Fraser Veitch

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $150.00 from Audiotronic

Summary:
I bought 2 of these to flank my Sony KV-34XBR800 television and I couldn't be happier. Easy to build and very sturdy, with an open, modern look (without being trendy). The wire management system in the spine is more than enough - I'm running a full 5.1 home theater system ,with HDTV, off of one of these units (the other houses my stereo system & CD burner). A final caveat: while the 4 (non-adjustable) shelves will hold the weight of most components, their depth leaves a little something to be desired. You've got about 16" of useable shelf before you hit the spine - not enough space for alot of home theater receivers on the market today (it was probably designed for entry level systems anyway). My advice: measure first and if everything looks good, order yours today.

Strengths:
Open design, durable & strong, built in wire management system.

Weaknesses:
Shelving depth. Only thing preventing a perfect score.

Similar Products Used:
Box store 'entertainment center'.

Price Paid:  $110.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
Stylish, inexpensive, VERY easy to assemble, and VERY sturdy. 4 (non-adjustable) shelves, cable-routing, did I say inexpensive? Probably the easiest piece of furniture I ever assembled. I wanted something vaguely modern, but relatively unobtrusive. Circuit City matched a reasonable online price.

Strengths:
Attractive, stable, easy assembly.

Weaknesses:
May not have enough cable-routing space for a complete home theater set-up. I am using it solely for stereo.

Similar Products Used:
Old boxy audio cabinets w/ glass doors that always looked smudged.

Price Paid:  $155.00 from consumer-direct

Summary:
This stand is great. It assembled in 15 minutes and is as solid as a rock. It must weight close to 75 lbs. I tilted the rack to determine how far it would have to be pushed to tip over and it was amazing. The black finish is very nice and it looks like a much more expensive rack. Even the cable system works well. If you want to put your money into components and not the stand, this is the one.

Strengths:
Price, weight, sturdiness, finish, looks

Weaknesses:
Back panel that hides cords is 1/4" cardboard - would have been better if wood