Audio Video Equipment Racks (3)
Available Rack Solutions
for Home Theater Use
AV Rack Systems range from industrial style 19-inch
standard rack enclosures to the more decor friendly rack
solutions available specifically for use in the home theater. More in
this final part of our guide.
What's on
Offer?
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, there is a never-ending list of rack
accessories - such as cable managers, rack mount shelves, etc., available from different
manufacturers, and 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.
Unfortunately, these 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, while these systems can do a
superb job in terms of product functionality, yet it is
best that you leave these rack solutions outside your movie theater room;
instead, house in a media closet.
Besides, while prices vary considerable online, yet high quality 19-inch
equipment racks do not come cheap. Expect to spend anything from at least $1,000
to well over $2,000 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 of
the home theater installation you have.
And What about nonstandard
19-inch Racks?
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 a good quality 5-shelf audio video
equipment rack would still cost anything up to $800, possibly even more,
depending on model, finish and brand.
So let's see what's on offer within this price bracket...
The Salamander Synergy Range of A/V
Furniture
Within
this budget limit, you have a vast range of products that can serve as a good
option. In
particular, we like the
Salamander Synergy range of
home theater furniture ; 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
(shown on the right). 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.
 |
Another stylish design in the Salamander range is the
Synergy 236 A/V Cabinet w/two Doors & Media Drawer .
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. |
|
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, it would surely prove easy to integrate with the
rest of your home theater room furniture. |
To
view the full range of Salamander Synergy audio video equipment racks
available at amazon, please
click here.
HoloVision Rak Master Series
Another interesting range of professional audio video equipment racks comes from
HoloVision. Their
Rak Master Series of equipment racks include pull-out, rolling, or
Lowboy versions; these rack solutions
can be mounted in a cabinet to match the rest of your room decor.
 |
The
range of
HoloVision pull-out/swivel AV equipment racks
pulls out
20-inches to enable you to rotate the whole shelving assembly a full 180 degrees
- thus giving you full access to the rear of your AV gear.
The
Rak Master 58-inch high Pull-Out/Swivel rack featured here, includes five
by 3/4 inch MDF fully ventilated shelves that
resides in slotted rails for ease of adjustment of shelf height.
Though it falls within the compact category in that it only requires a
floor area of 22-inch (depth) by 19.25-inch (width) clearance for complete pull-out, yet it
has a rated load bearing capacity of 385 pounds.
|
|
The
rolling version (shown on the right) is
designed to be placed direct on the floor using castor wheels; it does
not feature the rotating base of the pull-out version.
On the other hand, the
Lowboy rack features the
same pull-out / swivel base as the full pull-out version, but comes without
shelves. Instead, system components will have to be stacked one upon the other.
This is because it is designed for those spaces where traditional
equipment racks will not fit, such as in offices, main bedrooms, etc.
To view the full
range of HoloVision Rak Master products available at amazon, please
click here. |

42" Rolling AV Component Racks |
Sanus A/V Equipment Stands
|
At the
lower end of the budget spectrum (circa up to $300), one would normally
get 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.
Among the best in this category, one finds the
Sanus
range of A/V Equipment Stands. Top-selling products within this range of
A/V furniture include the
NF206
A/V stand (shown on the right); this comes with tempered-glass shelves.
There is also the
Sanus Systems 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.
|

Sanus Systems NF206 A/V Stand (Black) |
|
An
extremely elegant design within this range is the
Sanus Systems NF213 Natural Furniture TV Stand.
Constructed of grade A solid cherry with a warm, medium cherry finish,
this stylish stand has a rated load bearing capacity of 350 pounds.
Its three tempered-glass shelves have polished, rounded edges and
are a full quarter-inch thick, while the slightly larger top-shelf
is angled at the back to accommodate both wall or corner
placement.
Some may not classify this range of
Sanus A/V furniture as a true racking system 'per se', in that it lacks
some of the features found on the more advanced - and more expensive
- standard equipment racks.
At the same time, this range of audio video equipment
stands still incorporates 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,
straightforward.
What's more, this range of Sanus audio
video equipment racks does provide a stylish and a solid functional
solution to stack your gear on a budge!
Note: Besides these open rack
designs, Sanus also produces a comprehensive range of closed 'lowboy
style' AV cabinet units. To view the full range of Sanus A/V
equipment racks at amazon, please
click here. |
And if you want
something for that 'Extra' Touch of Class?
Well, we have recently come
across an innovative line of media cabinets available from the Magnolia Home
Theater Stores in New York and Los Angeles.
Designed by contemporary home media furniture
designer Maria Yee, and handcrafted in eco-friendly BambooTimber™ and
Ghinmu wood, this exclusive new line of media cabinets is more than just
some piece of AV equipment rack.
Rather, it represents a line of trend-setting
designs in home theater furniture - simple yet unique - that provides
a perfect merge between functional media cabinets
and elegant design, to bring out the best in any home entertainment system.
More information in our article:
Home Media Cabinets for that Unique Finishing Touch
Last updated on:
2nd September,
2007
|