my AVR stacked on top of a CDP, but I wouldn't do it the other way around as the AVR gets very hot.

BottomFeeder

Righteeoo then!

Right now and w/my set up, it just makes sense to position my gear this way.

So thanks for the quick answer!

skipf

Is it OK to stack my turntable on top of my subwoofer?

Rike255

^I would think no. That's a lot of vibrations, and your equipment may not be built to withstand it. Especially over time, it could break a solder joint or something.