Hello, new Outlaw 7100 owner here:

I have a somewhat tight and tricky setup for my audio equipment. The home theater "rack" is a Basset Furniture low wooden hutch with break front doors. The TV monitor on the top and the audio components are inside. This is placed in the corner of the room, and shuts up very nicely when the equipment is not in use.

The sub woofer is a 12" self-powered AR unit behind the hutch and is corner loaded so the walls enhance the bass. However, it did take a bit of tweaking of the levels and the crossovers so the bass was not boomy and overpowering.

Anyway, because of space restrictions inside the hutch and the attendant heat concerns, I would like to place the 7100 amplifier outside the hutch. However, behind the hutch, the only room is on top of the powered subwoofer.

Do you think there is any problem placing the amp on top of a sub woofer cube? I think vibration would be the amp's enemy, but after pondering it for a while, the amplifier that powers the subwoofer has been dealing with the earth shattering bass for 5 years now with no problems. Besides, there are no moving parts in an amp, so is vibration really a problem? Any other creative placement ideas out there?

Thanks, Dan Becker

Without seeing the space, I can't offer much in the way of alternatives. Maybe an amp stand, perhaps next to the sub?

As for placement on top of the sub, I can think of only two things -- I assume that the top is a flat surface with no ports or cone in it, and I'd recommend checking your binding posts and cables from time to time to make sure vibrations don't loosen them. One thing you could do is include some vibration isolation -- neoprene pads under the 7100's feet could offer some decent dampening. You could probably get some 1/2" or 3/4" thick neoprene at the hardware store and create some isolators pretty inexpensively. That would reduce the likelihood of your cabling getting shaken loose and reduce the vibrations rattling around the cables and circuit boards inside the amp itself.

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Gonk, Ahhh neoprene pads. Excellent and inexpensive idea!

Thanks, Dan Becker

A good idea from his Gonkness, but a word of caution about the possibility of the heat from the 7100, combined with its weight causing an unwanted reaction between the Neoprene pad and the veneer or whatever is covering the cabinet of the sub. If you are concerned about the sub's finish, you might end up with something to be avoided if you take this approach.

But what do I know, I'm only a dog...

ARF ARF! says Iggy (barks in LFE for this message)

I did go down to Fry's computer store and bought a few neoprene mats for $4 each. These are made for laptop computers, are about 1/4 inch thick, and are the perfect size for the Outlaw amp. I stacked 3 of the, and now my hot amp is out of the cabinet and in the cool air conditioned air. These mats seem perfect anywhere you want to dampen some vibration.

Thanks, Dan