The AV cabinet manufacturers just don't get it!

[Jules]

It's time to downsize my kit count and replace my rack for something a little smaller and lower.

But as usual, finding a cabinet on the market that is the width of 3 components (so the amp can go in the middle where everything connects to) is like looking for rocking horse poo.
In addition, none of them properly cater for a decent sized centre speaker in the correct position (directly below the screen).

You see all these glossy brochures displaying nice expensive AV cabinets, but there is never a centre speaker in the photograph! Why?.. because they aren't built to accomodate one.

I've DIY'd in the passed with wood from B&Q, and today I resorted to the same tactic.
What I've produced doesn't look that great but it does the job that most people here keep asking for.

Why can't companies like Atacama make sturdy, attractive racks to accomodate 3 columns of equipment, a large TV and a decent sized centre speaker?
It can be done without increasing the overall dimensions of many of the racks already on the market... the ones out there now just waste space in their design.

I've solved the problem by making a 2-tier, 3 column rack that is just 143cm wide and features a small (centrally located) 'platform' about the size of the TV's pedestal stand.
This small platform raises the TV above the height of the centre speaker that sits just infront of and below it on the 2nd tier.

The TV now looks like it's floating in the air when the speaker is put in place.

I'm sure the big companies can make something like this...so why don't they?
It must be what almost everyone here is looking for.

[thompma]

any pics?

[nheather]

I know. What we really want is a piece of nice oak furnitire rather than a technical looking AV unit.

I've visited so many good furniture shops and they are so behind the times.

Amps - forget it. They still haven't figured out that an amp is 150 - 200mm high (or more).

Number of slots - 1 or 2 if you are lucky. They are still living in the days of a 28" CRT perched on top and a VHS video recorder underneath.

Width - Why do you want 435mm sir. Most VHS recorders are much narrower than that.

Dimensions - go into a shop and most likely they can't show you the product in the store but show you a picture in a catalogue. Ask for the dimensions and they'll tell you the overall width, height, depth. No I want the dimensions of the AV slots - they look at you as if you are mad - no we don't have that information sir. I don't know why you need to know that sir, I have one of these units myself and my VHS Video Recorder fits fine in it.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Sgt Siff]

Yeah, any pictures please?

This is the exact same thing i have planned because i'm going to make my own, luckily i work at a carpenters so can get the oak and toughened glass at trade prices.

I can tell straight away when a customer is an av buff by looking at the drawing they bring in, the most memorable was a stand that was around 8 foot long with two shelves, that wasn't fun to deliver

I know it sounds wierd, but when i have a stand i have to have the amp in the middle, because it looks better and it's more practical, everything is connected to the av amp so it only makes sense to put it in the middle.

Other niggles:
-Even the ones with cable managment haven't nearly enough space to hide cables, we could be talking 8 power cords, 8 hdmi, numerous ethernet cables, speaker wires.
-Rarely deep enough for a large amp.
-Anything that isn't three black glass shelves whith chrome stand offs costs an arm and a leg because it is for 'AV'
-The center speaker as mentioned.

[Jules]

I really made my cabinet as temporary solution, so it really is very crude.
I'm not sure I want to embarrass myself with piccies....maybe when I've tidied up a bit later in the week.

My last one was quite nice, but this is just slabs of contiboard screwed together.
Very practical though.

[Sgt Siff]

You aint getting out of it that easily :P
I think even if it was made out of cheese slices, it would be worth posting, for inspiration.

[GSR555]

I had exactly the same problems as you looking for a decent, wood, stand for my equipment and a centre speaker.

I have one of these on order:

http://www.solidwoodinteriors.co.uk/...ky-wooden-cube

And I've asked for a shelf in the centre space for the centre speaker.

Delivery should be sometime in May so I can't vouch for the finished product but to date they've been very proferssional.

[Jules]

Please excuse the mess, and please excuse the very poor quality picture from my mobile phone.
The centre speaker is obviously enormous... it's a KEF THX TDM23C, part of the THX package I have owned and loved for many years now.
If I can accomodate a centre speaker of this size, it should be childs play to accomodate any centre speaker.

I carefully measured the height of the TV's platform so that the TV 'just' peeks over the top of the centre speaker. That way I could get the centre speaker high enough to be almost pefectly aligned with the L&R speakers whilst keeping the TV at eye level when seated.... I hate having the centre speaker too low down or too high up, it needs to be in the correct position otherwise what's the point in buying a decent centre speakers?

[Sgt Siff]

Very nice, good sized, holds a lot of equipment. A similar sized one from a brand name would only be able to hold half of that equipment! Only problem is, i've gotta put my amp on the top shelf i think, because the bottom end of my bed covers low down equipment, so remotes dont work well :|

Great think about making your own is that they fit perfectly, you can modify them easily in any way you want, and they are cheaper! Well done

[andrew markwort]

A suggestion - assuming you live near one of those large stores that sell nothing but pine furniture, go in and ask if they will custom make something for you. A few years ago I wanted what would look like a cabinet with doors, but when opened up , it had to have drawers capable of holding a thousand CDs. To cut a long story short, having failed to find such a thing in catalogues/online, we went to a local pine furniture shop, and they made one up by taking modular units from existing stock. Total cost was about £150, and it looked fabulous (alas, I don't have photos, because we eventually found another way of storing the discs and I gave the cabinet to some friends).

And this isn't a one-off story, as a friend of mine, having seen our cabinet, got a cabinet made up to his specs at another pine furniture shop in different part of the country.

I'm not saying you'll automatically have similar luck, but it might be worth a try. Of course, you do have to like pine, but it can be stained in a variety of colours.

Even the ones with cable managment haven't nearly enough space to hide cables, we could be talking 8 power cords, 8 hdmi, numerous ethernet cables, speaker wires

A refinement of this problem is that often to get the amp to rest on the shelf, you have very little leeway to fit wires into the back because a central pillar/cable tidy is in the way.

[hornydragon]

Originally Posted by nheather

I know. What we really want is a piece of nice oak furnitire rather than a technical looking AV unit.
Cheers,

Nigel

I use an Oak side board and once modified it works and looks great it took a while to find the right size one tho....got it from Hectic House Shabby Chic and French Furniture but they don't have it on the website it was a contemporary Oak side board IIRC

[da_murphster]

Celine Dion?!?! You should be ashamed.

[Don Dadda]

Just stumble across this thread and lo and behold, a similar predicament i was in.

Jules -spot on

Your 'tempory' effort looks a very good job indeed Maybe you might to want to think about build another but with more space for ventilation

Decided to build my own as well.

Felt exactly the same when looking for a 3 column av unit. It needed to house all my av/hifi stuff (11 pieces inc center spk) with 40/42" tv on top. I didn't want or liked all glass stands especially with kids about but did want glass doors. Width 160cm max and 50-55cm High. I saw a few wood av units which came close but all failing on one thing or another, yet all costing the earth . I even thought about sideboards but, they are generally too high, not deep enough and wrong shelving arrangementsl.

Like 'Sgt Siff', i have 2 amps and want them to be in the middle of the unit with enough room between them to breath.


I had thought about building a very similar to Jules but with thicker wood and Center spk would sit on the shelf above the amp. BTW - that center is HUGE!!!
My mate had ideas of inserting a glass shelf into the the top of the wood - he is a carpenter also, but I since change my mind and decided to convert my existing Alphason 4 tier wood rack by adding to it. Trying to keep it simple but effective

I sourced a couple more similar size matching Alphason racks from ebay, 1 of them glass. All columns legs are dark grey/charcoal colour - No Chrome in sight.
I had temporarily constructed a 3 tier, 3 column rack - 2 outside columns in wood and the center column in glass. Spacers are required to increase height to the 1st tier to allow for the AV/ amp ventilation and a more firm base to be created for it all to sit on, but most of the hard work has already been done with the shelve holes already cut and aligned for the bolts to fit through. My Centre spk is 18cm high and didn't fit between the wood shelves but does between the glass shelves with no height adjustment. Just need to find suitable doors and a way to cover the sides but still be able to allow max ventilation and without it looking tacky

DD

[oz72]

Nice effort there Jules. Bloody Hell that KEF centre speaker is Massive. Just bought some front ones to try out and see if I like the sound. I think if I bite the bullet and get the the rest of the speakers the centre one is going to crush my 28" crt I guess thats one of the last advantages of having CRT nowadays its somewhere to pop your centre speaker . Ikea are quite good for av racks here is a picure of mine, loads of room, although it did need strengthening with some wood as the big denon made it sag in the middle

[Oily]

That's why i made my own as well.Nothing on the market that fitted my needs or if it did it was to expensive!