Audio Racks....??? (1 Viewer)

[Cam McFarland]

I am looking for a decent Audio Rack. TV is bigscreen, so
dont need to support it.
I DO need to support my receiver which weighs ~65#, though.
I wanted something enclosed to help keep out dust, I plan
on some kind of fan set-up to keep things cool.

I have done a few net searches, but dont really find much that strikes my fancy.

Can anybody point me in the right direction?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Hate the be the bearer of bad news Cam, but you’re chasing your tail there. Unless you have some kind of filtration system, you’ll generate a lot more dust with forced-air cooling than you’d get with an open cabinet.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Cam McFarland]

I follow what you are saying, but if the cabinet is closed,
the only time there is a dust problem is when the fan is on. The only time the fan is on is when the receiver is in use. The receiver is only in use ~5-8 hrs week.

This is opposed to being open 24-7.

What do you think now?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I think I’ve had a lot of dust since I put in cooling fans! We use our system pretty heavily, though.

That would only be relevant for the time that the A/C is on. Remember, “forced air.”

Ultimately how bad the dust problem is will depend on a number of factors:

• How air-tight your interior is to the outside or attic.
• How much you use your A/C.
• How effectively it’s filtered.
• How much your use your system.
• How much air the fan moves.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Cam McFarland]

You might be right at your house, lol.


Dust problem at our house is horrible.

Instead of 30 days, I change my filters every 14 & they look like they were there for 3 months.

I just intend to keep it closed up while not in use, then open the doors & turn a fan on while its playing.

I couldnt imagine it having anywhere near the the amount of dust I KNOW it will have if left exposed.

 

[Cam McFarland]

I could always use the filters used on my aquariums air supply to cut down on dust.
I was thinking about one of those systems from a thread yesterday.

here

 

[Cam McFarland]

After looking through these choices, what about[this?

Instead of blowing air in...it pulls the air out?

 

[Philip>L]

But unless you're creating an absolute vacuum, air has to get into the cabinet somehow to replace the air that you're blowing out. Most likely it's drawn in past the edges of the door.

You don't say how much you want to spend, but my search for an enclosed cabinet (to keep the pets away from the hi-fi) lead me here:

http://www.diamondcase.com/Main_Menu.HTML

I ended up with a Theater Tech TT-200 which can be seen in the photo:

[url=http://www.lafonds.net/albums/Epos/P5100012.thumb.jpg]

Click for larger picture[/url]

This cabinet has factory installed cooling fans, perforated shelves for air flow, and a "chimney" in the back that provides space for cable management as well as air movement throughout the cabinet. Many of the other cabinets I found had shelves that went all the way to the back...

 

[Cam McFarland]

LOL, I was thinking about that maybe 2 mins. after I posted....you are absolutely right.

 

[Pus Suchre]

Cam, there are recent threads on fans in both Receivers/Separates/Amps as well as the DIY Advanced groups.

I would be very interested in what you find. My own situation is less than wonderfull. I have a TV stand that I cut the back out of. So when my HK 7200 is in it- about 7 inches of the beast is hanging out the back (which is what my ex-cat got).

The receiver stays cool enough I think- but it is a very inelegant set up.

I haven't been able to really find anything that will support the beast (it is a big hugger) that I like or that is in my price range- about $200.

I would prefer an open rack, but I would still be interested in what you find.

Cheers!

-Pus

 

[Bob McElfresh]

My advice:

- Put the reciever on the bottom shelf. This gives the heat someplace to flow (up).

Install 3" or 4" muffin fans with filters to blow air into the cabinent. The filters will help cut down the dust:

http://www.xoxide.com/lascutfangri.html
http://www.nexfan.com/fanguca.html
http://www.coolpc.com.au/catalog/ind...?cPath=126_141
http://umaxpc.com/store/product_info...roducts_id/187
http://www.hardcorecooling.us/index....ROD&ProdID=163

I would suggest the foam filters, buy extras, but they are washable for when they get clogged. Or just the vac hose. (Note: Some people use dryer sheats as cheap, disposable filters.)

You can buy 120 v AC fans from Radio Shack or 12 Volt DC Fans. Some people have bought the universal "Battery Eliminator" from Radio Shack and provided 10/8 volts to their fans to slow them down so they dont make noise.

With the custom PC craze, you can get "Fan Controllers" that have temperature sensors to turn the fans on only when a sensor gets too warm:

http://www.hardcorecooling.us/index....S&Category=301

http://www.xoxide.com/5fanco1.html

 

[Shane Martin]

I bought an open rack because the closed racks I've seen and my friends have tried didn't do a good job of keeping the dust out so I decided I'd just do the dusting myself.

I bought some swiffers and that problem is done. It makes dusting a fast deal and I do it every couple of weeks. My house is just as bad as yours with regards to dust.

I ended up with a Studiotech rack with 5 sheves for $300 delivered from Racksandstands.com

They are extremely good to deal with and extremely fast.

 

[Pus Suchre]

That's a good link Shane. The Studiotech racks look pretty nice. I will have to peruse their selection. The HK 7200s are VERY long- 20.5". The Studiotech rack is also 20.5" deep. Not sure if that will work- not much room for all the wires sticking out. I'm going to check it out closer later today.

Thanks for the link!

-Pus

 

[Shane Martin]

The one I bought has a nice wire management system. I know my Sony 444es is rather deep too and I'm having no problems with the depth. Oddly(but i'm fine with) the rack seemed to come directly from Studiotech in California. It arrived 3 days faster than the tracking # indicated. The 5 shelf rack is STURDY. It even comes with spikes and some flat feet as well depending on what surface you are putting the rack on.

from me.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

"The world has no way to clean itself. That is why there is so much dust".

 

[Cam McFarland]

I dont know if dusting the outside will help enough. I opened up my computer to the change the vid card about 6 months ago, & there was litterally 1/4" of dust (or more) inside. :frowning:

seems kinda funny, since I paid ~500.00 for the tire warmers I use on my race bike, lol. Everything either needs to be hot or cold......


I am just now going to check out the links, thanks.

 

[Philip>L]

That's because dust gets sucked in by the cooling fan and then gets trapped in the nooks and crannies (Thomas: please don't sue me). The enclosed rack I have does get dust in it, but the swiffer solution keeps it from building up.

 

[Cam McFarland]

?????????????

This some kind of inside joke.......:b

 

[Philip>L]

Thomas' English Muffins. With all the talk here of everyone suing everyone else over trademark infringements I didn't want Thomas to sue me over the use of the term "nooks and crannies."

 

[CarlP]

Can't I escape work???
you crack me up Philip, I'm an independant distributor for Thomas' products. I would hope my company wouldn't go after you.