Placement of power/pre amp

[iceman]

I've noticed in a lot of the rack pics posted here the power amp is right beneath the preamp. If the power amp generates more heat than the preamp, and the preamp typically has more circuitry inside; doesn't it make sense to place the preamp below the power amp? (i.e. heat rises). Or is heat not really an issue?

 

[ando]

The explanation is usually a lot less fancy than that - the power amp is simply the heaviest thing in a rack so it ends up on the bottom with its weight supported by the floor of the rack. Preamps often sit just above that so they can be supported on the top casing of the power amp. If you do it this way - you don't really need to bolt the rear of both units to the rack - unless you have careless roadies who don't know which way is up. I've always done it this way and never had a problem with heat or mounting security.

 

[elvis]

Yup, Ando's exactly right. Safety first!

You can compensate for the heat by leaving a couple spaces above the preamp empty, and also by adding fans to the rack. I'd bet a couple small fans would make a HUGE improvement in getting the heat out.

Or go for full-on liquid cooling :shock:
A little LN2 goes a long way...

 

[MesaGod666]

The explanation is usually a lot less fancy than that - the power amp is simply the heaviest thing in a rack so it ends up on the bottom with its weight supported by the floor of the rack. Preamps often sit just above that so they can be supported on the top casing of the power amp. If you do it this way - you don't really need to bolt the rear of both units to the rack - unless you have careless roadies who don't know which way is up. I've always done it this way and never had a problem with heat or mounting security.

+1