AV receivers - just how much room?

[admin_exported]

I'm relatively new to this home cinema world and am looking to upgrade my "experience" from the current all-in-one I have, due to having just purchased a new LCD. This will probably mean moving to an AV receiver and new speakers (and upscaling DVD player) but I'm having trouble with the room needed for a receiver. My TV rack has two shelves which are around 25cm high, and I'm curious to know just how much room I need to leave above a receiver to allow for heat dissipation. Some I've looked at recommend up to (and even more than) 20cm clearance, which is impossible to achieve. Just how much room do they need in reality? Also, does anybody manufacture a receiver that is less than 300mm in depth? The rear legs on the stand make it difficult to fit anything more than about 320mm in without compromising connections at the rear.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

I only have a couple of cms room above mine but it is an open rack so it gets air either side. I think you would have plenty of space with 25cm in total though. Most medium range receivers are 17cm tall. As for depth, you may have a problem there. Most receivers are at least 350mm in depth. You may need a new stand.