BASIC : Cons of components in hall closet (?) (1 Viewer)

[Les_B]

Forgive me, BASIC question from a 2-channel stereo geek
moving into the 20th century...

New home construction, w/ dedicated HT room. Plasma,
w/ 7.1 surround (in-walls).

QUESTION: As a bachelor, I was accustomed to proudly displaying my gear in a rack within the room. Now, my wife wants ALL components hidden in a large hall closet (directly behind the wall on which the screen will reside).

I've read posts from guys putting their gear in closets, but I have "knowledgeable" friends that claim that it will drive me CRAZY in the long run if I don't have the gear in the HT room where I can readily see the displays.

What is the downside of locating your gear in a closet?

Thanks much in advance....

 

[Chris Hovanic]

Heat.

On screen display is a must for volume levels ect.

IR control - unless u invest in a good repeater system like Niles or Xantech. (Im looking into the Xantech)

I have seen theaters that are super clean (all gear in a closet) and Ive seen them proudly displed in the room. Either will work great depending on your preference.

If there are going to be little fingers around the closet is a great way to protect your gear.

Also think about how easy it is to get to the closet to change DVD's.

Hope that helps.

 

[Doug_H]

I like having my equipment in the closet. My room set up sound close to yours with the closet sharing a wall with the screen.

I opened up the back of the closet and had a smoked glass frame built with hinges so I can see the displays from the seats and still have the clean look in the room. My GF really likes the look of this and I have the best of both worlds. I can see my displays and have easy access to all connections via the closet door.

This also made running connections around the room much easier ( If you live in a ranch style house or are on the second floor)because you can cut a decent size access panel in the ceiling and run everything through the attic and into the walls.

I have never had a heat problem and when I built the shelving I made sure there was plenty of room. I did consider this problem however and if I needed to I would have hooked up a small fan that either could be operated by remote or would come on when the receiver was on.

Good luck

 

[TimForman]

Since it's new construction I hope you have the option of providing adequate ventilation and easy access to the inputs and cables. There's nothing worse than having to pull stuff out just to plug in a cable.

 

[Drew Eckhardt]

You can't see the volume readout, so if you're running a front projection setup you might want a monitor for the OSD. Otherwise, there are no disadvantages.