 Sanus Systems DFAV30-MO1 Designer Series A/V Component Stand - a well built easy to assemble 37-inch AV equipment rack with a nice wood finish. Available from Amazon US |
A/V Rack Solutions for different needs
Standard EIA/310-D 19-inch equipment racks are available from various makes and come in all forms. Furthermore, these enjoy the benefit of a never-ending list of rack accessories - such as cable managers, rack mount shelves, cooling systems, etc., available from different manufacturers that are fully compatible irrespective of brand.
This makes standard 19-inch rack systems the most versatile that you can find; you can easily customize a racking solution to suit individual needs.
But... Unfortunately, standard 19-inch equipment racks often take an industrial look that is difficult to disguise and integrate with the rest of your home theater room decor.
In other words, though these systems can do a superb job in terms of product functionality, it is best that you leave these rack solutions outside your movie theater room; instead, house standard 19-inch AV equipment cabinets in a media closet.
There is also another issue with standard 19-inch racks: price. High quality 19-inch equipment racks do not come cheap. Expect to spend anything from at least $1,500 to well over $3,000 and more for a 44U rack complete with cooling fans, perforated support shelves, AC distribution panels, and cable management. Whether this is justifiable depends on the nature and complexity of the home theater setup you want to have.
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What about Non-Standard Rack Solutions?
There exist several 'relatively cheaper' options that would still do a great job in a typical home theater installation. True that these come somewhat cheaper than standard 19-inch racks, but even a simple 3-shelf rack may cost anything up to $400 if you are after a good quality audio video equipment rack solution such as the Sanus Systems DFAV30-MO1 featured above; move on to the more elaborate slide-out and rotating rack solutions such as the 4-shelf ASR-HD Series Slide Out & Rotating Shelving System and you may very well spend over $1,200 online for a 7-shelf rack solution.
Buying online is generally cheaper but pricing of equipment rack solutions is very much dependent on the rack features - including rack finish - e.g. metal or polished hard wood, rack size - mainly depending on rack width and number of shelves, and load bearing capacity; the latter is often ignored completely by most home theater enthusiast but keep in mind that audio amplification equipment can be relatively heavy.
The good news is that if you are ready to search around, you will definitely come up with a suitable affordable rack system suitable for your needs. So let's see what's on offer within this price bracket...
The Salamander Synergy Range of A/V Furniture
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Within this budget limit, there is a vast range of products to choose from. In particular, we like the Salamander Synergy range of home theater furniture available from amazon. These media cabinets come finished with genuine hardwood panels and extruded aluminum posts for an overall aesthetic finish that would surely suit the rest of your home theater room decor. A case in point is their
Synergy 402 A/V Media Cabinet |
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The 402 incorporates an innovative design that provides complete
flexibility and that can serve as the basis for an expanded system. It
comes with five fully adjustable shelves, and includes a removable rear
panel designed in such a manner to allow cables to pass over and
underneath it. At 23¼ inches wide, the Synergy 402 is perfect for all forms of imaginable home theater gear.
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Another stylish design in the Salamander range is the
Synergy 236 A/V Cabinet w/two Doors & Media Drawer |
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The Synergy 236 media cabinet comes with fully adjustable black shelves and perforated steel door panels. These perforated door panels allow for ventilation, and for remote control signals to pass through. Like the previous model, the Synergy 236 also comes with a removable black rear panel that allows cables to pass both over and underneath it. Available in various wood and metal finishes, including the choice of castor wheels or polished aluminum feet for that extra elegant touch, these racks should prove easy to integrate with the rest of your home theater room furniture. |
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This Lowboy unit provides plenty of space for audio/video system
components, and at over 65-inch wide, it can hold plasma, LCDs and rear
projection TVs that are as wide as 60-inch.To view the full range of Salamander Synergy audio video equipment racks available at amazon, please click here.
Middle Atlantic ASR Line of Sliding/Rotating Shelving System
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Another interesting range of professional audio video equipment racks comes from Middle Atlantic. Their ASR Series of equipment racks include a comprehensive line of sliding out and rotating rack systems that comes in various sizes; these rack solutions can be mounted in a cabinet to match the rest of your room decor. The relatively affordable Middle Atlantic ASR-48 slide out and rotating equipment rack system shown here is designed mainly for the smaller home entertainment center. It can take up to seven self-leveling 18-1/4" wide shelves mounted on glide rails; this allows for easy access to the rear of your electronic components. |
Middle Atlantic ASR-48 |
 Middle Atlantic ASR-HD line with its ASR-60-HD |
At the upper end of the scale, one finds the Middle Atlantic ASR-HD line with its ASR-60-HD 60-inch high slide out and rotating shelving system. As with the cheaper Middle Atlantic line, the ASR-HD model comes with slide out and rotating functionality for enhanced access to rear equipment connections. The main upgrade over the less expensive equipment rack solutions from Middle Atlantic is that the ASR-HD comes with a more aesthetically pleasing design which will complement better any decor. |
Main features include a silver brushed trim which comes as standard while an optional black brushed and unfinished wood trim kit is also available.
The same easy index self-leveling shelves used in the less expensive line apply, while the use of a self centering base simplify and speed up assembly. The ASR-60-HD can take up to 350 lb in equipment and includes vented shelves and top for optimized thermal management and cable management support.
Sanus A/V Equipment Stands
Sanus is mainly renowned for its comprehensive line of affordable budget class equipment racks that do not sacrificing neither quality nor design.
Generally, what one gets at the budget category are basic open equipment stands with no frills. However, with some careful search, you can still end with a good stylish stand that is suitable for your needs.
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A case in point is the Sanus Systems DFAV30-MO1 featured at the top of this page; the DFAV30 is a typical example of a well built and easy to assemble 37-inch AV equipment rack from Sanus that comes in a nice wood finish. Top-selling products within the range of Sanus range of A/V Equipment Stands include the NFA245-M1 stand (shown on the right). This is a floor-standing open-type equipment stand that comes with five tempered-glass shelves in a hardwood frame. |
Sanus Natural AV NFA245-M1 AV Stand |
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Another interesting open rack system from Sanus is the Sanus AFA Accurate Furniture audio stand shown on the left. This is a heavy-duty 4-shelf stand featuring either satin black or maple finished wooden shelves, and chrome tubular pillars |
Some may not classify open-shelf racks as a true rack system 'per se' in that basic open shelf stands often lacks some of the features found on the more advanced - and more expensive - standard equipment racks.
At the same time, open-shelf audio video equipment stands still incorporate several interesting features. Among these, there is a patent-pending wire-management system that safely conceals your audio-video wiring; additionally, the open rack design allows both for ample airflow around your audio and video gear, and makes access to equipment, simply straightforward.
Add to these most basic yet functional features the stylish design and solid build quality that comes from Sanus and there you have a functional solution to stack your gear on a budge!
Note: Besides these open rack designs, Sanus also produces a comprehensive range of closed AV cabinet units. To view the full range of Sanus A/V equipment racks at amazon, please click here.
More Equipment Rack Options for the Home Theater
Something for that 'Extra' Touch of Class
One such innovative line of media cabinets available from the Magnolia Home Theater Stores in New York and Los Angeles is the Maria Yee line of handcrafted eco-friendly BambooTimber™ and Ghinmu wood. We reviewed this exclusive line of media cabinets way back in 2007, but it still remains one of the most interesting eco-friendly audio video cabinets around.
Maria Yee media cabinets are more than just some piece of AV equipment rack. Rather, the Maria Yee line represents a set of trend-setting designs in home theater furniture that are simple yet unique, providing the perfect merge between functional media cabinets and elegant design; the aim is to bring out the best in any home entertainment system.
More information in our review article: Home Media Cabinets for that Unique Finishing Touch.
Take your Gear for a Spin!
Another line of AV equipment racks we reviewed on our site comes from AVRAK. AVRAK are mainly renowned for their range of AV rotating equipment rack systems - similar in concept to the range of pull-out and rotating rack systems from Middle Atlantic referred to above.
However, like most equipment rack manufacturers, the AVRAK system comprises a full range, not just pullout and rotating rack systems, and include also stationary, rotating, and freestanding with rotation - all professionally designed AV racks of outstanding quality.
The AVRAK system is one of the most expensive around but it also offer a high degree of adaptability, available customization options, and a meticulous attention to detail; the result is an extremely stylish and functional design.
More information on the AVRAK line of rotating AV racks can be found in our review article: AVRAK Rotating AV Racks.
Looking for AV Equipment Racks?
Check out the Amazon storefront for a vast choice of products at significantly reduced prices. You can search the amazon storefront without leaving our site by using the amazon search box below; your search results will appear here under.
While at amazon, we advise to do some research of your own; see the customer feedback posted on the amazon site to discover what others had to say about their purchase especially with respect to product quality and manufacturer customer support. This should give you a better insight about the product of interest.
