Pros and Cons of Moving Equip. to a Rack in Closet

[Ras777]

So I just finished installing four ceiling speakers for a future Atmos set up. Before I run the wires I was thinking about moving all my equipment to a closet that is about 8ft to the left of my TV. Rerouting the speaker wire shouldn't be too difficult seeing its easy to get to thru my attic (surrounds). I will also need to purchase a new remote and an HDMI cable that is about 30ft, not sure if that would pose any problems. Still not convinced its worth the effort. Looking forward to your opinions.

 

[Mikado463]

a lot of good reasons if you have kids or pets. Biggest drawbacks could be air circulation for cooling of components if not addressed properly and lack of 'visual connection' to your gear.

 

[Wessew]

I have a home theater in the bonus room over my garage. I decided to leave most of my equipment accessible in racks but to move the heat and noise producing equipment (servers, etc.) to my closet. We decided to create a 2nd A/C zone with thermostat and a damper for the closet. It works well, but I am glad I did not move components to the closet which I would need to frequently access or visually see.

 

[mtrycrafts]

All depends on your needs. How convenient, how visible, etc. Check out my sig line pictures, 2nd has more related to it, for equipment cabinet behind seating with glass doors.

 

[panteragstk]

I've got an equipment closet for the "house equipment" but not the HT. The closet is downstairs in my office and my HT is VERY far from that location so wiring and everything else would have been a nightmare.

The theater has it's own little rack in the game room so no equipment is actually in the theater save for speakers, subs, and the PJ.

I would do it all the same if I had to. Having the equipment in a closet saves me from sitting in a loud/hot office all day. The rack rolls so if I need to get to something I just pull it out of the closet. It's nice having things away from tiny hands that like the pretty lights...

 

[Montucky]

That depends. There are certainly benefits to both. Personally, I love a rack setup, but at the same time I want it accessible if possible. Not always the case with a nice looking HT with limited space, but if I had it my way, I'd have enough for a full size rack built into the wall in the back, where the rack sits in an adjacent room. You can isolate the noise pretty well and cooling shouldn't be an issue if it's open air in the back like mine was.

Honestly, one of the best compromises I've found is a nice A/V cabinet that you can leave in the room, but has built-in rack rails and cooling. Salamander has a few that score high on the WAF but are pretty darn functional too. Win-win. They also have some that are like full size vertical racks, but you can leave in the room, or next door without having to look like industrial racks like mine. Just looks like a nice piece of furniture. Personally, I like Middle Atlantic the most, but I might go Salamander on my next one due to more limited space in my next house.

 

[Montucky]

The rack rolls so if I need to get to something I just pull it out of the closet. It's nice having things away from tiny hands that like the pretty lights...

So true. Pullout racks are the bomb when you don't have a room the rack's open to on the back side. Also nice to be able to lock it all up away from the kids (or drunk guests).

 

[2channel lover]

So I just finished installing four ceiling speakers for a future Atmos set up. Before I run the wires I was thinking about moving all my equipment to a closet that is about 8ft to the left of my TV. Rerouting the speaker wire shouldn't be too difficult seeing its easy to get to thru my attic (surrounds). I will also need to purchase a new remote and an HDMI cable that is about 30ft, not sure if that would pose any problems. Still not convinced its worth the effort. Looking forward to your opinions.

Unless you have kids or pets that might not co-exists well with your AV equipment, the benefits will probably be more cosmetic than anything. I have an HVAC closet maybe 8 ft from where my components are and I have several amps. I've thought twice about having just one audio rack out with the pre/pro, sources, and cable box....it looks okay with two AV racks so I never pursued it.

 

[Ras777]

Very nice Mtrycrafs! Have you ever had any ventilation issues? What kind of remote do you use? I am currently looking at the Harmony Elite. I can definitely see the utility of your cabinet since it keeps it all aesthetically pleasing in your living room. I have a dedicated theater in my bonus room above my garage so it's not as critical. I am considering going to projection in the next couple of years and that is my main concern with the current configuration. Tried to upload a pic but it keeps saying the file is too large. Any ideas?

 

[Montucky]

What kind of remote do you use? I am currently looking at the Harmony Elite.

Just my personal opinion here, but if I were to have my equipment in a remote location, I'd instead be looking at more control options. RTI's my personal favorite, but I've also come to like ProControl since it's more budget oriented and does a LOT of what we need. Others seem to like Control4, some like Savant. Just depends on your needs and preferences.

This is my current rig: https://www.rticorp.com/products/wireless-interfaces/t2x-universal-controller.html
Paired with a rack-mounted processor, this thing is pretty darn versatile and has proven 100% bomber. Plus, I really, really like two-way feedback. Far spendier than Harmony when it's all said and done, though.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Very nice Mtrycrafs! Have you ever had any ventilation issues? What kind of remote do you use? I am currently looking at the Harmony Elite. I can definitely see the utility of your cabinet since it keeps it all aesthetically pleasing in your living room. I have a dedicated theater in my bonus room above my garage so it's not as critical. I am considering going to projection in the next couple of years and that is my main concern with the current configuration. Tried to upload a pic but it keeps saying the file is too large. Any ideas?

Well, I have 2 or 3 holes on top into a larger space. Have two large holes on the back at each amp shelf for wires. The amps got a bit warm but survived for many years. Then, I saw the fans in the picture posted here by another a while back and decided to get one for each amp section. Now I have to shut one door and the other adjar as the fan while super quiet when hand held, not so on top of the amp even with foam under the feet. Amps are now cold.

My present Onkyo receiver acts as a processor only. Its remot is a learning remote so I use it for most command; light, projector lift, BD, and processor.

ps. if the cabinet is on the wall with TV/screen, the component lights might interfere.

 

[panteragstk]

Just my personal opinion here, but if I were to have my equipment in a remote location, I'd instead be looking at more control options. RTI's my personal favorite, but I've also come to like ProControl since it's more budget oriented and does a LOT of what we need. Others seem to like Control4, some like Savant. Just depends on your needs and preferences.

This is my current rig: https://www.rticorp.com/products/wireless-interfaces/t2x-universal-controller.html
Paired with a rack-mounted processor, this thing is pretty darn versatile and has proven 100% bomber. Plus, I really, really like two-way feedback. Far spendier than Harmony when it's all said and done, though.

Those look nice, but I've never been a fan of anything that a dealer has to set up for me. I want to be able to make changes myself and I have an automation back end that controls the Harmony and will do much more than the remote and hub are capable of alone.

If I had to go with a purchased dealer type solution control4 has quite a lot of product support from what I can tell.

My brother used to install Savant and control4 and both have their limitations, but are very well regarded.

 

[Montucky]

Those look nice, but I've never been a fan of anything that a dealer has to set up for me. I want to be able to make changes myself and I have an automation back end that controls the Harmony and will do much more than the remote and hub are capable of alone.

I totally get that. That was my beef with them until I became a dealer myself. Haha. How is URC these days? Those always seemed to be a pretty powerful solution for the DIY kinda person. I've run across many of them in the field though and they've proven flimsy and problematic for me. I wonder if they've improved since those older models.

I really do wish there more [good] control options for people who like to do things themselves.

 

[panteragstk]

I totally get that. That was my beef with them until I became a dealer myself. Haha. How is URC these days? Those always seemed to be a pretty powerful solution for the DIY kinda person. I've run across many of them in the field though and they've proven flimsy and problematic for me. I wonder if they've improved since those older models.

I really do wish there more [good] control options for people who like to do things themselves.

Agreed. I've never used URC just because the remotes have TONS of buttons. I don't need that. Basic remotes that are very clear work great for me and the wife. If I can hand it to her and she gets it without instruction, I win.

URC does seem to have very powerful remotes, but they don't seem to be as popular as they once were.