Hi there. I have just bought a 19" rack to hold all my equipment as well as a few different size shelves and blanks.

My biggest and heaviest item is a Parasound HCA 2205 5 channel amp. The amp already has the rack ears on the front plate and I had bought a 4U shelf for it. However the amp will not fit with the shelf in place.

Will I damage the amp front plate if I just mount the amp at the front. I cannot believe the plate would be man enough to hold the full weight of the amp as the rear would be unsupported. If not then how do I mount it? Would I just need a angle bar at the rear for it to sit on so its supported front and rear.

thanks for any help
Darren

The rack ears should hold it ok. The mounting screws will probably cause some scratching. You can minimize this problem with some sort of plastic shoulder washers like this: http://www.middleatlantic.com/rackac/hardware/hrdwr2.htm#sw

Thanks for the info and the link.

I have checked the weight of the amp and it is 85Ibs :eek:. I will have to be careful then and see how I go. I will place it near the very bottom.

Put it at the bottom and place something on the floor supporting the weight.

My biggest and heaviest item is a Parasound HCA 2205 5 channel amp. The amp already has the rack ears on the front plate and I had bought a 4U shelf for it. However the amp will not fit with the shelf in place.

Will I damage the amp front plate if I just mount the amp at the front. I cannot believe the plate would be man enough to hold the full weight of the amp as the rear would be unsupported. If not then how do I mount it?

I would definitely call Parasound tech support and ask them. They'll know.

Does this amp have rack ears?

Yes it does.

I will send an email to Parasound and ask for confirmation if the plate will hold all the weight.

There’s a nice ole review of it here including technical specifications.

http://www.laaudiofile.com/hca2205at.html

I’d place it as and where it can be supported without strain on the rack farming.

Hold on moment let me look around.

Well a JBL 6290 weighs in at 63lbs and I’ve seen at least x6 racked up in just over 6 foot rack towers, I see no reason why this amp won’t hold.

If it has Rack "Ears" then it is designed to be mounted in a rack then. Unless the "ears" are meant as decoration, then it should work being mounted with screws directly in the rack. In fact the majority of the force when it is rack mounted is on the lower screws because the unit wants to fall down in the back. The top screws are usually not holding up much weight.

I would use some sort of plastic washer between the screw and the device so that you do not scratch the device, but it will hold.

I have mounted hundreds of items in racks in the professional world, and these items have weighed more than 60 lbs. One server I installed weighed 75 lbs, and used two screws on each side, and never had a problem.

The only issue might be the strength of the rack itself. If it is a Middle Atlantic brand rack, then it will be fine. OTOH, I have seen some pretty cheap racks made from flimsy material which bends quite easily.

Reedl

If it has Rack "Ears" then it is designed to be mounted in a rack then. Unless the "ears" are meant as decoration, then it should work being mounted with screws directly in the rack. In fact the majority of the force when it is rack mounted is on the lower screws because the unit wants to fall down in the back. The top screws are usually not holding up much weight.

I would use some sort of plastic washer between the screw and the device so that you do not scratch the device, but it will hold.

I have mounted hundreds of items in racks in the professional world, and these items have weighed more than 60 lbs. One server I installed weighed 75 lbs, and used two screws on each side, and never had a problem.

The only issue might be the strength of the rack itself. If it is a Middle Atlantic brand rack, then it will be fine. OTOH, I have seen some pretty cheap racks made from flimsy material which bends quite easily.

Reedl

I agree with all of this, except that exceptionally deep/heavy items are designed to be supported in the back also, such as server equipment and professional video decks. And even in recording studios, power amps are often set on shelves rather than mounted in racks due to size, weight, and ventilation. This is a nice box, and it's very heavy, so just call Parasound to be safe! Also, this should be specified in the owner's manual.

Hi thanks guys for your advice.

I emailed Parasound and received a quick response saying they are designed to be mounted on the front and it is why the power transformer is towards the front. So no problems.

Should have done my homework first then it would have saved me the cost of a 4U shelf :rolleyes:

I will use some soft washers in to protect it though. :)

One last question which is off topic. I have seen quite a few racks with the equipment sticking through perfectly cut openings such as Xbox 360's etc.

Do you have to make these from blanks cut with a jigsaw or can you actually buy them made already.

I want a front surround for my Panny BD35, Lexicon MC12HD, Oppo 983 etc

cheers
Darren

Middle atlantic custom faceplates. Look here:

http://www.buyrackgear.com/rack-custom-shelves.aspx

Interesting... If the equipment should not be racked with just the ears there should be a rack rail kit for it that takes no additional U spaces.

Hi thanks guys for your advice.

I emailed Parasound and received a quick response saying they are designed to be mounted on the front and it is why the power transformer is towards the front. So no problems.

Should have done my homework first then it would have saved me the cost of a 4U shelf :rolleyes:

I will use some soft washers in to protect it though. :)

One last question which is off topic. I have seen quite a few racks with the equipment sticking through perfectly cut openings such as Xbox 360's etc.

Do you have to make these from blanks cut with a jigsaw or can you actually buy them made already.

I want a front surround for my Panny BD35, Lexicon MC12HD, Oppo 983 etc

cheers
Darren

In other words it’s (counterbalanced) yes you should have done your home work.