As a bit of a newcomer to "proper" hifis I recently purchased some entry level components, a Marantz CD5400 and a Cambridge 540A. I've been keeping them in a unit which is not specifically built for hifi and so offers very little clearence (about 1cm) to either side of the components. I've decided to take them out of these slots and merely stack them ontop of each other. The manual for my CD player however warns against placing the player on top of an amplifier. Could it really be a problem?

Also, I've heard it's best to leave your components on all the time to allow them to warm up, so to speak, should I?

It's not actually a serious problem but to move forward you will need something more solid. A lot of snakeoil is sold in the form of supports. Very many of them make no difference to the use of a solid table.

Put the CD player underneath the amp rather than vice versa; this is all that the manufacturer is really suggesting. It's partly for safety reasons - Amps generate more heat than CD players.

In the long run, to develop the system further, look for something solid with separate shelves and no castors. Make it yourself if you have to.

People usually start to buy serious supports on the second full upgrade and the good ones really work. The ones that I think are audibly effective are anything by Townshend, Nordost Pulsar points and anything by Mana. All unjustifiable for entry level but the results can be surprising from mid-fi upwards.

One thing that you might like to try is the Ikea 'Lack' coffee table. It's much used by Linn users for their turntables & you could try it with your CD player for the cost of a moderate lunch (£8 for the side table).

Leaving them on standby is sufficient. An half hour warm up will get you to the same place. Yes, it's generally a good idea unless the piece of equipment you're dealing with is Class A or valve (none or yours is though). Try to see if you can tell the difference between when it's warmed and when it's not - if not leave it off when not using.

Given that my CD Player weighs about half as much as my amplifier, might puting the lighter component on the bottom not damage is somehow?

Many thanks for your help anyway.

No. It's strong enough. It'll do less damage than the heat from the amp will do.

I'd still recommend separate shelves eventually if you can.

Bob, had to put my cdp under the amp recently, the only drawback was somehow scratching the case of the cdp when i took it out, otherwise cdp goes underneath with no problems.

I think you'd be suprised how strong they are... It'd probably be good to have a separate shelf for the amp to go on?

These days of course there's a bit of pressure to switch stuff off when not in use (to avoid killing the planet n that). Try using your hi-fi from cold and see if you notice much of a difference over the half hour or so that it takes to warm up - it certainly makes a difference to me, music sounds fuller and more rounded, with less of a harshness and sense of strain. Go on, give it a go...