Customer Reviews

Salamander Model 323

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Salamander Designs rack is very well made and looks great. It takes a few hours to assemble, but the result is nicer than most home theater furniture out there. Unfortunately, Amazon's shipping (via UPS) didn't go so well and the outer box arrived in very bad shape. I was hoping that the inner box would protect the item, but, alas, one of the two doors was damaged. I'm now trying to get Amazon to replace the door, but they can only exchange the whole unit. The shipping box is completely destroyed, so I've been forced to contact the manufacturer directly. Crossing my fingers...

No real complaint about the unit. They should refrain from putting both boxes into one 143 lbs. box as UPS forces driver to deliver without help and my unit, while not damaged, was in a very crushed outer box. If I was not home to help bring it in it might have been a disaster.

Once I started assembly I realized that the instructions for each box assumed different configuration possibilities and were more difficult as a result. The pegs for the shelves were real simple to put in but the illustrations were difficult to follow. Also, when tightening the corner bars they will spin and damage the surface of the bottom shelf.

Once assembled it is a good looking and functional unit.

I was hesitant to order this item as others have commented on the poor state of their AV unit's finish after shipping. However, many of those reviews are older and I figured that the company would have had time to rectify those concerns. The unit arrived just fine, in fact, the packaging is superb and extremely well planned out. The pieces are very tightly packed with no wiggle room and no scratches on the important parts. The shelves come with a thick removable plastic film, like laptops nowadays. Also, the packaging is "environmentally friendly" since it's pretty much all cardboard and can be easily recycled. Yes, the shipping part ended up being fine.

Well, it's pretty heavy. Just hope that when it is delivered that it's a sunny day and that you can open the box outside and bring it in piecemeal up the stairs. My husband had to help the delivery guy move it out of his truck to the steps.

However, major disappointment set in when the my husband inspected the pieces more carefully. Unlike the description on the website which leads you to believe that the product is made from high-quality hardwood, he only found solid hardwood door frames. For the amount of $ paid, he was expecting at least a solid wood top and bottom too. Nope, it is MDF with a veneer. Now the top is nice looking, it's unblemished, it's extremely thick and probably will handle all kinds of heavy AV/TV equipment without problem. That was one side. The other bottom (which could also be the top) was laminated badly with the edges clearly showing the joining - this piece should never have made it into the box...

Of all the consumer level AV centers out there, this is probably one of the most thoughtful and functional designs. The question you have to ask yourself is how much $ do you want to spend for MDF material? Plenty of USA solid wood makers (Amish come to mind) that will also make a nice stylish AV center made of your choice of true solid hardwood for roughly the same price, albeit without the same degree of insightful AV features. So, if you do decide to purchase this product think of it as buying the design.

We were looking for furniture to hold our 42" LCD HD TV and came across the Salamander Synergy 323 in Best Buy. They had it priced at $999 which seems to be some sort of price fix since, no matter where I look, including Amazon, the price is the same. At that price this furniture is absolutely in the realm of the ridiculous. Adding further insult injury is the fact that you have to actually put this stuff together yourself. At half the price I would probably have given this 4 stars since it seems to be designed well. The rear panels, for example, can easily be removed for access to your video or audio equipment. Some of the materials, especially the perforated steal inserts, seem somewhat cheap. The rest of the materials that make up the stand are just OK.
If you are looking to buy an item like this in this price range I suggest you look at a fine furniture store that discounts.

This is the second Salamander Synergy 323 that we've owned. The first was purchased from a reputable home theater dealer in San Francisco. The dealer insisted in putting the unit together. He was relentless even when I insisted that I could build the unit myself. I thought that this was just a ploy to increase our costs, but I gave in for the sake of expediency.

The second Synergy 323 was purchased from Amazon. This unit I put together and, while it ultimately turned out well, the process was painful. Having spent four hours fighting with a poorly designed installation, I now fully understand why the San Franciso dealer was so firm in stating that he wanted to put our first unit together.

The instructions leave much to be desired. And should an error occur, particularly with those awful rail track mechanisms, the only way to fix the error is to disassemble parts of the unit.

If that wasn't bad enough, the product's craftsmanship is subpar. I found deep scratches in the wood, dented parts and wood joints that are off kilter. It seems that Salamader Designs has taken a "close is good enough" position in milling the product.

This is not your flimsy K-Mart style furniture. However, I expected more by way of a thoughtfully designed installation and far better quality control in this unit. I was disappointed and displeased.

No delivery compliants. Package and product like new.

Assembly required, but it's not difficult. Quality A/V cabinet.