Racks, Stands, and Storage

[VinylHead542]

Hello fello audio connoisseurs, with all the equipment we have there must be something we put it on. Can't forget those records either, shelves are important for those. So, the question at hand is, what racks and shelves do you use for your precious pieces of audio history and records? Feel free to post pictures of your setup and please mention the name/model of the racks/shelves you use.:yes:

P.S. I have a room that is 10x10, so any audio racks and record shelving that that you guys know of that would work well in that space would be greatly appreciated.

 

[eteller]

Two words: Ikea Expedit. Looks good, is durable and cheap. Holds records and you can run your gear on top if desired.

 

[Westy56]

Two words:

Office furniture

Five foot shelves will not sag when loaded with albums, big R2R's or heavy ass amplifiers.

My version of Ikea. Just need a little DIY on the finish and they will look great.

All built from Haworth/Steelcase office furniture and AR speakers.

 

[prisoners]

Two words: Ikea Expedit. Looks good, is durable and cheap. Holds records and you can run your gear on top if desired.

Word. I was resisting that route because it's almost a cliche' around here...but there's simply nothing better for LP storage. For gear I was patient and kept hitting the furniture showrooms until I found something I liked that didn't cost a grand. It's a rectangular teak piece that had a matching coffee table. reasonably priced and looks nice.

 

[stereofanboy]

Two words: do it yourself. Doh! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I find purpose built furniture to be the way to go for maximum utilization of space. Since it's expensive to pay someone else to do it, do it yourself. Bookcases have to be the easiest things to build, and record and gear storage is just a variation on the theme.

 

[Westy56]

Word. I was resisting that route because it's almost a cliche' around here...but there's simply nothing better for LP storage.

I wouldn't trust the weight of my Citations, with mono block piggy backers to sit on Ikea.

Especially, with these sitting below them.

The Ikea cube has to have too many vertical support members, just to make them safe for static loads.

 

[jdurbin1]

I've got four different racks currently.

There's a pair of Bell'o racks; one is the typical low-slung glass & metal design for my HT system & LCD projector, and the other one is a tall one with glass shelves/metal frame. I wouldn't have probably bought the latter but it came essentially free with a system I purchased locally and it's a big improvement over what this system used to sit on.

Then I have a newer horizontal rack that my big system is set up on; can't remember the brand but IIRC it was purchased from Racks 'N Stands about a year and a half ago.

The last one is really unusual, it's a surviving '70s-era component rack on wheels with walnut veneered side panels. Damned sturdy and it fit what I wanted at the time, though the Sansui/dbx/etc. components in it wouldn't be out of place in something newer.

I'm using one of the big horizontal all-wood Markor-series Ikea shelves for LP's and tapes and other misc. junk, with matching tall bookshelves on either side. Nice dark wood finish on all three, I saw a post on AK when they had them on sale a couple of years ago, before they were discontinued. No pics of that setup yet though.

John

 

[prisoners]

I did specify "LP storage". BTW, impressive collection of tube gear...but your solution for storage is most likely unacceptable for the majority of us.

 

[Westy56]

I did specify "LP storage". BTW, impressive collection of tube gear...but your solution for storage is most likely unacceptable for the majority of us.

I was showing the strength of the units, not the aesthetics.
They hold LP's fine, keep the dust out and are lockable.

All you need is wall track or panels to hang them on.
Done up right, they can fit in anywhere in your home.


Steve

 

[Styx_II]

Two words: Ikea Expedit. Looks good, is durable and cheap. Holds records and you can run your gear on top if desired.

What he said. Easy to modify for whatever you need.

 

[jsisk]

Styx II...

Which units are holding the cd's in your pics?
(can't find them on IKEA site)

 

[Saratoga48]

Rubbermaid linen shelves ( home depot, lowes)

 

[VinylHead542]

What he said. Easy to modify for whatever you need.

Nice setup Styx_II, how does one go about modifying these ikea expedits? Since my room is 10x10, I'm not sure if I can put these against one of my walls because it has baseboard heating. Not in the summer, but at other times of the year would that affect my LPs and equipment (speakers too)? Lastly, the Expedits look good, but is there a back to them or do you have to put them right up against a wall so things don't fall out the other side. Thanks again everyone and keep the great setups coming.:thmbsp:

 

[classic carl]

I use VTI racks because they are inexpensive, but very sturdy and versatile. You can configure them any way you need to.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=313964&highlight=NICE+RACKS

 

[trhee]

Currently I'm using VTI racks. Reasonably priced and does a decent job of isolating components.

In the past I've used Target stands (basic 5 shelf unit's from the late 80's/early 90's) as well as using the now discontinued Ikea Corras bedside tables and Ikea Oppli TV stands.

For my LP's, I use the ubiquitous Ikea Expedit's in the 2X4 arrangements and for my CD's/DVD's/BluRay's I'm using a bunch of the Ikea Benno's.

I'm also a big fan of the Ikea Molger series for use as audio racks.

Here is my current setup with the VTI racks:

These are the discontinued Ikea Corras. These are actually modified slightly:

These are stock Ikea Corras:

These are the discontinued Ikea Oppli TV stand:

And these are the current bedside tables from Ikea called Odda, although they're not as robust as the older Corras and only come in white for now:

Ikea Expedit:

Ikea Benno:

Ikea Molger (stock):

Ikea Molger (modified):

 

[VinylHead542]

classic carl and trhee, those are great setups, thanks for showing me all of the different ikea racks, very helpful.:thmbsp: Those VTIs might find a place in my room... :scratch2: Stay thirsty and post on!

 

[rselby]

I wanna see more...like some of these, but I have a bunch of amps 50+ lbs each..and would like to find them a nice lil place to call home..the ikea stuff is cool, just wanna see more members stuff to give me some ideas

 

[trhee]

I also got these at Ikea. They are the base/legs for the LILLÅNGEN series which come in various sizes. If you look at the picture, I'm using these to plop the BIC FM-10 on as well as placing Lack wall shelf atop and placing the Thiel's on to raise them 8" above the floor.

LILLÅNGEN legs:

Lack wall shelf:

 

[PrestigeWW]

I always admired trhee's setup. And his photos..

I had been using this piece that I bought from Storehouse before they went out of business:

The years have started to take their toll on the piece, so I've been in search of something new. Problem is my amp is 20" deep, so every cabinet I came across lacked the space. So I settled on having the below piece custom made for me. I'm hoping I get it by the 4th.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with my lps..

 

[Styx_II]

Nice setup Styx_II, how does one go about modifying these ikea expedits? Since my room is 10x10, I'm not sure if I can put these against one of my walls because it has baseboard heating. Not in the summer, but at other times of the year would that affect my LPs and equipment (speakers too)? Lastly, the Expedits look good, but is there a back to them or do you have to put them right up against a wall so things don't fall out the other side. Thanks again everyone and keep the great setups coming.:thmbsp:

Well, baseboard heating can be an issue I'm sure. As for modifying the shelves it's fairly simple...they use dowels. In the 1st pic I didn't install a set of dividers for one row to use for equipment but did for the rows below for support. With a larger wall unit you can do the same but just stagger the section that will hold equipment.

Now for the records, I used long thin wood trim from Lowe's on the back of the shelves to act as a brace/stop for the lp's. Works great.