mwardncsu
09-23-08, 01:04 PM
I'm about to invoke on an in-wall rack and am looking for some advice from those of you that have been through this before.
Details of the specifics of the environment are listed below - 1st the questions before you get lost :)
- go with rack-rails and build a frame from wood (or maybe 1" steel square tubing), or just get a knock-down rack from Middle Atlantic or similar?
- use a smoked plexi door on the front of the rack (I intend to use filler panels and eventually custom faceplates)?
- If I get a door to provide a nice clean look, do I have any concerns about cooling given my situation with a totally open back?
Am I just wasting money by getting a smoked door if I get (or make) the custom faceplates?
- 21U or 26U or bigger?
- 20" or 26" deep rack?
- should I stack the AudioSource zone amps directly on top of one another and the Denon 3808 on top of that, or provide some spacing in between - if spacing, how much (1U?) and how much on top of the Denon?
- Assuming no spacing absoltely needed between any of the other AV source equipment, perhaps with the exception of the PlayStation 3?
- what should I plan for in the back of the rack, and/or the sides in terms of cable management or other type patch panels - my wiring will be routing in from the ceiling down to the rack.
I have used RackTools to prototype some layouts and a 21U would not leave much room for expansion - a 26U (50ish inches tall) would provide more space now - I guess if I ever were to add dedicated amps for fronts/center and maybe rears I might be getting right on room if I need any spacing.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide - I tend to lean to the "over-engineer" approach, but I don't want to overspend on rack space (and filler panels) if I don't need them / never will need them. I've been very impressed with the collective knowledge here and want to get the wisdom of this group to help guide me with some of these decisions before I dive in.
Environment details:
- Rack will be mounted on a wall to the left of the viewing area, roughly at about "10 o-clock" from the primary seating position
- the back of the rack will open up into an open storage room - not mechanicals or anything in that room. Not direct heating / cooling, but this is a finished basement and this storage room is approximately 8 x 12 with one of the "long" walls being concrete block - I don't expect it to get overly warm in this room
- I plan to have the following equipment:
-- Denon 3808
-- Sony Playstation 3
-- Wii
-- DirecTV HR22 HD DVR
-- Upscaling DVD now, replace with a dedicated BlueRay later
-- CD player (not sure if I'll go with a single, 5-disc carosel or a large multi-disc unit)
-- 2 AudioSource AMP100 remote zone amplifiers
-- iPod dock - perhaps in drawer or some type of dedicated custom shelf
-- perhaps an Apple TV
Details of the specifics of the environment are listed below - 1st the questions before you get lost :)
- go with rack-rails and build a frame from wood (or maybe 1" steel square tubing), or just get a knock-down rack from Middle Atlantic or similar?
- use a smoked plexi door on the front of the rack (I intend to use filler panels and eventually custom faceplates)?
- If I get a door to provide a nice clean look, do I have any concerns about cooling given my situation with a totally open back?
Am I just wasting money by getting a smoked door if I get (or make) the custom faceplates?
- 21U or 26U or bigger?
- 20" or 26" deep rack?
- should I stack the AudioSource zone amps directly on top of one another and the Denon 3808 on top of that, or provide some spacing in between - if spacing, how much (1U?) and how much on top of the Denon?
- Assuming no spacing absoltely needed between any of the other AV source equipment, perhaps with the exception of the PlayStation 3?
- what should I plan for in the back of the rack, and/or the sides in terms of cable management or other type patch panels - my wiring will be routing in from the ceiling down to the rack.
I have used RackTools to prototype some layouts and a 21U would not leave much room for expansion - a 26U (50ish inches tall) would provide more space now - I guess if I ever were to add dedicated amps for fronts/center and maybe rears I might be getting right on room if I need any spacing.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide - I tend to lean to the "over-engineer" approach, but I don't want to overspend on rack space (and filler panels) if I don't need them / never will need them. I've been very impressed with the collective knowledge here and want to get the wisdom of this group to help guide me with some of these decisions before I dive in.
Environment details:
- Rack will be mounted on a wall to the left of the viewing area, roughly at about "10 o-clock" from the primary seating position
- the back of the rack will open up into an open storage room - not mechanicals or anything in that room. Not direct heating / cooling, but this is a finished basement and this storage room is approximately 8 x 12 with one of the "long" walls being concrete block - I don't expect it to get overly warm in this room
- I plan to have the following equipment:
-- Denon 3808
-- Sony Playstation 3
-- Wii
-- DirecTV HR22 HD DVR
-- Upscaling DVD now, replace with a dedicated BlueRay later
-- CD player (not sure if I'll go with a single, 5-disc carosel or a large multi-disc unit)
-- 2 AudioSource AMP100 remote zone amplifiers
-- iPod dock - perhaps in drawer or some type of dedicated custom shelf
-- perhaps an Apple TV