Flexible set-up
Attractive looks
Sturdy
Can be set up to keep little hands out but maintain good ventilation

Instructions are adequate, but could be better

I just picked up the Synergy Twin 40 in Cherry & Black with ventilated sides and doors. It looks great, and solves my problem of keeping the little one out, without keeping the heat in. I got the perforated metal doors and sides and left the back off. (Unlike my last rack, the back isn't needed to add rigidity.) Eith the back off, and using the perforated sides, I get a sort of see-through effect. Shelf mounts are sturdy and allow you to assure that the each shelf is solidly held and leveled side-to-side and front-to-back. Salamander provides the tools you'll need to assemble the rack, even a level. If you get doors, you'll also need a Phillips screwdriver.

I'm not very handy, and I was figuring out which component to put where as I went, so it took me awhile to get it finished. But I'd do it in an hour or so if I had to do it again. One tip, be careful as you screw the posts down to the bottem. If you go too far or tilt the posts away from verticle as you screw them down, the posts can scratch the the bottom. You can screw the posts most of the way down from the top and then do the finally tightening from the bottem to avoid any scratching.

Solid, beautiful wood, excellent engineering, flexible

Price, assembly directions, vibrating side panels (See Review Summary for explanation)

Having never owned a quality rack, I searched long and hard before deciding on the Salamander Designs. I bought a Synergy 20 base with Synergy 40 extension. I recommend the cherry finish with perforated steel doors.

"Rack" does not do justice to the Synergy line of products. This is FURNITURE. My wife is a furniture designer with a discriminate eye and she gives Synergy a 5 Star Rating all the way. That explains the "price" comment above in my Weaknesses. You get what you pay for. Synergy is high quality, extremely well engineered. High end hardware. Pay less for something else and you will get less.

I only needed room to store several components and related audio gear. Headphones, CD storage case, etc. Hence only the 20/40 tower. However, have seen the bridges and other Synergy items and they are outstanding as well. Best of all, the pieces can be configured any way you want them. I cannot imagine a more flexible, adaptable system. Plus, as Synergy comes in a variety of finishes, you can adapt to any decor and color scheme. Again, Synergy should be looked at as fine furniture which stores audio equipment !!

Other reviews on this site have mentioned difficult or hard to follow directions. In part, that is true. However, in my opinion, each separate piece has perfectly clear directions. The problems occur in COMBINING pieces as each is packaged independently and with its own directions. For example, the Synergy 20 and 40 can be easily assembled with the instructions provided. But, decide to add a door (a separate item), and you get directions for the door only. The two sets of directions don't really mention that you have to do certain steps before others or you have to start over (i.e. door hinges have to go on BEFORE shelf supports in the main unit). Trust me, it's not that hard if you read everything first before diving in to the assembly.

The previous complaints about vibrating side panels are legitimate. They fit in perfectly, but have a bit of "play", hence the vibration. As my Synergy is on carpet, it dampens it some. My guess is that hardwood floors exacerbate the issue. I plan on contacting Salamander about this to see if they have a suitable solution. Speaking of carpet, if your Synergy will be located on carpet, spring for the extra $$ to get the steel casters. This stuff is HEAVY, especially after you get all your components situated. Having wheels to move it around makes life much easier.

To summarize, this is by far the best audio storage furniture around. It's not cheap RTA stuff. Beautiful and functional, with many applications. If you are proud of your audio/video system, there's no better way to show it off than with Salamander Designs products.

Note that 4 Stars in Value Rating means "Great Deal". Synergy is not a bargain, nor should it be. Invest in the best. Get Salamander.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood rack, milk crates, cinder blocks

Solid as a rock. Beautifully designed, furniture quality. Can quickly and easily adapt to changing needs. Comes with a ruler and small level - nice touches.

Set up was a nightmare - flimsy instructions. Price. Solid back.

I ordered a Synergy 40 in Maple and Black. It's absolutely beautiful and VERY sturdy. It really is furniture and should be viewed as such when purchasing. In fact, I've ordered a Fusion 450 media storage unit in Maple and Black to compliment the S40.

Set up was a real nightmare. Basically, the instructions are not too clear and the set up itself is not intuitive. However, once you've done it, it's easy and I don't anticipate any trouble with the media storage rack. I ordered my S40 without a door or sides because I wanted an "open" look and sufficient ventilation. The S40 comes with a black back which I found totally useless - there are no holes to run cables through - I wasn't intending to use it anyway, but it would have been nice if the back were more functional.

The price on this baby is steep, but you get what you pay for. I've seen nothing as nice as the Salamander products. Racks that are triple the cost don't impress me and stuff that's far less, well, there's no comparison. I'm certain you'll be happy with this product - just remember to give yourself enough time on the set up.

This rack can grow as your system grows. The Aluminum Feet are beautiful addition to any Synergy rack.

My Synergy came "damaged" from the factory. Chips on the main "particle board" shelves. The additional "internal" shelves were in perfect condition however. The product is not durable and does not seem to resist scratches very well either. I am NOT impressed with Salamander internal quality control.

Also, it would be nice to have additional options besides the standard 20, 30 and 40 extensions. How about a 5, 10, and 15? Also.. as mentioned in strengths the silver Aluminum feet are beautiful. How about making them in Brass or Gold plated? Come on Salamaneder! Some people have systems with gold accents. The same feet in brass or gold plated options would be nifty. How about that bridge?
What about a center support for wider bridges so heavier tv's could be used?

To me it seems that Salamander could do a lot to increase the flexibility of their products as well as the quality.

Overall a good rack with a "future proof" design.

Salamander charges what I'd consider to be TOO MUCH for this product given the poor quality control I experienced. Edges of the main (top and bottom) shelves were chipped, scratched and dinged. This doesn't seem to be a result of shipping since the packaging was flawless and the items were secure inside the packaging.

Again I state that Salamander charges too much for these products since they are made of low grade particle board some aluminum posts and screws. In my view this is a poor value.

Similar Products Used:

I haven't used anything "similar" since this is a modular design. Previous Audio Racks I've used include Zoethecus, Audio Magic Productions, and Billy Bags

Furniture Grade, rock solid, darn good looking!

none

I bought the S-40 and it is a great rack to look at. Don't believe the hype about assembly, this thing is a breeze to put together provided you set aside an hour or so and take your time. The directions are simple, but contain all the info you need.

I plan on expanding it to build a total ent. center eventually.

Looks good

Premium price for cheap construction and poor quality control for something you have to put together yourself.

After considering numerous alternatives, I decided to purchase the Salamander Designs Synergy system for my audio cabinet needs. I considered other racks (such as Sanus, etc.) as well as cabinets made by furniture companies (Ethan Allen, etc.). Most furniture cabinets weren't deep enough, and most racks are just plain ugly! I really liked the looks of the Salamander stuff.

Well, I just finished putting it together, adjusting the shelves, etc. So what do I think? Well, first of all, it's incomplete. I ordered 8 separate components. Two of them were damaged during manufacture, but stuffed in boxes and shipped anyway. A third component (door) was apparently damaged at some time, so they cut out a little piece of wood about 1/2" square and covered over whatever the problem was, sanded and stained it, and shipped it. The only problem is I didn't pay for factory seconds, I paid for NEW. So, I can't finish the thing until I receive the replacement components.

So what about the quality of construction? Well, the doors and bases are solid wood, but all else is fiberboard (glued-together sawdust). The sides have an extremely thin layer of wood veneer, and some kind of backing, but everything in the middle is the sawdust mixture. For the price Salamander charges, this is robbery.

How about the design? This is its strength -- its flexibility in assembly, right? Well, if you ever want to do something like add a shelf or a door, you pretty much have to take the whole dang thing apart so you can slide the door/shelf brackets down in the support rails. If you want to add something to the bottom, you have to remove everything above it. Then you have to level it (once you've measured each corner). Most other adjustable-shelf things have this new invention called the adjustable-shelf peg, where you simply count the same number of holes on each corner, and insert the peg. Not so the Salamander.

The top and base, and corner rails are the only structural components, which means that a tall unit (40") is susceptible to twisting when you try to move it. With most furniture, the sides and back would add some dimensional stability (but as I said earlier the sides are so cheaply constructed that they can't manufacture them without damaging them). I bought the wheels ($20 each wheel!) so I could move it easily on carpet. Forget it -- these wheels are so poorly designed that the cabinet either doesn't move without excessive force, or moves not in the direction you're pulling/pushing, instead banging into the things around it as it moves sideways. Think of the worst shopping cart you've ever pushed and you get the idea.

Did I mention you have to put the whole thing together? Of course, it's modular, right? Well, what is Salamander's excuse for making the buyer assemble each drawer from 7 separate pieces? Haven't I already paid them to put it together for me? And the pieces don't really fit together that well, leaving a little gap between the bottom and front of the door. With the exception of the front, it's that fiberboard stuff again, which means the screws have little holding strength, as evidenced by the pull-outs when I backed the screws out after discovering that the bottom was damaged.

As far as time spent to put it together ... I have wasted quite a few hours trying to assemble this thing, over three days. I noticed one review that said the time required was not that much. I also noticed by the low price that the reviewer paid, he/she did not have very many pieces to put together.

In summary: for the price, I expected something more than what I got. I expected something that would perform better, that would have better manufacturing standards, and that would have some semblance of quality control at the factory (instead of trying to cover up mistakes and ship them anyway). My advice: for the price, go out and buy yourself some real furniture, made from real wood (not this fiberboard stuff, or whatever it is).

Solid construction, well engineered, looks great, has adjustable shelving, and is infinitely configurable with numerous wood and post finishes.

Pricey, and you need to assemble it yourself. Side panels fit loosely.

I looked extensively for a rack that was configurable, adjustable, attractive, and sturdy. The best solution was the Salamander Synergy, hands down.

I bought a S20 + S40 Extension, and an SVDO TV stand, all finished in Walnut wood with Alumimum posts. I completed it with aluminum feet and a door for the S20. The furniture looks *extremely* sharp. Perforated steel sides on the S40 offer great ventilation for my components, and with the back cover on, wires are fairly well hidden. The SVDO stand easily accomodates my 250lb. 36" Sony Wega TV.

The pieces arrived well packaged and undamaged. Despite what some may have said before, my stands were very easy to assemble, and Salamnder supplies all the tools you need. It's rock solid and looks great! It was a bit pricey, but I'm very happy with the end result. Despite the solid back panel, there's plenty of space for wires to run between shelves.

My one compaint is the looseness of the side panels, which could cause some vibration. I used some strategically placed felt strips along the inside edged of my sides to fill in the gaps to reduce the possibility of movement.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

Similar Products Used:

None, but compared against Bell'O, Sanus, Studiotech, Vantage.

The synergy rack system is an outstanding product. Funtional, aestheticallyappealing, and built with a superior level of craftmanship. I would highly recommend this product to anyone.

Synergy proves that you get what you pay for in most products. Although on the expensive side, the quality was excellent, and design and flexibility were outstanding. I am in the process of upgrading most of my furniture, since I can finally afford it, and this is well crafted, solid furniture. With so many other racks and units I owned or auditioned for this purchase, I got the feeling that no carpenters or cabinetmakers had been involved in the design or build phases, just the guys who think up uses for fiberboard. You will not be disappointed with Synergy, and will impress not only the audiophile of the house, but the interior designer as well.

Classy; quality build. And even I put it all together! (er, with a couple of calls to their tech types that walked me through a hardware upgrade that was not on the printed directions; great service) Go for the casters upgrade; they are big time heavy duty and make all those trips behind the maze of wires so ez. I did the blk/blk w/ side screens and no doors (rack and TV unit) and they look great.