Salamander Chameleon Active Cooling Rear Panel for 30-Inch-Tall Cabinet

• Active cooling rear panel for 30-inch-tall Chameleon A/V cabinets
• Remote thermostat and dual fans regulate cabinet's internal temperature
• Fans begin running at 80 degrees and reach max speed at 95 degrees
• Power consumption: 1 watt standby, 4 watts mid, 8 to 10 watts full
• Replaces cabinets standard rear panel; whisper-quiet operation

I recently purchased a Salamander Chameleon 336 in "Oslo" trim and it is amazingly well built.I've had lots of other AV cabinetry and stands but this is my first Salamander and I have to say that they absolutely worth the price.This accessory active cooling rear panel is no exception.While you might balk at how ridiculous it sounds to spend nearly $200 on a simple panel with fans on it, think about what it does to protect your electronics.If you have an amp, receiver, or other heat-producing component, this is a must in lieu of the plain non-actively ventilated panel that came with the cabinet.Even if you have ample space around your separating your electronics inside the cabinet, stagnant air trapped on all sides including the rear can build-up a significant amount of heat and will cause long-term damage to your components.Trust me on this: I had a previous Denon receiver fail on me due to my disregard for proper ventilation.

Unlike the standard non-cooling panels that come with all Salamander Chameleon cabinets, the plastic on this active cooling panel seems to firmer and doesn't have a curvature built in to it.While this requires a bit more muscle to squeeze it into place, I'm assuming this was necessary to accommodate the mounting points of the dual fan unit.Once installed, the fit is perfect.However, Amazon's product image is misleading in how the fans are installed on the 30" tall version.The 30" tall active cooling panel I received has the fan unit mounted in the center, almost in line with the pinch tabs on the sides, and not at the top edge of panel like the Amazon's image shows.In my case, it actually works out very well because I have a source component at the top shelf while the amp at the bottom of the cabinet, which in this configuration provides more cooling for the amp since it needs it more.No complaints here.Perhaps the image is an older one and Salamander received customer feedback that pointed out how most people place heavy amps and receivers at the bottom of big cabinets anyway?It's definitely a welcome modification because I originally purchased the extended version of this active cooling panel that provided an extra 3" of rear clearance for large amps but that unit had the fans mounted at the top which wasn't ideal for cooling my amp sitting at the bottom with a shelf above separating it from the fans and partially blocking airflow for it.After I switched from a Yamaha receiver that was 18" in depth to a Denon that was only 16" in depth, I no longer needed the extra clearance of the extended version so the better fan placement was a welcome surprise.

Installation was a snap, literally.It really just snaps into place after you squeeze in the pinch tabs.No tools or hardware to fuss with, unlike the extended version.It basically mounts like the standard non-cooling panels.There is wire on the inside with a spade terminal that you can either attach to a component's casing screw or use the included magnet cube to secure it to the hottest part of the component or amp.This is a thermistor that will activate the fan speed based on temperature.Even at maximum speed, the dual fans are relatively quiet yet seem to move lots of air.With the door closed, the fans are virtually silent from in front.For power, there is a wall wart and cord that you connect to the fan on the outside.Hard to see where it connects to at first but once it's in, you should've have to unplug it again so no big deal.When the systems is powered-down for a while and everything is cool, the fans shut off automatically.

Be wary of which one you order.There is a 20" version of this for shorter cabinets that will only work with 2xx units.This 30" should fit in any one section of Salamander Chameleon 3xx units.