where do you buy a professional rack? (1 Viewer)

[Tom_Price]

I am putting in a dedicated HT room and I am going to put an actual projection booth in the back where all the equipment will be. I am looking for a professional grade rack to mount all of my equipment and wanted to know if anyone has any recommendations for good places to look. I don't want anything outrageously expensive.

Thanks,
TJ

 

[MarkMel]

www.partsexpress.com

you can get just the rails and fasten them into a cabinet.

 

[Phil A]

Besides Parts Express (which is excellent), places like milestek.com and others carry them.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Tom,

Don’t know what your flavor of “outrageously expensive” is, but a free-standing steel professional-grade rack from a company like Middle Atlantic will set you back at least $800, depending on the size you need. If you can get by with something light-duty, the budget models made from MDF that Parts Express sells should do fine.

Either way, you’ll probably need rack shelves unless your gear is rack-mountable, and you can expect them to set you back $25 – 50 a pop. Needless to say, going with rack mounting can get pricey.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Leo Kerr]

On the other hand, those Middle Atlantic racks are very nice racks. Avoid Winstead.

And if you don't mind the extra cost, the wheel-sets for the Middle Atlantic racks are also very nice.

(we've got close to 30 MA racks at work and don't regret them at all... pulling out the Winsteads was pure agony. 64 bolts to remove to disassemble one.)

If you've a nice cabinet, you can also get the rack-mount screw-rails (drilled & tapped) from MA, too... and their recent versions have 'rack space' numbers and brackets printed on them... very convenient, I might add.

Leo Kerr
[email protected]


addenda: there are so many times I think I'm walking on the border of breaking the 'rules of engagement' about where I work... one of these days I'm gonna have to find out real guidance on what I really can or shouldn't say... :b

 

[Phil A]

Yes the Middle Atlantic stuff is not cheap, but they also sell media storage units (e.g. DVDs, CDs, Cassettes) that can be stuck in a 19 inch rack. I just finished the basement and while I did not buy a rack, I bought some of the media storage units and recessed them into the wall at appropriate spots and framed around them with wood moulding so if I take a bunch of things from my mains system upstairs, I don't have to figure out where to temporarily stick them.