Have you ever had to decorate your room around a rather large television? Perhaps a big, square box called a sub woofer, not to mention at least 4 large speakers for surround sound, and lets not forget the center channel speaker - which of course, has to sit on the top of the television! How do you decorate, or even set up your room with all of this equipment to contend with? Below I hope to give you some guidelines to help tame the wire mess and perhaps help couples reach a compromise in the audio-visual component department.
If you are one of those fortunate people who has a dedicated theatre room consider yourself extremely lucky! However, if you are like the majority of people who have enough trouble finding space to meet all the needs of day to day living, you will probably be sharing your living, or family, or great room with the audio system. In our house, my husband brought in a television so large we call it George. It is now part of the family! All kidding aside, finding a compromise can often pose a challenge to couples. He wants the surround sound 5.1 system with the two front, two rear and center channel speaker - oh don't forget the sub woofer! She wants to be able to shut it all away so that when company comes over the audio-visual system does not become the focal point of the room. How do you reach a compromise?
In many cases a good stand for the system can bridge the opinion gap and peace can reign once more. When you are looking for an audio stand, you really need to consider a few pertinent points. Once the client has engaged my services I usually have to work with what is there. Occasionally we are able to work together to solve the issue with the purchase of a new stand.
In order to make the most informed decision, I would need to know the following prior to making a suggestion as to which stand would best suit the space, the furniture and the client.
- What is the style of the furniture, or the style preference of the client? Does the client lean toward the classic, traditional styling and an enclosed cabinet is de riguer? Or is this a more modern application and it is all about the equipment and technology; an industrial feel is the focus of the room?
- What is the function of the room; what else will be in the room? Is this room a dedicated media room where it is all about the equipment, will it be a common family/entertainment room and the equipment is on display, or is this a great room situation which is a multipurpose room and the equipment should be hidden from view?
- Has the client made any colour choices; for instance, will the stand be sitting in front of a flat wall, in a corner etc. and will that wall be a neutral colour and we want the equipment to fade into it, or will it be a colour and we want the equipment to 'float' on the wall - so the glass shelves will allow light to flow through them?
- Will dust be an issue? Clear glass hides it, black glass can emphasize it, doors on a cabinet can eliminate it.
- Does the client need easy access to the equipment; is it necessary for the cables to be in reach, or can they be hidden from sight?
Once answers to the above questions are settled, I could then make a suggestion as to which stand would best suit the style of the room, the function of the situation and the preference of the client. In many cases you can go on-line to research stand choices, however, a good audio-visual specialist should be able to direct you to a couple of good options. If this still doesn't work for you and you find you are having difficulty finding exactly what you want, you could consider a built in, or a custom made system.
Often, you can work with a local cabinet company who would be willing to help you design cabinetry to hide your system, even replacing the inside panel of the doors with speaker fabric to allow the sound to pass through when the doors are closed. This installation would best suit a great / family room situation where you want all of your cabinetry to match throughout the space.
Whatever your choice try to think of the function of the space involved, your life style, and your furniture preference. Some planning prior to purchasing both the system and the stand could eliminate many headaches in the future and ultimately result in a room the entire family can enjoy whether you are watching a movie in surround sound or entertaining family and friends. Good luck on your journey.
-Judith Lowe B.Ed.,IDD, CRSS, DCC
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