Entertainment Centers (Wood) (1 Viewer)

[Robert_B]

We are in the process of doing some home remodeling... We have replaced ALL flooring. In the den (AKA: "Home Theater Room") we now have hardwood floors (Cherry)... Yes, I know that carpeting would be best in terms of audio, yet my wife has wanted the hardwood stuff for many years and I agreed to work around this issue.
We need to select a traditional looking (wood) wall-unit type entertainment center and I need your suggestions to help us to select the best unit for our needs.
Our needs... I was originally looking for a unit to house a large direct view set (36" 4:3 or 34 to 38" 16:9) since our viewing distance will be 8-10 feet or less on the couch and will be 6-7 feet from an odd angel while sitting in the most bodacious chair... The problem is that the nice wall-unit type entertainment centers do not cater much to the direct view crowd nor do they seem to allow for 16:9 direct view sets... So, I am seriously considering the larger RPTV only so that we can have it fit more nicely into the entertainment centers and if we upgrade from a big screen tv to a big screen tv in the future we may not have to change that expensive piece of furniture.
Anyway, I need your recommendations on brands and models to be considered. If you have one, please tell me what TV you have in it, etc...
Here are some of our needs:
-Equipment Area (Large). We want to house many components such as: DVD Player; DV/VHS Player; VHS Player; HDTV Reciever; Audio Amp/Reciever; DBS Satellite Receiver; APC UPS Power Conditioner; etc... Also, as a plus, I would like to house the center channel speaker and maybe the front l/r speakers as well. Note: I don't want to compromise the placement of the speakers or the access or look of the equipment rack... Also, I have some concerns about the equipment (especially the amp/reciever) getting to hot in such furniture. Do any of these entertainment centers have a fan system or some other way to ventilate the components?
-Classy looking, wood, piece of furniture that hides the messy aspects of a HT system... Note: it is okay to have the TV exposed.... Yet, if there are doors to hide the TV thay most retract COMPLETELY from a radical side view...
Some of the manufacturers that we have looked at are:
-Lexington (Bob TimberLake)
-Bassett (Chris Madden)
We have not found what we are looking for yet. Can you help???
Thanks!!!
-robert
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[Gus Serrano]

Robert Have it custom built!!!
get about 3 bids , 1st draft out some plans how you want it to look like then just talk to all the cabinet makers in your town
I am having mine made next month out of cherry
and I am going to stain it myself

 

[Frederick_Falk]

See if you can find a store called "Neil's Unfinished Furniture" as they have exactly what you want. At least I have the same setup as you and was able to find the perfect match from them. They will sell the furniture unfinished so you can do it yourself or they will finish it for you at an additional cost. If you like, I can send you pictures of my setup.
My TV stand is currently holding a Sony KV-36XBR400 they weighs in at over 235 pounds. It is wide enough to hold a 4:3 set up to 40 inches or a 16:9 set up to 38 inches (on diagonal) as I believe the actual width of the bottom cabinet is 44 inches. However, this model comes in four different widths. They have matching tower cabinets for electronics and arches to connect the towers. They also have a swivel base that can be placed on top of the TV stand so you can swivel the TV as an additional accessory. However, we chose not to use it as our TV weighs so much.

 

[MarcJoli]

I built an Entertainment Wall out of cheaper Oak cabinets from Home Depot.
It's 12 feet long and has enough room for my big-screen tv, all my AV equipement, a mini bar, a mini fridge, and lots of extra storage for movies, CD's, games, etc...
I used standard oak kitchen cabinets but cut off the bottom 3 inches so that they sit right on the carpet instead of being raised like they would be in a kitchen. Total cost for the units, including stain, varnish, and miscelaneous hardware and trim was $650, and it only took a weekend to put together. It looks way more expensive!
For the IR remotes to work with the equipment, I cut the plywood out of the door on the large equipment cabinet, and replaced it with smoke colored plexiglass.
My neighbor liked it so much, he built one of his own!
Marc

 

[Michael Mathius]

Checkout mine. I got it from Rooms To Go. I spent over four months looking for one I liked.
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Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry.

3EMS Hometheater

 

[Kerry Hackney]

Robert,
I'll second the vote to have it built. Take measurements of your existing equipment and plan for future expansion. Visit some cabinet makers and see what you can get for the money. I bet you'll be surprised to find it pretty competitive with the mass-market stuff. Check out the unit I built for a 36" direct view on my site, maybe it will give you an idea... I have under $600 in materials in it.