AV Equipment Racks (3) – Available Rack Solutions for the Home Theater

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.

HoloVision 58-inch Audio Video Pull-Out equipment rack

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:

2^nd September, 2007

...back to Equipment Racks - Section Index

...back to Home Theater Design - Article Index

Home Page

Audio Video Equipment Racks (3) Available Rack Solutions for Home Theater Use