This is the cheape$$st stand I could find, as well as the most attractive. The assembly was kind of a pain, but well worth the effort. The stand is rigid, and just looks FABULOUS. I cringed at paying $40 for the spikes, but I'm glad I added them. I have the black finish, and some of the shelves were marked up when we pulled it out of the box, but it's very hard to notice the blemishes.
Wear gloves when you assemble it, or the protective oil film on the metal will get all over your clothes and your room.

I will buy another Salamander when it comes time for another stand. I love it.

Bought a floor model Arch-5 in cherry from a local dealer. The finish is superb, the adjustability is infinite, overall looks are very sharp. It can blend well with many decors. I agree that initial set-up is a pain, but I look forward to adding another Arch 5 and a bridge in the future to house my TV and AV collection. Compared to my discount-store pine AV rack of old (which still supports my TV), my audio showed immediate improvement in clarity. I also like the dark wood finishes.

Very happy with my new Archetype. Finish on the wood(Natural Cherry)is very nice. Endless Flexibility makes it the only stand you can totally customize. I bought archetype 5, 3, and a twin platform and couple of extra single shelves. Dealer in SC gave me a 20% discount and shipped it for free. It is also extremely sturdy.

I purchased an Archetype Twin 40 and a 3.0 (all in black) about a month ago. This is probably the best looking rack in this price range. Took us a while to assemble it. It's a very solid rack. Love the design.

Bought from AudioAdvisor with tv platform, wheels, & cable mgmt system.Overall, an excellent value, infinitely adjustable, solid, and attractive. Easy to assemble. Though you maybe able to buy all the part involved at Home Depot for $75, I felt it was easier to just buy it for $250 and stay away from machine shop tools.
Highly Recommended

I ordered the Archetype 3 through Cambridge Soundworks and assembled it myself. I agree with others that it takes a bit of time to put together, although the instructions are clear and all the necessary tools are included. It is not difficult to assemble - I've put together items such as bike racks and gas grills that have been much more difficult. I found the ability to "infinitely" vary the height of the shelving useful and easy to do, especially with the included leveling device. I am quite pleased with it's overall appearance and sturdiness of construction. The cherry wood is very nice & I would recommend it over the painted black. My componentry fits perfectly and looks great on this rack. One caveat - this is a very "functional" rack. Those who are expecting a "furniture-grade" appearance that will coordinate well with your Ethan Allen decor might be disappointed. Otherwise it's an outstanding product & I would recommend it highly.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NEED NEW METAL PARTSI bought 5.0 with TV stand 1/98 and after a few months all metal parts were
rusting (not much thought). Since those parts has "gun blue" finish which was same as my Titleist putter (believe it or not), I simply cleaned it with some baby oil. Nevertheless, it was a hassle (just like assembling) to clean all those parts. Somewhat pissed off, called the company and got a new set of metal parts (not the metal poles, though).

Good for the value, though. Spent too much on components so I had to settle for less. No vibration (with spikes) and I like the flexibility of the system.

Excellent product with a great range of accessories.

Very solid and great quality. The cherry looks fabulous.

They do take some time to put together, but the functionality and looks
more than make up for it.

Only minor point is that the Bridge is made out of chip board and the finish is
has chipped where it connects to the main unit. This chipping is hidden when
the unit is constructed though.

All in all an excelent and well thoughtout quality product.

If you have high taste with furniture, better see it before you buy it. The 4 black threaded steel rods just looks:cheap. You need to spend sometime to assemble it as everyone else described before. Turning 36 nuts along those rods and get your hands dirty has no fun if you don't like it and need to repeat the same job to disassemble it.
The threaded steel rods provide the feature of adjusting shelf height without limitation but I don't think it is a must-be feature. They make the whole thing lost its style.

Audiowise, I think it serve its purpose.

After upgrading my audio equipment I decided it was high time to give it a home that it deserved. The rack needed to be functional and look good as well. Since my spouse and I liked cherry wood, we chose the Salamander Archetype stands in Natural Cherry. I have to say, this is one SOLID stand!! Each shelf is 3/4 in. thick. The legs are threaded steel rods and each corner of a shelf is secured with a neoprene washer/metal washer/large nut on the top and bottom. Once put together, the shelf system comes in at ~55lbs and is very sturdy. I was able to place a 27 in. TV on the top. The rack comes with a wrench and level (nice touch!). I also found a tape measure helpful. This is one heck of a rack. It looks nice and is solid, too.