5 out of 5
There are many factors to consider when choosing your furniture, this should not be aesthetics alone. Here are a few Points to consider.
1. Is the unit going to be ergonomically correct, i.e. at the right height to experience comfortable viewing for the family.
2. Do you have small children & their safety to consider, if so should you choose a unit that has the facility to attach the screen securely. An example of this would be the BDI Arena 9970 flat panel TV mount, which allows you to secure your TV onto an integrated swivelling universal mounting bracket.
Also can the equipment be placed behind closed doors, to prevent interference of "little hands" ! Many of the new doors are infra red (IR) friendly, a great asset not only for keeping the doors securely closed but also everything can be achieved from the comfort of your sofa with a remote control.
3. An important consideration is can the unit comfortably house all of your home cinema components, such as the , Blu-Ray or DVD Player and AV Receiver does it have enough depth to allow the doors to close even with the cables in place.
4. Many manufacturers such as Spectral and BDI create units that have the ability to house speakers such as the centre channel speaker & subwoofer great for space saving, finding room & positioning the sub can be quite problematic sometimes.
5.Does the unit have a cable tidy option, allowing not only space for the cables but keeping them neat & accessible.
6. A final consideration should be keeping your equipment cool, many units have hidden ventilation, which allows your AV equipment to remain cool even with the doors closed.
Choosing Hifi Racks
Many of the factors just discussed to consider when purchasing AV furniture should also be taken into account when looking at Hifi Racks. There should be enough depth in the unit to take your Hifi separates as the overall dimensions do vary, but also components such as Amplifiers can be very large & heavy. It is therefore advisable to check the height between each shelf or have adjustable shelf heights. Also check that each shelf is capable of holding the weight of the component. Racks such as the Atacama Equinox XL Pro SE Hifi shelf, comes as a base unit, that you can add extra shelves to dependant on your needs, or many of the Optimum range is available with the option of several support rod heights.
Turntables either need to be placed on the top of the unit or in a shelf with enough height to open the lid comfortably. Hifi units are also available with cable tidy options such as many of the Atacama range.
An added optional extra for Hifi racks are spike floor protectors, the spikes are important acoustically, but can cause havoc with modern wood flooring.
Choosing Loudspeaker stands
There are several important factors to consider here, one of the most important being height . The height of the tweeter should be in line with your ear, so if you usually listen to music while sat on your sofa then ensure the height of the tweeter is at optimum listening height. Again a common practical issue is stability in relation to small children or even large pets ! Many speaker stands are produced with the ability to fill them with a product called “Atabites”, which not only improves sound but also makes the stand more stable. Many stands also have clever cable tidy solution such as Atacama aurora 6 speaker stands.
A small but effective added extra is the use of gel pads on the top plate to once again keep the speaker stable, and prevent vibration.
We hope this gives you a little food for thought and helps you to find the best furniture to suit not only your interiors, but also specifically your home cinema and Hifi furniture needs.
