[Sticky Bun]

Hello all,

I have just purchased a shiny new 50" plasma and am in the process of designing a base unit for it to stand on. The unit must blend in with the other cherry wood furniture in the room.

At present my A/V kit is minimal, utilising my existing amp and 2 speakers for the audio setup. I'm looking for the low cabinet look, however I want to allow room for expansion for a surround sound system in the future (ie room for centre speaker etc).

Here's a link to a SketchUp diagram of the space I have to work with:
http://TheForrests.smugmug.com/photos/242477586-L.jpg

And here's a close up of the base unit:
http://TheForrests.smugmug.com/photos/242520772-L.jpg

The width of the cabinet is pretty much fixed as it is based on the existing furniture design (the square panels and black knobs matching our other pieces). The 6 central shelf "holes" for A/V kit are 470mm wide x 110mm high. I am going to ask the cabinet maker to make the shelves adjustable to accomodate any changing needs. Is this enough space?

The black slab on the unit represents the outer limits of the plasma which sits on a pedestal base. Ideally I would like to utilise my existing speakers/stands, but as you can see from the picture, with this length base unit, they make the whole thing look cramped. There's probably just enough room to get them in, but that would be with the left speaker stand touching the skirting board and the right stand touching the fireplace - not ideal.

I really like the sound quality of my existing kit especially for music, and I'm a little concerned that by replacing them with an A/V amp/speaker package I might be disappointed in the music department.

Options:
Replace existing speakers with new slimline floorstanders
Replace existing speakers with new smaller wall mounted speakers
Wall mount the plasma and put new smaller speakers on the base unit
Make the base unit slightly narrower (the middle shelf section) and use exsting speakers.
Any other options???

Have I missed anything with the cabinet design?
Is 400mm deep enough for the cabinet to accomodate rear cables etc.

All suggestions very welcome!

[Knightshade]

I would be inclined to go a little wider with the shelf widths, most AV gear tends to be close to the 18.5 inches you have allowed. It will probably be fine but if you one day end up with some heavy amplifiers then getting them in and out without damaging the rack could prove tricky.

Not sure where you're planning on putting the centre speaker?

Depth wise It's cheaper to have 400mm. 450/500mm would be more practical.

Another option, 3 seperate cabinets, speakers mounted on the end two cabinets on lower custom made stands. It could all be nicely isolated to minimise vibration from the speakers to the electronics.

[Liam @ Prog AV]

You want 500mm depth to cater for power amps / AV receivers and to also allow for the curl of speaker cables and the length of phono plugs etc. Also do not forget about ventilation, if the cubby holes are bigger then air circulates around the kit better. Otherwise the wood will eventually start to warp slightly after a year or so, also cheap polishing will crack.

You will need to spend a LOT on an AV system to get it to sound the same as your dedicated Hi-Fi. e.g. a £1000 AV receiver is gonna sound about the same as a £200-£300 Hi-Fi amp.

[Sticky Bun]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll be modifying the design to accomodate the extra depth and width.

Sounds like I'll be sticking with my Hi-Fi amp for the time being then - hence no centre speaker.

Regards