half sideboard half AV rack.... the search is on!

[leeb-1977]

Im after a sideboard come AV Rack in light oak to help with my convince the wife to let me wall mount the telly quest...

The Living room floor is light oak finish laminate so something matching that would be ideal.

What im after is something that will house my xbox 360, ps3, virgin V+ and Sony HTss1300 amp on the right hand side - and at the same time have storage on the left hand side for the junk that will without doubt get thrown in.

the cheaper the better too

now - the closest ive seen is: this but i hate the design and black glass top bits. I much prefer something like this (obviously thats just a sideboard - which isnt what im after... just there for the design reference), although obviously it doesnt have to be from argos.... its just thats where i happened to see this type of thing at a price thats realistic for me at the moment (upto £250).

anyone any ideas?

In an ideal world id buy normal sideboard and add vent holes at the back and shelves so i could stack everything - but obviously im then buggered when it comes to the remotes not working when the door is closed.

dont mind self assy if it comes to it by the way.

[Daniel SL]

if you wanted to go fully hidden you could consider a IR repeater kit.

or an RF remote sending to a RF to IR base station.

as a couple of examples

[paul@big-av]

Hi,

Take a look at the Jahnke Power Rack series, the manufacturer has just announced they will be reducing prices within the next week also, so if you can wait a week they should fall to within your budget.

[leeb-1977]

thanks for that - but not really floating my boat there - im trying to find something that looks more like a modern sideboard than an av rack / tv stand if you know what i mean.... infact now that ive had a look at the IR Repeater kits im considering simply looking for a smart sideboard and having eveything hidden - this just means getting something i can cut air holes into the back of and have shelves in.

The sideboard thing isnt a deffo to be honest - the look im trying to achieve is to hide everything away if i can, i want to get the tv off the stand - get it onto the wall and eithier disguise / hide everything or at least have them in something thats less AV orientated and more just modern living room furniture.

i know that doesnt make much sense when you read it - but im trying to be as discreet with my setup as i can be.

[paul@big-av]

Don't forget to consider ventilation, firstly excess heat will damage AV equipment and secondly too much heat will warp solid wood cabinets, let me know if you find anything nice.

Paul
Big AV

[t72bogie]

Ive similar requirements, for "real" furniture and hidden kit, spent a lot of time searching and had one of these for 2 years now and more than pleased with it:

The Furniture Market - Oak, French & Mirrored Furniture - Brooklyn Oak Widescreen TV Cabinet, Brooklyn Oak Furniture

solid oak (not veneer - weighs about 8 stone!)

removable drawers

open back (I had to remove 2 small pieces with a saw to fit my Onkyo 905 in)

I have 3 source components, 2 x 3 channel amps, a Wii, a big receiver and still have space for more.

I have one drawer in, for all my misc AV "bits"

I have a Logitech 895 remote with RF and infrared senders on all components, so once the disc is in, can run door closed just fine

in fact we were so pleased with the quality and VFM of this oak range, we bought loads more (we have an old barn, so not into the modern theme)