Hello,
I've had my 7100 for almost a month now and love it!!

Question I have is my receiver gets much warmer than before without the external amp. Yes, they are seperated by more than a few feet so it can't be the 7100's heat affecting things.

I'm wondering why my receiver gets warmer using an external amp. Anyone?

I usually mount my amps on top of the receiver, because typically they generate a lot more heat..

Separate shelf, not resting on the receiver, about 2 inches above it

Opps, pressed the "Add Reply" before finishing

and the reciever should not get any hotter.

Is it 2 feet below?

The only thing I can think of is that since the receiver has nothing to drive it has to dissipate all of the power it creates as heat. Even though there is no load I am sure the receiver still runs its amp section near what it would if there was a load. Just a thought, I could be wrong.