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REVIEW
AV FURNITURE
HEAD
STANDS THAT DELIVER...
INTRO
If your AV system is about to collapse into a heap on the
floor then it’s time you did something about it. Rick Maybury has been dusting
off his woodwork and metal work O-Levels, getting to grips with some home-assembly
AV furniture
COPY
If you’re one of those really well organised people, with a
professionally designed home cinema system, meticulously planned from the
ground up, to integrate with and compliment your lifestyle and listening
environment, then you need trouble yourself no further with this article.
Bye-bye.
Well, that’s him gone, smug bastard (can I say that...?).
If, on the other hand, like the rest of us, your AV system consists of a
teetering stack of boxes hiding a rat’s nest of cables, you should seriously
consider sorting it all out, before gravity takes its inevitable toll. The
simplest way to do that is to reassemble the system in some kind of enclosure
or racking system. Apart from looking a lot neater it makes it easier to add or
remove components and isolate faults, should anything go wrong. You might even
notice some improvement in performance.
AV furniture, like the more other sort, comes in a huge
assortment of shapes, sizes, styles and of course prices. The basic choices are
the same though, you can pop down to your local furniture warehouse and pick up
off the peg products and home-assembly kits for a few quid, or spend a small
fortune on craftsman-built pieces that will outlive you and your system.
However, we’re mostly interested in what lies between those two extremes, and
that includes the better flat-pack designs, and purpose-made assemblies from
the hi-fi specialists.
During the research for this feature we spoke to a number of
specialist AV dealers up and down the country, seeking their views on custom
installations. Almost without exception they told us that the market for people
willing and able to spend upwards of twenty-five grand on bespoke AV furniture
is actually very small, and not getting any larger. Moreover, according to one
disgruntled South London dealer, those who have the money to spend on this type
of system tend to be more interested in
looks than performance. This contrasts starkly with the US experience, where
there’s even a monthly magazine, called AV interiors, devoted to the
topic!
The concept of AV furniture clearly has a long way to go in
the British psyche, but it’s something we’re going to have to get used to as we
attach ever more devices to our TVs. Eventually, one day, AV systems will come
packed inside one black box but until then it’s prudent to adopt a flexible
approach. Rather than buy something that will suit your present system needs
think about the future, with enclosures that have the room, or the capacity to
expand.
These days a typical AV set-up consists of a large-screen
TV, VCR, satellite tuner and AV amp, it may also include hi-fi components, like
tape and CD decks, and maybe a laserdisc or digital video disc player. If the
system has a surround-sound processor there should be space for a centre-front
speaker, close to the screen. Even a modest system will involve a lot of wires
and cables, so think carefully where they’re going, open-backed shelves are
clearly better in that respect.
Rigidity is a major consideration, and this is one area
where the design of AV furniture can have an impact on performance, not to
mention safety. A fully grown home cinema TV can weigh in at over 50 kgs, so
it’s no good trying to stuff a 33-inch telly into a lightweight wall storage
unit, designed for ornaments and vases of flowers. Ideally shelves or racks
should be level and in firm contact with the floor, not just floating on the shagpile.
If the frame or the shelves are not sufficiently well insulated they can
transmit vibrations from speakers and sub-woofers to audio and video
components, and that will affect picture and sound quality.
We’ve put together (literally...) a selection of six
mid-priced AV units that should give you a fair idea of what’s available. Use
them as a starting point, but in the end you’re on your own when it comes to
the aesthetics of AV furniture. Much depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
If you want to draw attention to your system then big, bold and brightly
coloured racks or stacks will do the job; the Italian GM Accessori units (pictured
here??) should give you something to think about! If, on the other hand you’re
interested in a more discrete approach then consider furniture which blends in
with its surroundings, or possibly even fully enclosed units that keep the
boxes out of sight.
REVIEWS
ALPHASON AV24/17S
Alphason produce modular AV shelving systems, based around
tubular steel pillars and smoothly curved MDF shelves. The configuration we’ve
been looking at comprises a wide two-shelf unit with a TV turntable bolted to
the top. It’s sold in flat-pack form and comes supplied with a pair of spanners
plus trims and shelf separators. Assembly takes around 15 to 20 minutes; the
pillars, end-caps and shelves all have to be carefully slotted together using
threaded steel rods. It can be quite fiddly and it’s a good idea to have a
helper. Once all the bolts have been tightened the structure feels reasonably
secure. A set of plastic caps cover the unsightly top-bolts, they’re not very
pretty either, and could get in the way of components placed alongside the TV
on the top. It’s an open backed design, so there’s no problems with cables and
wires.
The turntable is an excellent idea though its position is
fixed at one end, which may be inconvenient for some installations. It’s sturdy
enough to take big-screen sets, and it moves easily, a little too easily in
fact. It could do with some sort of brake or lock, especially if there are kids
around, who seem to find it irresistible. The quality of the finish is very
good and it has no sharp corners or edges. The design is plain and unobtrusive
so it should fit in easily with most furnishing styles.
Make/model Alphason AV24/17S AV Base Module
Typical price £229.95
Dimensions 1270 x 580 x 395 mm
Contact Alphason Designs Ltd., Moss
Industrial Estate, St Helens Road, Leigh, Lancashire WN7 3PT. Telephone (01942)
678000
Aesthetics ****
Build quality ****
Ease of assembly ***
Upgradability ***
Value for money 78%
APOLLO ARIA
If you want a modular AV racking system that can double up as
industrial scaffolding, then look no further than the Apollo Aria, this is a
serious piece of ironmongery! The design is based around a series of
interlocking, cross-braced platforms or frames, that link together both vertically
and horizontally, so, in theory, it can be as high and wide as the room, and
your budget permit. Basic units come in three sizes, 455, 600 and 800 mm wide
by 455 mm deep. Add-on frames stack on top of the base assembly, they’re held
together by threaded rods inside metal link tubes. The tubes come in a range of
sizes, so it’s possible to create shelves of varying depth. The shelves are
made of toughened glass or MDF board, they sit on small rubber pads dotted
around the frame. Purpose-designed CD and video storage draws can be slotted
between the frames. Units are normally supplied with adjustable spiked feet,
though castors can be fitted instead.
Assembly is quick and simple, a spanner is all that’s needed
to tighten the bolts, to make the structure rock-solid. The frames and link
tubes are made entirely of steel, the black textured finish looks good and it
should be durable. Strength is simply not an issue, Aria has been grossly over-engineered
and can easily support the heaviest TVs as the load is evenly distributed to
the pillars through the cross bracing. In spite of that it’s not in the least overpowering,
and won’t appear out of place in contemporary or traditional interiors.
Make/model Apollo Aria Modular System
Typical price System shown £395.25
Dimensions 455 x 800 x 900 mm
Contact Zenith Crown Ltd., Tipton Rd,
Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 4SQ. Telephone 0121-520 5070
Aesthetics ****
Build quality *****
Ease of assembly ****
Upgradability *****
Value for money 85%
DEXION SPEEDFRAME
Yes Dexion, the metal shelf people, they too might have a
solution for your AV furnishing problems. In fact their traditional angle-frame
shelving is periodically trendy, and can certainly do the job in hand
exceedingly well. However, we’ve been trying out their ‘Speedframe’ system,
originally designed for displays in shops, offices and exhibitions, it can also
be used to make tough-looking AV system racks and enclosures for the home.
Speedframe is based around lengths of straight and curved square-section alloy
tubes, with slot-together joints. The permutations are almost endless.
Techniform, their South London distributors assembled the parts for a simple
three shelf AV rack, but it could be almost any size or shape. Tubes and
shelves can be cut to length, just tell them what you need.
It goes together very easily, no special tools are required,
just a large soft-faced mallet; once everything is locked into place it’s
incredibly strong, and very heavy! It’s infinitely expandable too, and there’s
numerous options for adding solid or glazed panels, doors, suspended brackets
for shelves, even component bins -- a handy place to store tapes and CDs? It’s
relatively cheap; tubes, joining blocks and panels are available in a range of
colours and finishes, though the somewhat stark and largely angular shapes may
not suit softer interior styles.
Make/model Dexion Speedframe
Typical price AV rack shown approximately £123
Dimensions that’s up to you!
Contact Dexion Ltd., Maylands Avenue, Hemel
Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7DF. (01442) 217145. Thanks to: Techniform Ltd,
0171-703 0481
Aesthetics ***
Build quality ****
Ease of assembly *****
Upgradability *****
Value for money 85%
IKEA LACK
The Scandinavian
furniture giant have a well-earned reputation for the design and quality
of their products. Their latest 1996 catalogue contains a couple of dozen
consoles, racking systems and modular enclosures, in wood, fibre-board and
metal, it’s well worth a browse, whatever your system requirements, decor or
budget. We’ve been looking at Lack (all
of their stuff has wacky names..), a simple and stylish low-level TV storage made
from black lacquered MDF. The top shelf is wide enough for the largest TVs, and
the shelf-space below has plenty of room for a VCR, sat tuner, AV amp and
bookshelf speakers. There’s a cut-out on the back panel for cables. Top tip: get
the mains leads though first as the hole only just big enough for a 3-pin plug.
It’s flat-packed, with all of the small parts neatly bagged,
it even comes with an Allen key wrench, the only tool you have to supply is a
large cross-head screwdriver. The instructions are a model of clarity, it went
together really easily; one person can do it, two people are even better though,
as some of the pieces are quite heavy. Assembly took around 15 minutes, no
parts were missing, and amazingly, nothing left over. The standard of construction
is good, it feels quite rigid, though a third set of castors in the middle
might be a good idea, to spread the weight more evenly, especially if it’s to
support the weight of a really large TV. Functional, sturdy and capable of
blending in with almost any type of decor. By the way, Ikea stores also sell great
meatballs...
Make/model Lack TV storage unit
Typical price £54
Dimensions 1250 x 430 x 460 mm
Contact HQ: Ikea Brent Park, 2 Drury Way,
North Circular Road, London NW10 OTH. Telephone 0181-208 5600 (stores nation-wide)
Aesthetics ****
Build quality ****
Ease of assembly *****
Upgradability ***
Meatballs *****
Value for money 80%
PIVOLTELLI GEM PLUS,
ZIRCON and CORAL
If you haven’t got any room left on the floor for your AV
system, then why not hang it on the wall? Guernsey-based Pivotelli produce
high-grade video and audio component wall-mounts, widely used in commercial,
educational and industrial applications, but they’re just as useful around the
home. We’ve chosen three units from their extensive range: Gem Plus TV support;
Zircon VCR bracket, and Coral speaker mounts. This sort of set-up would be
ideal for simpler systems (a Dolby Pro Logic TV and VCR etc.). Together they
cost around £100, which compares quite favourably with more traditional forms
of AV furniture.
The mounts are fabricated from steel and alloy, they look as
though they’re built to last. Each one comes with it own heavy-duty fixing kit
and surprisingly easy to follow instructions. Gem Plus can hold up to 80kgs,
which is more than sufficient for most large-screen TVs, though bear in mind
the load is transferred to the wall, so make sure it can take it! The mounting
plate can turn through 90 degrees, and tilt through 10 degrees, to adjust the
viewing angle. The Zircon support bolts to the underside of the GEM. It’s big
enough to take the largest VCRs, and like the GEM, the cables can be routed out
of sight, inside the mounting brackets. Coral speaker brackets can easily hold
quite large enclosures, weighing up to up to 20kgs, and once again the mounting
plate is adjustable. A big-screen TV
and a pair of chunky speakers halfway up the living-room wall is quite a sight,
not terribly elegant, but it could be the solution to a lot of problems.
Make/model Pivotelli AV System Supports
Typical price Gem Plus £43.95, Zircon £25.95,
Coral £29.95
Dimensions Gem Plus: 540 x 500 x 250; Zircon
accommodates VCRs up to 480 x 140 mm, Coral accommodates speaker widths 155 to
260 mm
Contact Pivotelli, Church Road Street,
Guernsey, Channel Islands GY2 4LW. (01481) 46818. UK Distributor: BANDRIDGE
LTD, Premiere House, 18 Deer Park Road, Wimbledon, London SW1 3TU.
Telephone 0181-543 3633
Aesthetics ***
Build quality *****
Ease of assembly ***
Upgradability ***
Value for money 80%
SOUNDSTYLE X-305
The X305 is part of a large range of Soundstyle tables and
racks from Goldring Products. They’re available in seven different colours
(symphony grey, opus green, classic black, concert blue, sonata blue rock red
and harmony grey), the red is really eye-catching. The strong welded metal
frames are supplied ready built, though it’s still necessary to fit the end
caps, castors (or adjustable spike feet), and little rubber pads for the tinted
toughened glass (or MDF fibreboard) shelves. The rubber thingummys are a real
pain, the holes are far too small, it took us nearly half and hour to get them
all in...
Otherwise the design is imposing, moreover the quality of
the finish is very good. The spiked feet are sharp enough to penetrate
deep-pile carpet, to put the structure in solid contact with floorboards
beneath; mind out if you’ve got parquet floors, though. The top shelf is large (and strong) enough
for a 33-inch TV. The shelves underneath are spaced at 16 cm and 25 cm with
plenty of room for a VCR and large AV amp or satellite tuner. Unfortunately the
shelves are fixed, there’s no way of adding extra shelves, or combining it with
other units, though wider (and taller) tables are available, that can take an
entire AV system. Apart from the lack of flexibility this is a classic design,
simple and unfussy. Depending on the choice of finish it can be used to
compliment an existing colour scheme, or stand out, like the proverbial sore
thumb.
Make/model Soundstyle X305
Typical price £199.95
Dimensions 770 x 437 x 502 mm
Contact Goldring Products Ltd., 8 Greyfriars
Road, Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk IP32 7DX. Telephone 0284) 701101
Aesthetics ****
Build quality *****
Ease of assembly ***
Upgradability *
Value for money 80%
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Ó.
R. Maybury 1995 1409
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