Why is your equipment on the floor?

[Kal Rubinson]

I do agree that there should not be a large audio shrine between the speakers but I prefer to have my power amps as close to the speakers as possible. In my case, it means one (or two) on the floor behind each speaker. I also prefer to have the rest of the equipment closer to my listening position to enable access.

 

[freemansteve]

I am working on anti-gravity HiFi to solve this problem.
So far, my wife was not keen on the hovercraft.
It was not full of eels though....

 

[MattHooper]

Well, my amps have been on the floor for decades because they are very heavy monoblock amps. I have no need to heave them up on to a rack (and they'd have to go on top of a rack as they are tube amps). On the floor they are generally more accessible if I'm fiddling with trying different gear/speakers etc.

That said, I don't have them on the floor of my listening room. They are in a room down the hall.

I can see the convenience for many audiophiles of just putting their amps on the floor. And if they are nice looking amps - I'm fond of tube amps - they can be neat to look at and placing them out near the speakers looks fine IMO.

But I think perhaps the MAIN reason you see a lot of audiophiles placing amps on the floor between the speakers is the whole "audiophile cable" thinking. For one thing "the shorter the path the better" hence placing the amp near the speakers for a short speaker cable length. It also means that audiophiles who think they need boutique cables can keep costs down - being able to keep to 3 foot lengths or whatever. Plus if they have a cable fetish (I know one audiophile whose favourite audio component of all are "cables" - yeesh!), then it makes all their cable swapping all that much easier. Plus...they get a better view of their cables.

 

[Vacceo]

Whomever started to design the boxes to fit in a U rack, deserves praise. There are plenty of them with wood around to make them more palatable on a living room.

 

[Rip City Dave]

Because you want the world to see the brilliance of your high-dollar cables and cable risers.

 

[Mart68]

Audiophile racks are very expensive, that could be another reason. Plenty of people wholeheartedly believe that what the equipment sits on changes the sound, even if it's solid-state. There is also the belief that you need to have acres of space between components to prevent electrical interference

This rack is £860 per shelf https://www.hifix.co.uk/naim-fraim-hi-fi-rack-components-from-745-00

Cheaper to get an audiophile 'amplifier stand' which will only set you back £200 or so. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165395761917?0

 

[Doodski]

not just multiple trip hazards but remove the covers on the amplifiers too so there's an additional danger of death.

Wouldn't want to negotiate that lot on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Nice! The AC mains comes in a small conductor to a junction box and then distributed into very large AC cables.

 

[freemansteve]

Nice! The AC mains comes in a small conductor to a junction box and then distributed into very large AC cables.

Classic no SO.... Probably not a dog or a budgie either in that place.

That's either a lamp post or a soil pipe from the bathroom above, on the back wall !

And the fat mains pipes are filled with liquid nitrogen, but with skinny wires inside, obviously.

Now, where did I leave my 100kHz test LP?

 

[xaviescacs]

not just multiple trip hazards but remove the covers on the amplifiers too so there's an additional danger of death.

Wouldn't want to negotiate that lot on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I must admit I find it a bit scary. Normal cables don't make the impression they are going to kill you in the middle of the night.

 

[MattHooper]

Personally I find cabling (of any type) pretty unsightly. My source/amp gear is in a separate room and I ran cables through our walls to my listening room which is also a home theater room with L/C/R surround speakers. Even the speaker cables leading to my 2 channel speakers
are buried, invisible, in the shag rug. No cables in sight, just as I prefer.

 

[Axo1989]

I do agree that there should not be a large audio shrine between the speakers but I prefer to have my power amps as close to the speakers as possible. In my case, it means one (or two) on the floor behind each speaker. I also prefer to have the rest of the equipment closer to my listening position to enable access.

This, exactly.

Also, our cats aren't the least bit clumsy, and enjoy a warm amp in winter. I don't have tubes or old-school class A though, they'd probably steer clear.

 

[Pdxwayne]

If I am going to have the room to place big amps on the floor, I will have them in dedicated room anyway. I won't be stupid enough to place those in high traffic area where people will need walk behind the setup to go to bathroom and cause trip hazards.

 

[billyjoebob]

If I am going to have the room to place big amps on the floor, I will have them in dedicated room anyway. I won't be stupid enough to place those in high traffic area where people will need walk behind the setup to go to bathroom and cause trip hazards.

Hey, stop making sense!

 

[syn08]

That ridiculous photo keeps doing the rounds doesn't it? Sad thing is, someone was actually serious.

Something makes me think this photo is a photoshop fake. Probably because I can't believe such idiots exist.

 

[LarryRS]

I do agree that there should not be a large audio shrine between the speakers but I prefer to have my power amps as close to the speakers as possible. In my case, it means one (or two) on the floor behind each speaker. I also prefer to have the rest of the equipment closer to my listening position to enable access.

This. I also have my monoblock amplifiers behind my speakers and my equipment rack close to my listening position. My speaker cables are short and the balanced XLR cables between my preamp and the amps are relatively long.

 

[JeffS7444]

Back in the days of Mark Levinson's ML2 and ML3, the furniture wasn't deep or sturdy enough. And if I lived in earthquake country, I'd want them close to the ground for safety's sake.

 

[Erici]

A lot of people talk about audiophile snake oil here, but there is one question that seems to have escaped mention that always surprises me about audiophiles, why is their stuff on the floor? Is there some relationship between having your stuff on the floor (usually monobloc amps and the like) and better sound, or is this just some unusual tradition?

There is a very simple reason to put audio equipment on the floor.
Because then you can buy those cute little stands to support the cables, and show that you're a completely committed audiophile......

 

[LarryRS]

Back in the days of Mark Levinson's ML2 and ML3, the furniture wasn't deep or sturdy enough. And if I lived in earthquake country, I'd want them close to the ground for safety's sake.

My monoblock amps are heavy, and they sit on the feet they came with on the hardwood floor behind my speakers. So, not being on a carpet, they get plenty of air flow for cooling. Just no reason to put them on a shelf.

"There is a very simple reason to put audio equipment on the floor.
Because then you can buy those cute little stands to support the cables, and show that you're a completely committed audiophile......"

Oh, and I don't have any cable risers. But I do consider myself an audiophile. And, as far as committed, I can nominate a few commenters on this thread for that, complete with a ride and a jacket with custom sleeves.

 

[billyjoebob]

Why would someone care that someone else puts their amp on the floor?
Is it just to mock the possibility of lifters?

 

[LarryRS]

Quite likely. On the other hand........................

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor