After you’ve bought your precious audio and video components, it’s time to put them somewhere. Sure, you can put them anywhere you want, but in case you want to protect your gear, you may want to look deeper into what options are available.
Equipment cupboards come in all shapes and sizes and are as diverse as the equipment they carry. Yet there are a few basics things to consider when purchasing or having a cupboard custom made.
Since AV cupboards are used for audio video equipment storing, you need to be able to easily access everything whenever you want. So that’s another important fact to look after. Bear in mind that you need full access to both front and rear panels because both front panel controls and accessing the connections on the rear are equally important.
Let’s discuss some of these issues.
Size of the AV Cupboard
Firstly the size of the cupboard is critical for a number of reasons. AV equipment can generate a decent amount of heat. The more equipment the more heat. The smaller the cupboard the more heat. A typical AV cupboard will consist of passive ventilation with fresh cool air able to enter from the base and warmer air able to escape from the top.
Larger systems or more complex designs may have fan assisted air movement or dedicated air-conditioning required. These of course can all be automated.
Ventilation
To ensure over heating does not become an issue, allow for ventilation holes.
Ventilation openings should be placed both top and bottom. These usually need be significant openings. Allow at least 5% in ventilation area versus the entire top and bottom surface area. Perforated metal material on the doors or sides of the cupboard would also be something worth considering.
Despite all efforts our climate can be severe. Summer weather can take its toll sensitive high powered AV equipment. To be sure the ventilation will do the job, temperature controlled, fan assisted air movement can be included which is relatively inexpensive and a great way to extend the life of your AV components.
Depth
When designing a Cabinet or AV furniture a lot of designs are 300mm - 500mm Deep which is fine for some devices such as Games Consoles, but most HiFi or Home Theatre Amplifiers will need closer to 600mm to accommodate the AMP and the cabling.
Talk to us about your cabinet design so that we can help with some suggestions before it goes in to production.
Width & Height
Width and height of the cabinet will be determined by the amount of components you intend using as well as your room design and layout. The average width for normal AV equipment is 44cm. The most important factor about width is gaining access to the rear of the equipment. The ability to pull out and angle a unit will be an advantage both during the initial installation and for future maintenance and upgrading.
Dedicated AV Hub or AV Rack
High end residential and commercial installation primarily uses Rack Mounted style solutions. A central hub for all your electronics is ideal because it provides easy accessibility between all of your components. Integration between your home's technology devices becomes more practical. It’s substantially easier to gain access to the equipment for installation, servicing and upgrades over time, and it allows for sufficient ventilation.