"Rack mountable" - Safe to NOT mount on a rack?

[Number Of The Priest]

I just thought of something related to my POWERAMP QUESTION posted previously.

First question. Are rack mountable poweramps relatively lightweight compared to an amp head?

Second question. Is it safe to have a rack mountable poweramp but not actually mount it on a rack?

This setup might actually work well for me for bringing gear to rehearsals quickly and easily... my Boss GT-6 is the preamp on the floor, and the rack mountable poweramp would supply the power and sit on top of the speaker cabinets if it is safe to do so.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

[hippietim]

Rack mountable poweramps are featherweight. At least compared to a car engine. Most rack mount poweramps are stereo so they have two transformers and they are in thick steel chassis. IOW, they are heavy as fuck. At least if we're talking about tube poweramps. If you mean a solid state power amp then they can be a tad lighter. Unless you get like a 40 watt Mosfet or something like that, the amp is gonna be heavy. You don't have to mount it in a rack but you should - they're easier to carry that way and they're obviously better protected.

[Bengal65]

Rack mountable poweramps are featherweight. At least compared to a car engine.

:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF: How true! But, a lot less bulky IMO. I mount my amp's at the bottom of the rack. My racks are the shock type to let air circulate around them.

[Bengal65]

:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF: How true! But, a lot less bulky IMO. I mount my amp's at the bottom of the rack. My racks are the shock type to let air circulate around them.

Oh, I forgot. You could use say a 3 or 4 space rack (small or rack gig bag) to carry the amp (2-3 space amp) from place to place. Just allow extra space for air circulation on top with the rack you choose.

[Inazone]

The most portable rack power amp I've found is the Peavey Classic 60. It takes up three spaces but isn't as deep as the 2U Classic 50/50 or Carvin T100 that I sometimes use. Also, it has the two metal handle bars on the front. I have used it on its own without a rack, but found that it conveniently fits in the 3U "shallow" racks. I don't have any close-up pics, but in the photo below, I have two of the shallow rack cases, with my preamp/tuner/HUSH in one and my Classic 60 in the other. It can sit on top of even a small 2x12 cab and not hang over.