My A/V rack arrived

Frraksurred

Frraksurred

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
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I've been working on my "dream system" for about a year now. I'm finally getting to the audio aspect of the journey. Most of my equipment has been perched on my desk, which I'm not too fond of, so part of my plan was to encorporate an audio/video rack:

racksvc.jpg

I didn't think to take pictures while the rack itself was going together, but here it is. A Middle Atlantic BRK-14, 14 rack space laminate rack.

rackshelf.jpg

The shelves are assembled with laser cut face plates to custom fit each component they will be masking.

rack2.jpg

Here it will sit for now, untill the new desk comes in. The top shelf will house a Marantz SR5003 (next week's purchase), the second my Sony BDP-S301 Blu-Ray Player, the third my Toshiba HD-A30 HD-DVD Player, the fourth and blank space an APC H15BLK Line Conditioner/Surge Protecter (also next week). That leaves me 3 ramaining rack spaces for whatever. I'm thinking of building a media server from some of the parts I have laying around, who knows. For now it is covered with a blank. At 26" tall it will just slide under the new desk. That I'll probably have to drive to Illinios to pick up, since the shipping would be ridiculous. Regardless, things are starting to come together and I'm getting excited. I had to share it with somebody who wouldn't look at me like I've got a motherboard growing out of my head. :D

By the way, this is the rest of the system in its current state. Ikea corner desk and 5.1 Axiom speakers with HSU sub are yet to come:

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Wow that looks wonderful! I am jealous. :rolleyes:

Just ordered a HSU myself (the jr one). Looking forward to it arriving soon. Axiom 5.1 sounds very nice? Which monitors did you order, the M22s? Whats going to be powering the Axioms? Possibly Emotivas or Rotels? Just wondering since both companies make rack mountable amps.
 
Zenshi: I think he said that a Marantz sr5003 will be powering them.. :p

OP: Looks pretty awesome!

PS: You're the only left handed person I've seen who actually uses their mouse on the left side.
 
Ah thanks! My bad for having missed that. :p

If I had a setup like that, I probably would just live there. :D
 
Thanks all for the compliments, it has definitely been a labor of love.

Yes I will be using the M22's for the fronts, their VP100 v2 for center and then the M2's for surrounds. Looking at HSU's VTF-1 for the sub. I'll put some mopads under LCR's and find some stands for the rears. Input is definitely welcome. I've never heard the Axioms; I am going off recommendations and reviews. That said, for the money they seem to be a well received speaker.


dark_phantom36 said:
OP: Looks pretty awesome!

PS: You're the only left handed person I've seen who actually uses their mouse on the left side.
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Thank you! And I've noticed that myself. The few lefties I know still use their mouse on the right side. Such denial. :p

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Zenshi said:
If I had a setup like that, I probably would just live there. :D
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When I'm not at work or hanging out with my kids, I basically do. LOL! By the way, I'd LOVE to throw a Rotel into this mix. I'm just forcing myself to stay within a certain budget. If and when I ever build a dedicated home theatre, that might be a different story. ;)
 
Minor update:

rackalmost.jpg


Marantz is in and everything assembled but the media server (blank spot). Now if I only had some speakers, lol. (next purchase)
 
I love this audio rack. Looks very nice.

Now from reading your post, it sounds like this was a custom order. I assume you had to provide custom measurements to the vendor and they cut the face plates before shipping?

I love how clean everything looks with this rack.
 
Man, the way the Marantz is set in there is sick!!! Nice stuff man, get those speakers going !!!
 
Canon said:
Now from reading your post, it sounds like this was a custom order. I assume you had to provide custom measurements to the vendor and they cut the face plates before shipping?
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That is actually the reason I choose Middle Atlantic for the rack. One of their services is laser cut faceplates to match your equipment. All you have to do is provide them with the brand and model of your components when you order the respective shelves. Obviously it is more expensive then the shelf would be by itself, but they do excellent work making it more then worth it in the end.

Thanks for the compliments all. I'm excited to get the speakers as well. I'll have more pics then.
 
How much does an end-to-end solution like this cost? Including the faceplates, etc.
 
Fryguy8 said:
How much does an end-to-end solution like this cost? Including the faceplates, etc.
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A 14 space laminate rack (BRK-14), 1 space vented blank, 4 space shelf with lasered faceplate, 2 - 2 space shelves with lasered faceplates and one 3 space blank with all the needed hardware cost me a hair over $500 plus shipping. The faceplates made up for about half the expense. This was the least expensive I could make it and still get what I wanted. You can see several variations of Middle Atlantic's racks here. They are widely considered one of the best in the business. There are less expensive options out there, but you lose the faceplates and some other amenities. Depending on what you're after however, that may not be an issue.

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Once again, thanks for all the compliments. :)
 
did you order it direct from middleatlantic or what? Is there an online distributor?
 
Middle Atlantic makes awesome stuff. I do pro sound work and their racks and accessories are second to none. They do not sell direct, you need to go through a dealer.
 
Sorry for dragging this thread back from the dead but I had a question. I was wondering if the rack came with shelves or if those had to be purchased separately?
 
I had to purchase those separately. They do make generic shelves that fit whatever, but if you want the faceplates, then the shelf has to fit the component that will be sitting on it. For example, the receiver uses a 4U shelf, where the players only needed 2U shelves.

Sorry for getting to your question so late, didn't notice your reply until now.
 
Thank you. That is what I needed. I don't have enough money to spend on the custom face plates, but that rack looks great. I will be getting one for myself in the near future.
 
My pleasure. I sent you a PM with more details, let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
 
Not at all. I have a 1U vent above the receiver and the whole back is open. So long as you don't confine the whole thing in a small space it breaths well enough. If things do get warm they sell an optional rear mounted plate with two 120's on it (or you could just fab your own).
 
Sorry to drag this thread up again. I had no idea when I posted this thread how many questions I would get, and continue to get, regarding this rack. :)

Consequently I have updated the OP with several links to help me easier answer questions.

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While I'm at it, here is an updated shot of the whole system prior to a round of BF2 (the 1.5 patch is creating quite the revival, wo0t!):



The most notable audio addition are the Sennheiser HD-595 cans, which I love.

Anyway, as you were. :D
 
It's setups like these that get me in trouble with the fiancee...

That rack looks very nice. You should put it where the fridge is and move the beer elsewhere, looks to dorm like!
 
Atech said:
I hate to ask..but why are your speakers placed wrong?
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Because at the time I had no choice. Maybe read the rest of the thread before you reply. ;)

Thanks for the link regardless.

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ryken said:
It's setups like these that get me in trouble with the fiancee...

That rack looks very nice. You should put it where the fridge is and move the beer elsewhere, looks to dorm like!
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LOL! Yes, considering I'm divorced I think I've lived first-hand what you mean. :p Hang onto the wife, she's definitely more valuable.

By the way, the rack was intended to go under the desk, but it is too deep to fit. There is bracing that get's in the way. That will be fixed with a new desk, but as I'm currently house shopping, I've decided to wait and see what kind of dimensions I'll have to work with. In the meantime it makes a good location for the fridge (no beer, sorry :cool: ).

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doox00 said:
have a link to that desk?
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Another question I get asked a lot, lol. Unfortunately no. The desk is about 9 years old and I cannot find it anymore. I bought it at Staples (O'Sullivan) but they do not seem to make it anymore, sorry.


Thanks for the compliments all.
 
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