Whatch'a Stor'in Your Gear On?

[Soundman]

Let me expand on my recent post and just open it up to what's on my mind today. I recently posted about a new attic HT room I'm in the process of completing. I did some work on it last night and realized that I'm going to need something new to hold all my A/V equipment on. The current setup is just difficult to work with. So, I thought I'd just go ahead and start a thread on this topic. Feel free to post pics or just describe what's worked well for you. Here's your chance to show off your rack or whatever you're using. Or just recommend products that you don't necessarily own, but would work well.
Happy posting!

 

[majorloser]

Nothing but the finest for me.

 

[MUDSHARK]

well its better than a box

 

[Soundman]

Nothing but the finest for me.

Wow! That's....uh, interesting. But not really the kind of look I had in mind.

 

[sawzalot]

Wow! That's....uh, interesting. But not really the kind of look I had in mind.

I may be mistaken but they look like the upgraded blocks.

I really like the little nooks for those special knick knacks

That album cover looks so familiar, anyone ??

 

[MUDSHARK]

Judging from the eightrack and four channel quadrophonic with what appears to be a BSR record player I would say circa 1975.

 

[Soundman]

Ok...

OK, getting back on track. Currently, I have a black cradenza style stand, but I really need to go with an A/V rack. I'll take some pictures tonight so you can see what I'm talking about and also get an idea of my current gear. I need something with good stability. Man, those Emotiva amps are heavy!

 

[MUDSHARK]

How much room do you have and how many slots are required. The amp could go on top to allow plenty of air but in an attic would a fan be required?

 

[Soundman]

How much room do you have and how many slots are required. The amp could go on top to allow plenty of air but in an attic would a fan be required?

I would prefer space for 4 or 5 slots or more. I don't think airflow will be a problem as the attic room is a finished space and has AC and a ceiling fan in it. Here's my thread on the project with some pics to give you an idea of the room I'm dealing with: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55779

 

[nibhaz]

This is a good place to check out.

Personally, I’m kind of a fan of open architecture style racks. My stands are from Sanus and they have weathered four different moves and have served me well.

Looking back though, glass shelves can become a pain in the neck to keep looking good especially if you have pets or children. So that’s something to keep in mind.

You could always go industrial like Gene.

 

[majorloser]

Okay, I'll get serious.

You may want to look at Billy Bags:
http://www.billybags.com/index.html

They have some awesome finish selections.
http://www.billybags.com/finishesfr.html

I love the cracked glass shelves

 

[sawzalot]

They are very smart looking shelves there,the glass is sweet almost a shame to cover it up.

 

[Soundman]

Okay, I'll get serious.

You may want to look at Billy Bags:
http://www.billybags.com/index.html

They have some awesome finish selections.
http://www.billybags.com/finishesfr.html

I love the cracked glass shelves

Those are pretty sweet, but a little on the pricey side.

 

[majorloser]

Billy Bags builds their stuff like tanks. Could hold up a building.
My bro-in-law has one of their larger stands. Weighs a ton.
That 6-shelf model weighs 120 pounds.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Racksandstands.com has a great selection of different racks available to suit your needs and budget, and SalamanderDesigns.com has some stuff that's a bit more expensive, but can be pretty well customized.

I personally use stuff from www.middleatlantic.com then have it in my basement. Though, I've done really nice versions faced into walls and trimmed out.

The reality seems to be that a good rack is expensive, and cheap racks are... cheap.

The best way to get at your gear is to actually be able to get to your gear. This means you need rear access to it no matter what rack you have. An open rack design away from the wall can work, or putting the gear in another room and facing it into your room (or not), or getting a rack with heavy duty casters to allow you to swing it out also works.

Tons of options, but if it is your place that you own, getting creative and coming up with some outside-the-box solutions may be worth considering.

 

[Soundman]

Racksandstands.com has a great selection of different racks available to suit your needs and budget, and SalamanderDesigns.com has some stuff that's a bit more expensive, but can be pretty well customized.

I personally use stuff from www.middleatlantic.com then have it in my basement. Though, I've done really nice versions faced into walls and trimmed out.

The reality seems to be that a good rack is expensive, and cheap racks are... cheap.

The best way to get at your gear is to actually be able to get to your gear. This means you need rear access to it no matter what rack you have. An open rack design away from the wall can work, or putting the gear in another room and facing it into your room (or not), or getting a rack with heavy duty casters to allow you to swing it out also works.

Tons of options, but if it is your place that you own, getting creative and coming up with some outside-the-box solutions may be worth considering.

Thanks for the suggestions. The main issue is of course to find a great rack that is durable, structurally stable, has an attractive design, ease of use, etc, for a reasonable price. Maybe I'm expecting too much. I suppose the bigger the budget, the better the end product will be. But I wasn't planning on dropping a couple grand on a rack! It's hard to justify spending as much on the rack as the eqipment being housed in it. I thought maybe there were some good, affordable ones out there. Buying an A/V rack can be a challenge b/c the price doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story . It's difficult to tell what you are getting until you get it home and began using it. I am very familiar with sites such as www.racksandstands.com but again, it's difficult to tell what you are really getting.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I think one of the hardest parts is that you really need to define a type of rack you are looking for. Simply saying "I want a rack" is like saying "I need a vehicle" - You could get 1,000 ideas for different cars, but you really want a boat.

Take some photos and show some links to things you like and match your room nicely. From there, you might get some more specific ideas for things which match and work nicely in your space.

For example...
http://www.racksandstands.com/Wood-Technology-AR-28-O-WT0293.html

That's what I use. I am very happy with the hardwood construction as it is CRAZY strong. The depth of the cabinet is kind of weak. I mounted Middle Atlantic rack rail inside the rack so I can rack mount my gear (nice), and the wheels are sturdy and give me back access, but don't work well on carpet.

Most of all, the glass front keeps my kids hands off the gear (mostly). It's not to bad for them to get by the door, but they know they aren't supposed to, and it's not super easy for them to get by.

The downside? Clearly, it's not one of the most stylish racks, but it is available in black, or it could be finished to a slightly different color if wanted. I'm very happy with it. I wish it were a bit wider, and a lot deeper, but really - overall I'm really happy.

Yet, if this isn't at all what you are looking for, then that entire description is kind of going to waste.

 

[jostenmeat]

I use these, studio tech modular. $199 shipped. I opted not to use the very bottom posts, and screwed those little feet right into the bottom shelf. Looks better, and I feel better about (with much effort) sliding the entire rack on the carpet when I need to. I also opted not to use the wire mgmt backs for max ventilation. Modular = some sort of future proofing. Posts come in three lengths I believe, but only two different lengths are supplied IIRC.

I bought two, and split them up to make a short one and a tall one. Small one for stereo, big one for HT.

The only thing I think could be better designed, somehow, is so that I don't have to remove everything (in order to flip it upside down) when I want to add or subtract a rack. At least the flexibility is there still.

 

[Soundman]

I think one of the hardest parts is that you really need to define a type of rack you are looking for. Simply saying "I want a rack" is like saying "I need a vehicle" - You could get 1,000 ideas for different cars, but you really want a boat.

Take some photos and show some links to things you like and match your room nicely. From there, you might get some more specific ideas for things which match and work nicely in your space.

For example...
http://www.racksandstands.com/Wood-Technology-AR-28-O-WT0293.html

That's what I use. I am very happy with the hardwood construction as it is CRAZY strong. The depth of the cabinet is kind of weak. I mounted Middle Atlantic rack rail inside the rack so I can rack mount my gear (nice), and the wheels are sturdy and give me back access, but don't work well on carpet.

Most of all, the glass front keeps my kids hands off the gear (mostly). It's not to bad for them to get by the door, but they know they aren't supposed to, and it's not super easy for them to get by.

The downside? Clearly, it's not one of the most stylish racks, but it is available in black, or it could be finished to a slightly different color if wanted. I'm very happy with it. I wish it were a bit wider, and a lot deeper, but really - overall I'm really happy.

Yet, if this isn't at all what you are looking for, then that entire description is kind of going to waste.

You are right about that. I hadn't really specified my style or preferred taste. I'm glad your setup is working out for you. I'll post some more specifics of what I'm doing later when I have time, but for now, this is kind of the style I had in mind. I'm looking for either a black or silver look:

 

[Soundman]

Update

OK, I figured it was time to post some more information of why I'm wanting to go with an AV rack. First, the TV cradenza I am currently using was not designed to house the amount of weight I have in it, nor does it fit properly (I made some slight modifications). Also, my long term goal for this project is to eventually install a projector on the back wall, making an AV rack pretty much essential. And lastly, I have some major cable management issues. The current setup is very difficult to work with if I ever need to change anything. I like being able to go back there from time time and tweak things etc, and right now it's an absolute nightmare! Here's some pics. This should be pretty self explanatory:

As you can see, this is a royal pain to work with. I'm looking for something that would meet the needs I mentioned, at least 4 shelves capable of holding 60-100lbs with ease (2 shelves need to be able to safely hold 100lbs). I was also hoping to keep this under $400 if possible.