Audio Racks! Will I Kill My Gear Without One?! (1 Viewer)

[Adam_Reiter]

I just wanted to upload a couple of pics of my equipment for you guys to check out. Now, obviously it looks far from the best, but it is satifying the wife by being able to be concealed in the armoure(sp?) and out of sight whenever she doesnt want to look at a bunch of electronics.

My concern is, does having all of these components sitting ontop of each other pose a risk of shortening the life of them? I am wondering how much damage it might cause on a daily basis being stacked together like that. I told my wife that out of concern for the equipment, they might have to be moved to rack.

So, how important is it that these move to a rack? I am sure the sound might improve being seperated on their own shelves, but, will it hurt them in any way to sit like they are in the pictures?

Please ignore the wires on the wall as they are just temp. They were tacked up just to get them out of the way. We also just moved in so please excuse the lack of decor as well. Thanx guys.

 

[Eujin]

Egads. I would not put your Anthem pre/pro on top of your Aragon amp. You need some airflow between components to allow them to cool. What if you put the Norh CD-1 on top of the Anthem, which would go where the Norh is right now? Then put your DVD player on top of the Aragon. You can use hockey pucks under the feet of the DVD player to create some space between the two. The Xbox could go on top of the CD-1. Good luck!

 

[Eujin]

On second thought, tell your wife it's a major fire hazard and get a nice rack instead!

Sorry, not a big fan of armoires--your speakers probably don't approve of them either.

 

[Adam_Reiter]

Hockey pucks? Hmmm, good idea, but would make it look really aweful, I think. The Aragon Stage One is always in pics sitting right on top of the Aragon 2007. Why should it be any different for the Anthem AVM-20? Thanx for the comments tho.

 

[chung_sotheby]

Well, a lot of companies show their preamps on top of their amps, but anybody who has had experience with seperates knows that a pre should never rest right on top of an amp. The reason why the pre and the amp are always shown on top of each other is rather practical in an advertising sense, as the photographer and the company want to show as much or the product on a one sheet as possible. Also, if you read any amp or preamp manuals, they all state that there should be some sort of clearance above the amplifier.
As for hockey pucks, I did this once, and it did look pretty doo doo. If you want to add clearance between your amp and your preamp, and you have a hacksaw, you could get a single 2 or 3 inch diameter chrome closet rod, saw it into 6" pieces, cover the sharp edges with some sort of rubberized surface, and use these to prop up your Anthem. Just a thought.
Also, it's probably not a good idea to have your amp inside a confined space for airflow reasons.

 

[Eujin]

I just suggested hockey pucks as a cheap way of creating some space. Depending on where you use them under a given component's chassis, they don't necessarily have to be seen either. Not a bad stop-gap for under $10.

 

[Chas_T]

Adam,

That setup looks a bit precarious as the AVM-20 should not be sitting on top of that amp. Also, if you close the doors, that also could create problems in the future when your system is powered up.

The space there is pretty tight. When you think about it, you have about $7000 worth of equipment in there. It's worth the added expense to invest in a rack of some sort.

If there are no other options, it might be wise to cut some holes in the back and put some exhaust fans in there after restacking the equipment. I know, your wife would just love that.

You could always stack the equipment on the floor if the WAF does not come into play for more air circulation. I went through that situation myself and used plastic 4 inch vented drain tops I picked up at Home Depot which raised the components about 3 inches after I placed them under the feet. Black in color and vented at about $2 per piece. Finally, the rack was purchased.

Also, congratulations on your new equipment selections. When that B-4 arrives, you might have to bolt your equipment to the floor to keep it from sliding!!

Much Luck,
Charles

 

[Chas_T]

The Aragon Stage One is always in pics sitting right on top of the Aragon 2007. Why should it be any different for the Anthem AVM-20?

Car manufacturers also place women in Bikini's sitting on the hood of their products. Imagine driving down the road with one of them on the hood??

I would not suggest putting the pre-pro on top of the amp.

 

[ManojM]

One of the great problems with electronic equipment, and even speakers, when placed in general living areas is the wife acceptance factor. I share the same issues as my fiance is especially aesthetically inclined, and for me this issue of hiding equipment has become even more acute as I have so much here to review. One of my favorite recommendations to people in a position such as myself is to look hard at certain manufacturers that design a/v racks as furniture. One of my personal favorites is the Synergy system by Salamander Designs, and that is the rack that is going into my system (tonight as a matter of fact), and the Twin 30 has also been the choice in the systems of two of my close friends. There are others out there, but the goal of having a rack that is good for your system as well as your spouse's eyes can be achieved.
I will also second not putting anything directly on top of that amp, and I would put the processor on top of the CD player, with perhaps the smaller DVD player on top of the processor in a way that it did not completely cover the vent holes.

 

[JeremyFr]

I know the feeling of having an armoire, I would say you might want to check out good guys they have some really nice looking audio racks that would probably even look good with teh armoire. My setup isnt quite as elaborate but if you click my link in my signature you can see my armoire has an area above the TV that will hold 4 pieces of equipment and then an area below like yours that will hold 4 more. I've got all my gear up top and as you'll see my reciever has its own area, I used to have a shelf where my reciever was with the DVD player below it and the reciever on top, it left about 3 inchs of space above the reciever which I figured would not be a problem being that the doors are going to be open while I'm using it, but none the less the reciever was getting quite warm so I moved everything to the one side and took the shelf out, now the reciever has about 6 inchs of clearance and runs significantly cooler than it did before.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

HTF will also have a few deals on audio racks soon.

 

[Chuck Watwood]

Does anyone have any links to sites that sell audio racks? What is a good brand? What kind of prices are we talking about? Thanks.

 

[Scott Oliver]

Adam,
I think everything looks good except the amp. As it is I believe you night have a potential fire hazard.

Bascially you shouldn't put a piece of audio equipment that has that much electricity pulsing through it, in turn creating a good amount of heat in an enclosed area. Some receivers, lower powered amps, or more efficient amps can get away with this but not a behemoth the size of that thing.

My sugesttion would be to leave everything in there and just get an amp stand to sit the amp on the floor outside the armoire. You could get a true amp stand from any of the rack manufacturers, or some other options would be a slab of granite, a thick butcher block, or even like the top piece of those cheap IKEA side tables.

For the wife's sake maybe another plant placed next to it could draw attention off of the amp.

 

[Chas_T]

Chuck,

There are many different price levels on AV furniture. Prices can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. The biggest item to consider from my perspective is that AV furniture protects your equipment, can provide vibration control and can be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Dr. Manoj mentioned Salamander, which is an excellent manufacturer. This company is a great choice as it adds flexibility where you can add pieces as your system expands.

Personally, I own an Atlantis Reference Rack, which works well for me. You might want to start with Audio Advisor.com to get a feel for what is available. There are many different styles and designs for various decors and budgets.

Also, there are many other brands available in the marketplace. AA has decent prices, but if you shop around, you can do better and they price match with free shipping.

http://www.audioadvisor.com

http://www.dynamichometheater.com/

http://www.racksandstands.com/

Off the top of my head here are some manufacturers, but again the list is quite long.

Boltz
Billy Baggs
Sanus
Bello
Zoethecus
Atlantis

 

[Eujin]

One of my personal favorites is the Synergy system by Salamander Designs

Depending on your point of view, the Salamander Synergy system is either overpriced or priceless. In your case, it might be priceless.

Manoj is right on the money here--it's gotta be one of the best options out there for concealing equipment without causing heat-related issues.

 

[Eujin]

HTF will also have a few deals on audio racks soon.

Gabriel,

Any idea when these deals will happen or with which brands? I'm going to get a new rack soon but I'd like to know what you guys have in mind

 

[Evan S]

Armoires are not that bad for housing AV stuff, but you have to have the right one. I have 6 different pieces of equipment in mine, but I also have six distinctive shelves...one for each piece. Each unit has at least 4" clearance on top and 2" or more on the sides. He has a beautiful armoire there, unfortunately it's not suitable for AV gear.

 

[ManojM]

Let me toss in the name of a new company if you like modern designs:

www.avdecoinc.com

I really like their stuff, but I had to go with something with a modern wood look to match the decor. I also like something with doors to hide the miles of cable...
I just finished setting up a Salamander Synergy Twin 30 in maple with silver trim, maple sides, and perforted metal doors. I left the back off and with the aforementioned doors my equipment has lots of breathing room. Topped off with a custom made plasma stand that sits above the center channel and a maple Synergy media cabinet to hold CDs/DVDs, I am the most organized I have ever been...

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Any idea when these deals will happen or with which brands? I'm going to get a new rack soon but I'd like to know what you guys have in mind

Started a few hours ago. Take a look at them, and let me know if there are others you like.

 

[Mike Matheson]

Adam,

I'd really encourage trying to get some fans back there too if you'll be keeping the armoire. Something nice and quiet--maybe 120mm computer case fans? At least one blowing in, one blowing out?