Professor.Ham.Slap Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Hey, I'm working on building planning my basement home theater and I need to decide on what rack(s) I need to buy so I can lay out the final dimensions. I have two questions for everyone. 1)Does anybody know of a good place/website to purchase in-wall audio racks for a home theater room? 2)Is there much of a difference between rack models/companies such as features I should look for (cooling etc)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Give Worthington Distribution a call. Their website (www.worthingtondistribution.com) is a little difficult to navigate. Ask them to send you a catalog. I think they carry those cool racks that pull out of the wall. They also have a bunch of other stuff that is useful for these types of projects at much better prices than most. For example, I bought a Leviton Decora X-10-compatible wall dimmer switch that EVERYONE else had for about $80 for $45 from them. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelstano Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Sorry I am so stupid, but I'm not sure what you mean by "in-wall" racks. That you might mean "fixed shelves" caused me to write. I have a "rack" in the wall (actually in a closet in the wall) that has no back access. This is REALLY a pain when it comes to adding or repairing a piece of equipment--everything has to be taken out and reinserted layer-by-layer. I urge you to learn from my bad design (actually, it was this way when we bought the house). Try Middle Atlantic Products for racks and accessories. My plan was to expand the opening of my closet and get a rack on casters so that everything could be rolled out for work. If the industrial look bothers you, you could put removeable trim pieces (a picture frame of sorts) all the way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 http://www.redrosemusic.com/new_site/custom.html Is this the kind of thing you're thinking about? $$$$$$$ click on 'click here' next to the 3rd picture down, and then you'll get another window up, with a slide show player in it. Red Rose doesn't actually make that rack, but I know you can get it somewhere else other than Red Rose. I just ran across it the other day but for the life of me I can't remember where. If I do, I'll post the link here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted April 11, 2003 Share Posted April 11, 2003 LOL, guess my memory isn't that bad after all. Middle Atlantic Products. But it looks like Michael (above)had it right in the first place. http://www.middleatlantic.com/ Parts Express carry's/catalogs Middle Atlantic's products. http://www.partsexpress.com/ http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=262-605&DID=7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor.Ham.Slap Posted April 12, 2003 Author Share Posted April 12, 2003 Thanks for all the help. Those were what I was looking for... now to get back to designing the overall layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 here is the middle atlantic information you need... http://www.middleatlantic.com/enclosure/roll/srsr.htm just specify the number of rack spaces that you need...12 to 24 spaces..(1 space = 1.75 inches) i work for the largest distributor for middle atlantic products in the united states!!!! we mainly sell to dealers and contractors but we also offer sales to the general public... give me a call between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. central time..... the srsr racks can usually ship within 4 to 5 days.... aei electronics 1-800-328-0270 (p.s....we are lower in cost than parts express) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 Michaelstano, A friend of mine in Memphis bought an old house that he began fixing up. He had a front room with a door off the living room. To the right was a door into an inner hallway, a fireplace and a bookcase on the left of the fireplace. He and his dad put all of his audio gear on the bookcase. I told him he should have built matching shelves on the right side, removing the door and providing rear access to the gear from the hallway. It was one of those headslappers. trying to get behind gear to work on it is really a pain. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelstano Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 Marvel, Amen to "really a pain." The architech designed this house for himself. He didn't want to be able to see down the sides of his equipment, so the cabinet has a 16" opening. As a result, one can't just slide equipment in, it has to be tilted (note: multiple disk CD/DVD players with disks in them don't like this) or turned sideways . If the bottom piece of equipment needs work, all on top of it has to be removed layer by layer. Even holding the cords up out of the way is a pain. (Wish I could take a decent picture of this, but, despite a good camera and flash, I can't get any details of black gear to show.) Had this architech had a brain, he would have done as you suggested and put an access panel behind, which was possible given what is behind the cabinet. Although I have ideas for remaking the cabinet (enlarge the door, install a side or rear access panel), doing so will be no minor undertaking, and it exceeds my ability/patience. To further complicate matters, the house has vaulted ceilings and solid floors, which has made running wire for around-the-house speakers (tried wireless--not satisfactory) and HT speakers next to impossible. I have used lots of wire mold. Past the problems with gear access, my biggest problem is the HT wiring that runs from the gear closet across 3 feet of quarry tile before it drops down 2 feet to the living room and begins to connect up. A friend wants to drill through the vertical tile wall and through the stem wall behind it, wants to drill through the slab floor inside the gear closet, and hook the two holes up via 2" pipe so my wires can run "underground." That scares the bejunior out of me. Moral: IF YOU ARE BUILDING, ALLOW FOR FUTURE TECHNOLOGY, AND BUILD IN FLEXIBILITY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 Darth Attached is an old pic of my built in rack. It is framed with the room. wires go through holes and are behind the back wall. Very clean looking and inexpensive. Just make sure your shelves are 450MM or 18" wide for newer components. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 michaelstano.... your problem illustrates the problem with fixed in-wall racks.... the middle atlantic solution with the sliding rack that pulls out and rotates solves the problems and makes a very clean installation.... see the link above for details..... i have sold racks from hammond, atlas-sound, winston, el-kay, and middle atlantic. the middle atlantic racks are by far the best in finish and detail. they also are usually 10 to 20 percent lower in cost than the comparable racks in the other brands. check out the the middle atlantic website... www.middleatlantic.com call me if you have any questions.... aei electronics 1-800-328-0270 8 to 4:30 central time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelstano Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Russ, Rest assured, your information is recorded where I can get to it the minute I have the courage to swing the wrecking ball! I had looked for "pro" racks for some time before finding Middle Atlantic--not sure if I found the site because of a posting somewhere, or if it was the result of a search. I have entertained the idea of getting one or two Middle Atlantic fan panels--given the "box" my gear is in, I have become increasingly worried about heat build up. I can't, however, vent out the top the way MA advises, and I can't figure out how, without a rack, I could mount the fan panels. Any ideas? I have also wondered, and I'm sure the answer is there if I look, about shelves for racks. That is, where on a rack do I put all my gear that doesn't have rack "ears"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 michael, fan question..... how much room do you have behind your components?....i have my dual fan panel mounted just behind and slightly above my pioneer eleite receiver..(it runs very hot)....i do have a middle atlantic slim 5 rack so i have rear rails to mount the fan panel.... the fan panel like almost all of the pro rack gear available mounts on 19" centers...if you don't have rack rails it can be mounted on a piece of wood....also....mount it with the fans blowing air out of your rack....mine blows air out the back of my rack..... a neat option is the new thermostatic fan control that turns the fans on and off depending upon the temperature in your rack...(you can also set the temperature when the fans come on)....the coolest thing is that they come on only as fast as necessary....in other words, as the initial temp is reached the fans come on at 30 volts....if the temperature continues to rise the voltage is increased up to 120 volts....this gives you several benefits...first, you have much lower fan noise because the blades are moving much slower...secondly, the fans continue to operate after you turn off your system...there is no residual heat buildup in your components.... remember, heat is one of the biggest reasons that electronic equipment breaks down and fails..... i am using the quiet fan panel....i started off with a quiet fan setup and now it is almost inaudible.... shelf question..... in my 29 space rack, i only have 3 units that came with rack ears...everything else sits on a shelf... middle atlantic offers shelves from 1 space to 6 spaces...(each rack space equals 1.75 inches) if you want to get real fancy, middle atlantic also offers custom rack shelves to make your consumer equipment look like pro gear...they cut a face plate that totally surrounds each piece of equipment so there are no gaps and it looks like your equipment is all pro gear..... spend some time browsing the middle atlantic website.... www.middleatlantic.com i work at an electronics distributor and the majority of my customers are dealers, contractors, and installers.....i also sell to the general public....i have sold racks and rack equipment from atlas-soundolier, hammond, winsted, and elkay.... the middle atlantic products are much higher quality with a better finish and usually 20 to 50 percent lower in cost than the competition.....just yesterday i quoted an atlas 3 space drawer for a dealer customer because it was listed in a specification...i also quoted the equivalent 3 space drawer in the middle atlantic line....the middle atlantic part was only half the cost of the atlas part.... for me...i don't care what i sell...i can sell it all....but, the best product for the lowest cost really makes it easy to sell!!! our small company....AEI electronics...is the largest independent distributor of middle atlantic products in north america!!! (we only have 15 employees) consequently we get very good rates on freight from middle atlantic...freight becomes a huge issue when you are shipping large steel racks!!!! i'll match my pricing against anyone out there!!!...i know for a fact that are prices are lower than parts express..... on delivery...we have over half of the middle atlantic line in stock and can ship the same day you order...on non-stock parts, it usually takes 4 to 5 days for the product to arrive at your location... (sorry for the long ramble...) give me a call if you have any questions.....i do know the line as well as many other pro audio lines....last year i personally sold over $1 million in product....(at the wholesale level) 1-800-328-0270 aei electronics 8 - 4:30 p.m. central time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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