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[cecilb]

In the never ending battle for a quicker, smoother setup time I'm going to go with some sort of rack for receiver and blu-ray.

I need every advantage I can get...........think 180% with Sparge on one end.

Any thoughts other than build one yourself?  Saw a soft 2 rack from Gator that may do the trick. Kace has another cheap one.

Anything to cut down setup/teardown time which inhibits me from more spur of moment setups, especially for a last minute ball game. Will this work??   

[cdepaola]

That would work, theoretically.  You need to make sure you find out how many rack spaces each peice of equipment takes up, I'd also suggest adding a cheap rackmount power strip into you rack, they can be had for $60.  The power strip should be a single rackspace, a typical dvd/blu-ray player will take up 2 or 3 spaces and the receiver needs to be figured out, I'm guessing 4 - 6 spaces.   So you'll need bigger then a 2 space rack. Personally I'd shy away from a soft rack and go with one of the plastic units.

[PyramidPyro]

I have that EXACT same soft case for my system.  Here is what you need to know...

1:  for me it holds a 1 unit power bar, a 1 unit mixer, and a 2 unit clamping rack for my BD player
2:  the pouch on top holds short cables for HDMI, PJ power, and iPod
3:  all spaces are taken which makes plugging things in a bit tough but it's doable

I used to clamp a receiver in my old rig but it required a 4 space rack at minimum. In this instance, that case would be too small.  I'd go with something along the lines of a 6-8 space rack (4 for receiver, 2 for player, 1 for power bar).  Gator has some reasonably priced solutions.

And yes, a rack with pre-plugged wires will greatly help transporting equipment from garage to theater, and reduce time considering some wiring is already done.

For your receiver, if it doesn't already have some sort of rack ears, get a Middle Atlantic Clamping Rack.  They are made very well and will support the weight of the receiver.

Erik

[AaronEva]

I was using 2 8 space rack cases, but recently moved to 1 10 space.

I am running:

Furman power strip 1U
MX882 mixer 1U
Denon A7100 3U
Sony BluRay 2U
Xbox 360 3U

I only have to plug in to power, attach 4 xlr cables, and 1 HDMI cable.

I will post some pics tomorrow night.

[cecilb]

EriK

Guide me here, my equipment, receiver and blu-ray are 9"  in height, about 10.5 depth. Really all I want as you mentioned is a tight package I can combo to move from patio to inside. If there is room for power strip, great, not a deal breaker. Will this work?  Can't find it locally, just online so rather not do any guessing.

Thanks

This Gator looks good, but didn't want to spend that much.  Perused craigs list for cases and surprised not to see too many and expected cheaper pricing.

[Sparge]

Guide me here, my equipment, receiver and blu-ray are 9"  in height, about 10.5 depth. Really all I want as you mentioned is a tight package I can combo to move from patio to inside. If there is room for power strip, great, not a deal breaker. Will this work?  Can't find it locally, just online so rather not do any guessing.


This Gator looks good, but didn't want to spend that much.  Perused craigs list for cases and surprised not to see too many and expected cheaper pricing.

Every "U" (standard unit) of rack space is 1.75".  You'll need 6U of rack space at a minimum for 9" of equipment.  You may find you need an extra U because equipment that wasn't designed to be rack mounted can waste space.  Most cases come in even increments which means you might end up needing an 8U.

Aside from the cost of the case itself (typically $100-$150 for a 6U hard sided) you'll need one or more clamping shelves for your equipment.  I suspect you'll need two.  Those are going to cost almost as much as the case itself.

Rack cases seem to be one of the few things that manufacturers have kept a healthy margin on.  Note I said "manufacturers" because the distributors don't make a lot on them.

-Sparge-

[PyramidPyro]

Sparge said well (what else is new?).  The rack unit standard dictates height.  You may or may not be able to get away with a shallow rack depending on the clamps or ears you get.

I would suggest (at minimum) getting a 6 space rack with a 4 space clamp for the receiver and 2 space clamp for the player.  You can use the receiver's extra power jack (assuming it has one) for the player to simplify power a bit.  You can leave the audio cable running from the player to the receiver connected always.  This leaves one power cord (receiver to wall) and your video cord (player to PJ), and speaker cable.  This will be pretty sweet visually and functionally.

My guess is an $100 case plus a $50 clamp (receiver) and another $40 clamp (player) will be your out-of-pocket (don't quote me on those prices).

Case:  http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS392US392&q=gator+6-space&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=18359111681596601656&sa=X&ei=2t-0TbG_B4GasAPru6H4Cw&ved=0CEQQ8wIwBQ#

4-unit Clamp:  http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS392US392&q=middle+atlantic+clamping+rack&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=17592176636362152603&sa=X&ei=eN-0TY_1J5C6sAPSiJnyCw&ved=0CC8Q8wIwAw#

2-unit Clamp: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS392US392&q=middle+atlantic+clamping+rack&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=15138532107316415630&sa=X&ei=eN-0TY_1J5C6sAPSiJnyCw&ved=0CDEQ8wIwBA#

Erik

[cecilb]

Thanks boys..............

Thought I could get by a little cheaper, but it may be worth it to me for a hassle free setup. Maybe I can get lucky with a used on off CL. In any event, it's number one on my list for upcoming season.

[cecilb]

Pretty decent price if it holds within 10-15 bucks. What to the elders think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/SKB-6-space-ATA-rack-case-/160576511777?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25631b1f21


Follow up..........just after I post this, a new bidder comes on the scene..........Hmmmm?  Ha!


got it for 63 plus 18 shipping, thoughts?

[nevinh]

I definately reccommend using a rack case.  If weight is a concern, then I would not make one.  Buy a Gator or SKB case.  I prefer the Gator Rolling Racks, however their little rollerblade sized wheels suck in the yard.  In that case get a non-wheeled one and then get a hand cart to move the case with.

Always get a bigger case than what you need, cause you will fill it.

[genesis76]

Always get a bigger case than what you need, cause you will fill it.

Same goes for coolers