# Furniture / stands for A/V components



## number 5 (Sep 9, 2009)

What sort of furniture do you all use to hold your A/V equipment? What do you like or not like about it? What would you change? 

I'm using a sturdy, heavy, 62 inch long by 32 inch high by 21 inch deep oak entertainment center. It has drawers in the center where I keep CDs. The drawers are almost a third of the cabinet width. It has component shelves and a glass front door on either side of the drawers. It's definitely sturdy enough for a heavy TV like my 58 inch plasma, but I have the TV bracket-mounted to the wall above the cabinet. I keep my center speaker, STB, and turntable on top right now. 

I like the cabinet and I have plenty of room for components in it, or at least I would if I cleared out the half that I'm using for storage, but I was thinking about buying something new that would be more open and not quite as wide. 

A new rack or stand would need to accommodate an AVR, a CD player, a DVD/VHS deck, a PS3, a power conditioning unit, a cable (FIOS) STB, a turntable, and a fairly big center speaker. I'll be adding a DVR and another integrated amp for 2-channel to the mix, so I'm going to have a lot of components by the time its all complete. 

One stand that I like the looks of is this VTI BLG 503. Does anyone own one of these? Are they well made and are you happy with it? It says the legs can be filled with sand to reduce vibrations, which seems like a plus.

http://www.standsandmounts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6686

I would add another 7 inch shelf on top, which would end up making it about the same height as my current cabinet. The top shelf would be devoted to the new center speaker I am considering buying. It is 24 inches wide, and the VTI shelf is only 44 inches wide. I wouldn't be able to fit my TT on top without situating the center speaker off-center from the TV. 

My current furniture works fine, but I am also considering new front speakers that are wider than the ones I have now. They will be a little cramped on either side of the 62 inch wide oak furniture. The 44 inch width of the VTI stand will give me nine inches more space on either side to easily fit the larger and wider main speakers. I also like the appearance of the metal and glass stands like this VTI, and the fact that airflow would be improved. I think airflow is an important consideration for hot A/V equipment.

I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone about this particular stand from VTI, but also about equipment stands in general. What materials are best, are there any that should be avoided, and so forth.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I think the real important feature for an good A/V rack/stand is the ability to let the equipment breath. Proper airflow above and below receivers, PVR's and amps is a must if you want your equipment to give you a long lifespan. I personally like a rack that has open shelves that allow the air to move freely not only up and down but front and back.


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## number 5 (Sep 9, 2009)

What about material Tony? Glass shelves or wood or does it make a difference?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Thats probably more just personal taste. People who have equipment in closed racks without good airflow are just asking for issues.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Yup. I had to install some exhaust fans when I had one of those three-piece entertainment centers with glass doors.







​

Regards,
Wayne


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

A single, wide tv stand looks nice, but for my usage, I couldn't find any tall enough or with enough storage space for my components. I have to use equipment towers to each side of my tv stand plus built an additional stand below my purchased stand to make it all work. I'm pleased with the results.


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## number 5 (Sep 9, 2009)

That looks good Steve. I'd like to have separate component stands on either side, but I don't really have enough room. 

These Billy Bags stands are really nice, but unfortunately fairly pricey. 
http://www.billybags.com/index.html


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## pamela diela (Sep 17, 2009)

hi
I suggest you some home decorating tips.Personally, I would live there a little while to see how the sunlight reacts in different times of the day. After that, get the feeling that you want in each room )bedroom soothing, office energetic). From there go shopping and get an inspiration color. Bedrooms are good in blues and greens, it all depends on the mood you want to create. Don't shy away from dark colors, they look great and can be really effective in making a room feel cozy.


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## number 5 (Sep 9, 2009)

Uh... thanks, but my question was really about A/V equipment racks and stands, not room treatments.


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## akan101 (Sep 14, 2009)

I like wooden racks. Glasses rack are always on the risk of breaking up. Can anyone advice me where i could get a good rack online? Or should i make it myself? Any ideas


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## the_diyr (Sep 16, 2009)

I am thinking about using either wire shelving painted black or usin 1x1 and 2x2 lumber to build around my rptv .. I also have to lift some ST-828's off the ground about 22 inches .. One of them almost sits behind the side of the couch ...


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

akan101 said:


> I like wooden racks. Glasses rack are always on the risk of breaking up. Can anyone advice me where i could get a good rack online? Or should i make it myself? Any ideas


Lots of pages to dig through, but there are quite a few options at these vendors.


http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/Audio-Racks--C31.htm

http://www.racksandstands.com/cats/All/TV-Stands-and-Audio-Towers/Audio-Racks/0C4.htm

http://www.thefind.com/furniture/browse-bush-audio-rack

http://www.bush-furniture-online.com/Audio+Racks_Stands.html

http://www.ergoindemand.com/stereo-racks-audio-furniture.htm?cm_mmc=google-_-shopping-_-n/a-_-n/a

http://www.standsandmounts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=215


Regards.
Wayne


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## number 5 (Sep 9, 2009)

If you want to make a rack, here is a DIY one that seems simple to build and would not cost a lot. 

The TNT FleXy Table®: DIY audiophile rack

In its basic form, it exudes a sort of primitive homemade garage or workshop chic. If you read the article, you'll see that some people have used other materials besides MDF to build the shelves. But MDF is supposed to have good damping qualities. Final appearance is really up to your finishing skills. You'd probably want to scale it up a bit with beefier threaded rod for really heavy equipment. 

I thought about building one, but if I'm going to take the time to build a stand, I'd weld it from 1.5 inch OD steel pipe, then figure out a way to attach wooden shelves with some sort of isolation mount.


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