Customer Reviews

Salamander Chameleon Hampton 236 Triple-Width A/V Cabinet (Distressed Black)

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This unit is very well design except it needs additional legs 1/3 from the edges under where three individual boxes join. I had to make them myself because if you do not have them, it sinks visibly exactly 3/8" et centre if loaded by TV (It was only old 32' TV). Also unit is heavy and packaging doesn't have enough Styrofoam to protect and had to be returned. (Smashed corners.) From Amazon I got a new unit no problem, but Amazon at was at that time promising to return shipping money after unit is returned. Because unit is so heavy, return shipping was over $ 400, but even after repeated mails and requests with the bill for shipping, I never got the money and Amazon doesn't answer at all. ... Be careful.

I purchased this to hide my home theater gear and keep it safe from dust, etc. The stand looks more like a nice piece of furniture than a TV stand. I had trouble finding something I would like, as most of the A/V furniture seemed either too hi-tech or just junky in appearance. I've moved beyond the point of showing off my A/V equipment (well, except my LCD TV), so the fact that this effectively hides all of it (with the aide of an IR Repeater and ventilation) is what sold me.

There is some assembly required. It took about an hour and a half to install the legs, top, and shelves to the base, which comes pre-assembled. However, the quality is much better than other furniture I've assembled in the past. It uses real wood...imagine that!!!

I didn't have any issues with shipping or stability. The Geneva model here comes with a rectangular frame base that fully supports the entire cabinet. The other reviewer may have bought the wrong type or number of legs for his cabinet. And fortunately, CEVA did a great job transporting the unit. There was ample support and cushioning in the box mine came in, and the box was clean with no holes or cuts.

The only downsides are that it is kind of expensive. I had originally planned to spend about half this much until I couldn't find anything in that price range. However, the free shipping is a great deal (free delivery took about 9 days), as it would have cost much more if I bought it locally, as I would have had to pay for delivery plus an 8.25% sales tax.

Also, make sure you're A/V gear will fit in the shelves. I have a Sony 400x DVD changer that doesn't fit well due to it's depth, but fortunately I was already planning to sell it since I've converted my DVD's to play on an Apple TV instead (it's so much smaller/better).

Lastly, make sure you buy the cooling kit if hot-running A/V gear will be enclosed in the unit. I mistakenly bought the 30" because Amazon links to it when I actually need the 20".

I have had this unit for a couple years. It's holding up pretty well, although I feel the door hinges are starting to slightly droop from the weight of the doors, but in no way to the extent that I saw from units of other brands on display at several furniture and big box stereo retailers. You could tell those other brands were going to fall apart after a number of months, especially since they were doing so at the store. This unit/brand is higher quality than any other dedicated a/v furniture I was able to find and see in person. The look and finish is incredible. I doubt you could find anything better unless you went to a high end furniture designer. However, those pieces would not be designed anywhere near as ergonomically. No other comparable a/v furniture is built as well as this is. That said, this is not built for sound and vibration isolation. In fact, my cd player will skip whenever someone walks by. Although that's mostly due to the condition of my hardwood floors.
The wood and metal frame are of high quality and show no signs of ware. I've kept my 50" plasma sitting on the glass top, and I can see some very slight warping in the glass and frame from the weight. A 50" Pioneer plasma is heavy, so it's not completely unexpected, but at this price and quality of furniture I hoped for even more stability. I'd recommend the flat panel mounts if you have a large and heavy tv: Salamander CL/PM/B Tilt Wall Mount for 32" to 61" Displays for Salamander Triple-Width Audio/Video Cabinets. I actually am planning to buy the mounts now. Otherwise, a standard LCD should actually be fine to place directly on the top w/out issue.
I also plan to upgrade to the active cooled rear panels. I've had a receiver, blu-ray, cd, and cable tv box all inside at the same time and actually have been fine w/out any substantial cooling/heat issues, but I plan on putting an external hard drive enclosure along with some other networking gear inside as well, and will now need the extra air movement.
I bought mine from a local av equipment boutique/installer and my unit was assembled by them. So, it could be their work, but I hoped the doors would lineup a bit more uniform and flush. At this price (I payed full retail, shipping and tax) I'm going to nitpick everything... that said, the hinges are adjustable and something I have yet to experiment with.
The Salamander ir repeater and power strip (panamax) are designed to be mounted on the back of the unit, but I purchased third party units and could still mount them if I wanted to.
Nitpicking aside, I, as well as my wife, am very happy with this unit. But I wish I knew it were available w/out shipping & tax and the few hundred dollar discount that buying through amazon offers.

This unit is attractive and well built. Definitely worth the cost. Would be nice to have internal pathway to route cabling. Stay away from the cooling fan unit sold as an accessory as it actually provides little or no cooling...the fans are anemic.