Component stands

[RobertKruz]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a place on the Internet where I could order nice, affordable system stands. I need something compact for about 3-4 components that has an open design. Any suggestions? I've already tried IKEA and such but I can't find anything that isn't really big, closed off, or just plain ugly.

Robert

[N. Abstentia]

I got mine at www.audioadvisor.com

[92135011]

Whatever you do...dont go Ikea...
Donno if its ugly, but the fact is that Ikea stuff is CHEAP (quality)

They use some light fiberboards that bend readily and are shaky.
I got an ikea bookshelf and it sways left to right just with a tap
Girlfriend got an ikea desk - she broke the drawers many times.


Only thing that impressed me was an ikea floorstanding lamp for only $18cdn.

[Woochifer]

Try http://www.racksandstands.com

or you can directly visit some of the manufacuturer's sites:

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com
http://www.sanus.com

However, I will add that a lot of AV furniture can look impressive in a photo and downright cheap in person. Might want to check and see what your local audio store carries. If price is a concern, then see if you're willing to forego stuff like adjustable shelving, drawer options, expandability, and the extra refinement and build quality that you see on more expensive units.

IKEA has a lot of good inexpensive modular wood systems (I would avoid a lot of their particle board cheapies because the shelving won't support a receiver, but a lot of their higher end and natural wood lines could work), but the dimensions of the shelving are typically too big or too small for audio equipment (for receivers especially, a lot of them are not nearly deep enough to accommodate both the unit and the maze of cables in back).

[JoeJr]

Most A/V furniture is built for look's.Most racks do not provide adequate ventilation space,cable managing.I got so frustrated looking for a rack to handle my gear,That I ended up,Drawing and designing a rack to my specifications and having a cabinet maker built me one.I designed it,keeping in mind future upgrades.
One never stops the Audio upgrade madness!

[RobertKruz]

Oh I totally hear you. Now I'm faced with either paying lots for shipping (I live in Canada) or breaking out the paper and pencil. Its funny all I want is something simple, sturdy and that looks half decent. You'd think that would be easy to find.

Robert

-thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to check out those sites

[lumiere]

Oh I totally hear you. Now I'm faced with either paying lots for shipping (I live in Canada) or breaking out the paper and pencil. Its funny all I want is something simple, sturdy and that looks half decent. You'd think that would be easy to find.

Robert

-thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to check out those sites
If you are in to doing it yourself, here's a link: http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html.
I built mine and it's great.

[nightflier]

I purchased a solid wood TV stand from Ikea and it was very wobbly, even though I followed their instructions to the letter. I don't know who does quality control for these guys, but I imagine they have quite a few returns on furniture. I had to add steel bracers and angle wedges to strengthen every joint. It's now strong enough, but it took a lot of work and cost a lot more than I had expected. For my audio rack, I purchased a used Sanus stand and it is rock solid but it didn't break the bank. Check out Audio Advisor for some great clearance deals.

If I can add a little advice, buy one that has one or two extra shelves. You'll eventually have a new addition that you'll want to add. I've outgrown almost every rack and have had to stack some components together.

[Worf101]

I wound up going with stuff from Audio Advisor. I wound up going with a Salamander Twin 30 set up upstairs. Very expensive but rock solid. I holds my 32 inch HDTV on top and all my components down below and it looks like the $1,000 bucks it cost. Down stairs I've an open 5 shelf rack that I bought as a demo from AA. It was a steal at 300 and came with everything and has done yoeman service for 3 years. You can pick up good deals there in there closeouts/demo listings.

Da Worfster

PS, whatever you do don't go cheap. Spend more for piece of mind. :rolleyes:

[RobertKruz]

I went with a Sanus modular shelf system. I'm sure I'll be happy when it finally arrives.

Robert

[Woochifer]

I wound up going with stuff from Audio Advisor. I wound up going with a Salamander Twin 30 set up upstairs. Very expensive but rock solid. I holds my 32 inch HDTV on top and all my components down below and it looks like the $1,000 bucks it cost. Down stairs I've an open 5 shelf rack that I bought as a demo from AA. It was a steal at 300 and came with everything and has done yoeman service for 3 years. You can pick up good deals there in there closeouts/demo listings.

Da Worfster

PS, whatever you do don't go cheap. Spend more for piece of mind. :rolleyes:

You aren't kidding about the Salamander modular systems! Definitely expensive, but it does not look cheap and all of the add-ons that you can attach to those systems is first quality (e.g. the drawers have a load capacity of 100 lbs. and I believe it). With the number of components I use, I needed something with adjustable shelves, and this is one of the few options that has both flexibility and durability. And they are very high on the WAF, although my Christmas season expenditure for a Salamander audio rack pretty much took me out of budget range for a HDTV (wife wants a flat panel anyway). My only gripe about the rack is that it is a pain in the butt to put together, and if you want to add a door later on, you have to basically disassemble the whole thing to install the door brackets. (I bought the starter unit in October and got the door, side panels, and extension unit in December) Once you get the doors installed, it looks great and the perforated screen allows you to use remote controls even with the door closed.

I plan get one of their plasma mounts along with a Twin rack unit similar to yours when I get around to upgrading my TV. It has enough vertical clearance for the center speaker, and with some of the add-on drawers, I can store a lot of additional CDs and DVDs.

http://members.aol.com/sfwooch/images/rackopen.jpg