Do you stack or separate?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by WhatDoIKnow, Sep 16, 2020.

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  1. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Hi everyone and thank you in advance for your replies. Please bear in mind that I am new to the game, until last year my "stereo room" was my car, which I use a lot for work, so my ignorance about all things HI-FI goes a long, long way.

    A few months ago I bought what I would not hesitate to call the audio equipment of my dreams.
    Amplifier and SACD player sit side-by-side on a lovely, lacquered piece of furniture which I inherited a few years ago so a stereo rack is, for the time being anyway, out of the question.
    A couple of weeks ago I added a turntable to the equation, and the turntable is big! 502 x 153 x 362 mm, to be precise, and the dust cover, once opened, adds to the depth.

    Since the piece of furniture in question isn't large enough for me to sit all three elements on it, I started thinking about a wall mount or shelf for the turntable - and before you ask, no problems with footfalls or any such like - the floor is tiles and the wall is a perimetral wall, so no vibrations to speak of.
    Now, apart from the fact that possibly only the Hi Fi Racks Podium Platform can accommodate my turntable, my wife intervened and suggested we put the tube amplifier (a Cayin CS-55A, weighing 17kg) on top of the SACD player (a Pioneer PD-70AE), which is built like a tank and weighs 19kg but still...

    What would you do? Buy the wall mount for the turntable and keep amplifier and SACD player sitting side by side on the lacquered chest of drawers, or have the amplifier sit on top of the SACD player and the turntable by their side?

    I would like to attach pictures but I don't know how; I'll check how to do it and if needed I will post them.

    Thank you for now!
     
  2. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    My though is to wall mount a TT shelf and keep amp & sacd player as is for now ..
     
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  3. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Thank you Swann36, I appreciate your suggestion.
    My wife keeps saying that "back then" ('80s and' 90s) CD players were always stacked on top of the amplifier, and I know she's right on that account.
    Still, I guess my main concern is will the weight of the amplifier somehow damage the SACD player? Also, the amplifier gets quite warm with use, so could that cause problems to the player?
     
  4. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Agreed with the above post. Don't stack the amp on the SACD. Much better side by side. Turntable on a wall mounted shelf is a common approach and works well. If there does become issues with vibration then you can address this with isolators under the turntable.
     
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  5. Audiowannabee

    Audiowannabee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Id NEVER stack the amp

    Sacd player stacked w similar ex cdp bluray player

    But never the amp
     
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  6. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    If the amp in question is the amp in your profile, I'd say do not stack it on the sacd player.
     
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  7. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    My reasoning for not stacking: the cd player does not need the weight even if it is robust enough to support it, not the possible heat that might be generated from the bottom of the amplifier, and more important when the cd player is being used it is spinning a disc and a motor is running these both will generate noise and vibration which will be transmitted up to the amplifier, which is not good. By placing each component on its own surface you can additional isolation footers under each piece of equipment creating even greater isolation from vibrations.
     
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  8. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    It is, yes.
     
  9. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Thank you for your advice, as I said this is all new to me and I would just like to do what's best for a stereo set up which is giving me much joy :)
     
    timind likes this.
  10. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Thank you mds, your reasoning is very well put and very convincing :tiphat:
     
  11. rcsrich

    rcsrich Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Stack components other than the receiver/preamp/amp... I figure the heat and/or field from the giant transformers in most amplifiers should be kept away from other components if possible.
     
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  12. pacvr

    pacvr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maryland
    As many have said stacking the amp on the SACD is not recommended - the least of all is the heat to the SACD player which will reduce service life - electronics do not like heat especially capacitors and other sensitive DACs that are often temperature controlled for best performance. Also, the amp transformer will have some vibration - audible or not and the SACD player is designed to minimize all influence of vibration for best performance.

    However, have you considered adding a single shelf similar to computer monitor shelf - Monitor stand | Etsy . I bet Timber Nation Custom Furniture, Hi End Audio Stereo Racks and Isolation Platforms at Timber Nation. could custom you a nice single shelf that would elevate the amp above the SACD and complement your current furniture.

    Just some thoughts
     
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  13. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    Separate
     
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  14. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    I disagree with the group here.

    I'd never stack anything on top of an amp.

    But on a sturdy CD or SACD player, yes.

    Adds mass for stability, always good and all the heat goes up. SACD and CD players generate almost no heat, have no vents that need to be open to the air.

    It won't hurt a thing to stack them, unless you have some flimsy cheap unit, which I doubt you do. Your wife is correct, yet again!
     
  15. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    I would get some pieces of wood to use as side rails and place a small piece of plywood on top and build a little shelf above the CD player for the amp to sit on. Not sure about in Italy but here in the US it would be easy to source and not cost much. Here in the States you can get 19mm (3/4") thick plywood that would be rigid enough to handle the weight of the amp
     
  16. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    You have certainly made her day, Gibsonian! :D
     
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  17. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    I have a beast of an SACD player, an old Sony totl. I have a heavy preamp and a phono stage on top of it now. And I've stacked a lot more on it in the past. It's fine as frog hairs.

    TT, that goes on nothing but a shelf or a mass designed for isolation.

    Glad that I could help validate your wife's thinking!
     
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  18. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Which solves all problems: once the TT is on a shelf, SACD player and tube amp can stay on the piece of furniture side by side, everybody's happy
     
  19. cat9

    cat9 Forum Resident


    I have no advice per se .... but this ^^^ always makes me smile a little.
    A reminder of how much fun we had when we began this journey for ourselves!

    Keep enjoying!

    Hello from Central Canada :wave:
     
  20. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Thank you cat9 and hello Central Canada! :wave:

    I've spent years collecting CDs, but also SACDs when the "loudness war" started, and lately vinyls (well, I had tons of them when I was young but I had to let them go during the years because I just couldn't take them with me wherever I went - and my parents saw nothing wrong with getting rid of them, but that's another story). Buying what I have now is a dream come true and a rather steep learning curve but hey, they say we never stop learning.
    So thank you all for teaching me something new every time.
     
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  21. Anthrax

    Anthrax Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I'd say it was the other way around. At least, that's how I used to have them when I was young - amplifier on top. The amplifier needs plenty of room to breathe, anyhow.
     
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  22. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    Guess I missed that. Yes, folks did place CD players on amps but is ill advised. The other way around is good but not for a huge amp and a wimpy CD player. All depends.
     
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  23. Ilusndweller

    Ilusndweller S.H.M.F.=>Reely kewl.

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Both. Right now I need to add a few things and rearrange(just set up 2 weeks ago). I built my MRS (Modular Rack System- 7 units, hand sawn plywood) to separate, but I have zero problem stacking if there are no vents (cd players, dacs, some pres, etc).

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. rcsrich

    rcsrich Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    I've done just this in the past...at one point had a massive integrated amp and made a shelf for it above my CD player so it wouldn't roast.
     
    Lenny99 likes this.
  25. Manimal

    Manimal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern US
    No stack for me.
     
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