Andrew is right you want to use the feet. I had a friend who took the feet off his Rotel and stacked the components on top of each other so they would all fit in his cabinet. He tried to compensate for the lack of air space by having a med. sized fan blowing directly into what little vent space was left exposed. Needless to say it did not work. He lost the amp, processor, and both front speakers when it went out. He said it did not catch fire but the finish on top of the amp had bubbled up like it had been exposed to some serious heat. Anyway, don't take shortcuts on vetilation it can only end badly for you.