The sound is awesome and at the price of 115 I may pick up another Shiva in the future. As for air circulation, there is plenty of room. The shelf is completely open on the back and the front is mostly open. There is at least 4 inches of air between the top of the amp and the rear deck. I ran the amp for two hours straight yesterday without a problem of overheating (it was barely warm to the touch). I don't anticipate any problem with heat exchange.
JE
