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Ikea Hifi rack


Sentient

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They dont have one.   But,,, they do.   

Going back a step.

I wanted a hifi rack with adjustable shelves, and more than 4 (7 to 8 preferred).

I'll be stuffed if I could find an affordable one for a half reasonable price.

I only wanted it for the bedroom,,, looks were *not* paramount.

Function over form. 

Also, I just dont have the wood working skills, some of you true DIY folk have.  

Screwing stuff together, is about the limit my skills take me. 

So, I scoured the Ikea website,  looking for a solution. 

In the end, I had to improvise. 

 

The Ivar system was the answer.   

It's an adjustable shelving system, and the closest thing they have was shelves measuring-  124cm high x 42cm wide x 50cm deep. 

That doesnt work for hifi gear, it isnt wide enough. 

So I turned it on its side. 

 

I used..... 

1.  2 x (124 x 50) sides

2.  9 x (42 x 50) shelves

3. 2 x Plywood sheets

 

The ivar system uses metal rods, to brace the shelves and stop them from rocking.    But I decided to use some plywood sheets to brace the sides instead.

 

The result,,, function over form.   May not be the pretty-est shelves you have ever seen, but it works a treat. 

 

It may look better with a coat of paint, but I dont mind it the way it is. 

 

 

 

IMG_20190705_125114.jpg

IMG_20190705_133904.jpg

Edited by Sentient
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Good to see a HiFi stack with a Graphic Equalizer, great job with the build although I think your middle remote in the top photo is ever so slightly to the right of the centre line!

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Good to see a HiFi stack with a Graphic Equalizer, great job with the build although I think your middle remote in the top photo is ever so slightly to the right of the centre line!

Haha, there are imperfections everywhere ! Luckily I have only a mild affliction of ocd, and can ignore them. 

 

The grey side rails of the shelves are the biggest OCD hurdle to overcome. Why oh why didn't IKEA do them a beige plastic colour that matched the wood, instead of grey. *Shrugs

 

It functions as I want, with spare shelf down the bottom for a dbx crossover, that is soon to arrive.

 

I picked up the EQ cheap on fleabay, I like having the ability to season the music to taste, for different recordings. [emoji3526]

 

 

 

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The quick fix would be to spray them black (or any other colour that suits). I think White Knight or Dulux produce a spray for kitchen laminates that also works well on plastics. RE: picture 1 - I also directly attach power boards (with screws/cable ties) to rear cabinetry. It helps to keep everything neat and off the floor and aids with cable management. Computer server cabinet power supply rails are available in 19" rack format that often can be made to fit cabinets are a good option

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The quick fix would be to spray them black (or any other colour that suits). {Snip} Computer server cabinet power supply rails are available in 19" rack format that often can be made to fit cabinets are a good option


I don't care enough about the looks, to spray those grey rails. But yeah, I could if it bothered me.

Great suggestion about the power supply rail,,, I see one on eBay that offers lightning protection and 3 year warranty. I might give that one a try, cheers. Will post a pic, after I fit it.
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Excellent work.
 
At 400mm deep, you probably can also see all the rear panel connections as well.
 
Is it on castors? Or do you slide it?


I thought about it, but decided not to add castors. It's on carpet, and slides without too much effort.

Seeing the panel connections easily depends on the component. Some are deeper than others. None of my components stick out the back. It's a good depth for audio gear.
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The power rail arrived today, it is 3mm too wide (as shown in the first pic) to mount it as I thought.

 

I was going to put it in the middle at the rear, bolted onto the back.

 

But, had to mount it from the inside instead. And that triggered a re-think. As I didn't want it to get in the way of components and shelf adjustments.

 

So, I put it down the bottom, hidden beneath the bottom shelf. Which actually works out a little better, as the plugs are tucked away hidden underneath, when plugged in.

 

I have ordered a cable management rail, which hasn't arrived yet. Will post pics of the rear, when that gets mounted.

IMG_20190710_210416.jpeg.4189b13374cf536427b33d7b81a2a1e4.jpegIMG_20190710_210427.jpeg.0729ac61dae3f7ba8bc1442dd6c721ea.jpegIMG_20190710_211826.jpeg.5d3e5284e0b7adc64d9d1e1135a5ebf9.jpeg

 

 

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Thanks for sharing. Love your lateral thinking.

 

Yes, hifi racks are exhorbitant. But so is the rest of hifi, from cables to DACs... 

 

The easiest way to repaint metal a colour you like is to use ESP.

No, not mind reading...this product:

 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/flood-500ml-esp-easy-surface-paint-preparation_p1566526

 

Turn that grey into a matte or gloss white or any other colour of your choosing.

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Is the Rotel CD a RCD-965BX?

Yep, sure is. Totally stock, I am the second owner.

 

I actually didn't use it for many years.

 

Been sitting in my pile of spare audio stuff unused.

 

It sounds really nice, in this bedroom system.

 

 

 

 

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On 13/07/2019 at 9:53 PM, Sentient said:

Yep, sure is. Totally stock, I am the second owner.

 

I actually didn't use it for many years.

 

Been sitting in my pile of spare audio stuff unused.

 

It sounds really nice, in this bedroom system.

 

 

 

 

Nice. Got a second hand one totally stock too.

They do sound very nice :winky:

Bat well above their weight/price.

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https://firstchoicecomms.com.au/product/velcro-25m-roll-19mm/ (most useable cable management ever - better than cable ties)

 

Option 1: You have lots of vertical rail available to use sections of around 2-3" (~75mm long) of velcro single wood screwed in the middle of each piece at around each shelf or second shelf (20-30cm or what suits best). This will provide an easy refastenable and repositionable solution to neatening up your signal cables. You can also attach to the shelfs as well for horizontal cable control.

 

Option 2: I know you have completed the build but a great solution is to use a hole drill at around 50mm or so - big enough to pass mains plugs though and drill holes near each rear shelf corner allowing maybe 20-30mm from rear of shelf and 50-100mm from the sides. All holes in line vertically. You have enough room at the rear of each shelf. All cables can then be will be nicely contained within these holes. One side for signal cables and the other for power. (I would have suggested this earlier however you have just posted rear cable photos)

 

If you intend to drill use painters masking tape on each side of the shelf and partially drill through each side to get a clean non chip cut though the masking tape before continuing the cut all the way through

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https://firstchoicecomms.com.au/product/velcro-25m-roll-19mm/ (most useable cable management ever - better than cable ties)
 
Option 1: You have lots of vertical rail available to use sections of around 2-3" (~75mm long) of velcro single wood screwed in the middle of each piece at around each shelf or second shelf (20-30cm or what suits best). This will provide an easy refastenable and repositionable solution to neatening up your signal cables. You can also attach to the shelfs as well for horizontal cable control.
 
Option 2: I know you have completed the build but a great solution is to use a hole drill at around 50mm or so - big enough to pass mains plugs though and drill holes near each rear shelf corner allowing maybe 20-30mm from rear of shelf and 50-100mm from the sides. All holes in line vertically. You have enough room at the rear of each shelf. All cables can then be will be nicely contained within these holes. One side for signal cables and the other for power. (I would have suggested this earlier however you have just posted rear cable photos)
 
If you intend to drill use painters masking tape on each side of the shelf and partially drill through each side to get a clean non chip cut though the masking tape before continuing the cut all the way through
Good suggestions, thanks.

Just to clarify, for option 2, do you mean drilling holes into the shelves?
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Yes, your hifi equipment looks like it has around a minimum of 10cm or so space from rear panel to  rear edge of shelf, plenty of room to drill a large hole through the shelf. What we are after is similar to a hole through a desktop for computer leads however you will not require a Computer Desk grommet in this instance eg. https://www.bunnings.com.au/kia-ora-60mm-black-cable-duct_p4020173 (these are readily available in 50 or 60mm diameters or rectangular shaped).

 

We just want the holes through each shelf vertically aligned preferably. You can then feed cables from top to bottom down through the holes and your leads will be safely and neatly captured with the holes rather than hanging out in the breeze. If you are not comfortable drilling the shelves go with option 1 using the velcro screwed to the rails at regular intervals to create you own neat vertical cable rail with leads secured within the velcro.

 

If you intend to drill make sure you have a couple of practice runs on scrap wood  of similar thickness well secured as the hole saw can grab and kickback prior to destructing you good shelves! Always remember to masking tape both sides greater than the circumference of the hole saw and partially drill through one side to start the large cut into the wood, then flip over and centre the saw drill arbor bit in your hole and continue the cut through to provide an non chipped, clean hole

 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-9-piece-bi-metal-holesaw-set_p6370857 there are many similar kits to this available at tool or hardware stores.

 

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The rack and system is all together.

 

But I may pull it apart and drill those holes anyway.

 

No reason not to, apart from the time taken to do it. The power cables are neatly hanging down one side,,, but I will mull on it.

 

 

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  • 8 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Looks great Sentient!  Did this myself approx. 5 years ago, refer to somewhat blurry pic below...

 

I applied 3 coats of Black Japan stain to all raw timber components then masked it up and shot the plastic edges with a couple of coats of cheap satin black spray paint.  Didn't bother with solid sides as I wanted good air flow around everything (especially the Yammie & Perreaux Class-A Pres!) so I just made some simple 'X' cross braces from thin aluminium extrusion which keep the unit rock solid.

 

It's an excellent budget solution to keep a tower of gear neat & tidy however it just wasn't quite 'perfect' enough so I gave it away during a house move.  We have since upgraded yet downsized our dwelling in a major way but I still have my huge hoard of gear in storage which I'll be pressing back into use once my freestanding Workshop/Shed is built in the tiny backyard later this year.  Once built I'll need a huge amount of shelving for it all and although the IVAR system is tempting due to its ultra-affordable price and ultimate flexibility I'm just not sure it's good enough mainly due to those plastic parts.  They kinda let the whole system down :(  Not bad at all and very very functional, just not quite good enough for my 'ultimate' long-term storage solution.  Hmmm.

 

 

3. Hifi Rack.jpg

Edited by SteveAndBelle
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