The Best AV Racks for Your Home Theater Setup

Most home owners want to enjoy movies in a good quality and with good sound. Thus, they install home theaters in their sitting rooms. However, home theaters can be bulky and occupy a lot of space in a room.

Since a home theater is a common case for modern dwellers, manufacturers offer ergonomic multi-layer racks for compact accommodation of an audio-visual system. In the article, we’re going to describe the best audio racks and highlight their benefits.

Why Choose an AV Rack for Your Home Theater?

Although it’s possible to accommodate a home theater without specialized furniture, more and more house owners give preference to AV cabinets. They choose this furniture due to the following benefits:

1. Space ergonomics. Being equipment for narrow specialization, AV racks come as an excellent solution for home application since they guarantee perfect space allocation and neat ergonomics with easy access to components. The issue of effective space allocation is especially relevant for houses because space is limited due to small areas. In this regard, it’s essential to distribute devices compactly to achieve better space ergonomics.
2. Improved acoustics. Proper equipment positioning allows the sound to be distributed effectively and correctly, which improves the quality of audio and visual broadcasting.
3. Effective heat distribution. Proper equipment positioning further contributes to effective heat removal, which decreases the risk of hardware failure.
4. The possibility to accommodate different types of equipment. AV racks are designed specifically for such purposes, allowing users to house such devices as AV receivers, players, projectors, amplifiers, media players, and other components.

These benefits determine a high demand for AV cabinets and racks for home application. Equipment is guaranteed to be safe and function properly, while the room space is neat and organized.

Top AV Racks for Home Theater

Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of models, so consumers can pick a suitable option for any demand and interior. Still, the following models are considered to be the best AV rack for home theater:

1. 18U 24″ Depth Wall Mount 19″ Enclosure SRW 18.600. It’s a spacious cabinet, the width and depth of which is 24 inches and the height is 18U. It has a glass front door and weigh 77 lbs. The enclosure has 2 shelves, 4 flexible feet, and is equipped with 2 brush cable entries, a fan slot, and 1 PDU, which allows for creating a single infrastructure with an optimal environment. The model is designed for fastening to vertical surfaces, which allows for freeing the floor space.
2. 18U 24” Depth (24″x24″x35″) Wall Mount 19″ Enclosure SRW 18.600 G. This model is 24-inch deep and 18U high, while its weight is 94.8 lbs. The enclosure has 2 shelves for equipment accommodation, a slot for fan installation, 2 brush cable entries, and 1PDU. The model is suitable for hanging to the wall, which simplifies space organization. The product is equipped with a full pack of fixtures to guarantee proper and reliable mounting.
3. 18U 24″ Depth Wall Mount 19″ MESH Enclosure SYSRACKS SRW 18.600M. It’s another popular model for home use and AV system accommodation. Its size is 24 inches in depth and width and 18U in height. The rack weighs 64 lbs and comes as a compact solution for home installation to walls and vertical surfaces. Designed specifically for this purpose, the rack is equipped with a full pack of rails, shelves, and fixtures to house home theater’s components.

The listed models are the leading ones on the market. Many customers give preference to such products because they combine comfort, spaciousness, and ease of maintenance. However, it’s possible to pick a suitable model for any demand and system requirements.

Tips for Choosing the Right AV Rack

Dozens of models are offered on the market nowadays. Customers can easily get lost in the variety of products. This is why it’s essential to understand the algorithm for selecting an appropriate model. To find the best AV cabinets, make sure to consider the following criteria:

1. Rack size. First of all, make sure that your AV theater fits a potential model. Racks are designed to accommodate various systems, so manufacturers produce a wide range of models to satisfy the demands of all customers. Thus, they have different dimensions. This parameter is the first one to assess since you should be sure that the selected model is spacious enough to house all the devices and ensure a comfortable environment for hardware functioning. Check the height, depth, and width of components to be accommodated and compare dimensions with the rack size.
2. Number of components. Count how many components you need to accommodate. Make a list of devices and think about a layout for their accommodation in the rack.
3. Ventilation needs. Think if your system needs forced ventilation. If it’s necessary to install fans, consider models with specialized slots for fans. Upon necessity, think about the use of alternative ventilation methods.
4. Cable management. Check what slots are provided for cable routing. Make sure that the provided space is enough to wire all the needed cords.
5. Aesthetic preference. Finally, evaluate if the rack design matches your interior. The rack should match a general room design and look appealing to dwellers.

Once you choose a suitable rack, it’s advisable to create a 3D layout to visualize how devices will be placed in the rack. This step helps evaluate if the rack model is chosen correctly, namely, assess its capacity and size.

Note that the stage of picking a suitable rack model is essential to ensure equipment durability and smooth operation. Thus, do not skip this step and approach selection responsively. The success of choosing a correct AV rack affects the service life of devices.

To draw the line of the article, note that the AV rack is an essential element of a home theater setup. It performs both functional and aesthetical functions, organizing the space, improving acoustics, and enhancing aesthetic appeal. Remember that the right choice of rack not only saves time, but also improves the usability and longevity of the equipment, which is why this stage requires consideration and attention.