Customer Reviews

Salamander Synergy 402 A/V Component Cabinet (Walnut/Black)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since this item is fairly expensive for an A/V cabinet, you would expect that great care would be taken to protect the contents with cushioning to buffer it for ground shipment. The item arrived with a large hole punched through the surface of the box and damage to the contents was evident by peering through the hole. Amazon was excellent about sending out a replacement immediately. The second shipment arrived quickly, but it also had a hole in the box. This cabinet is quite heavy and should be wrapped well and contain filler to reduce damage caused within the box with things shifting about, as well as to protect it from rough handling in transit. Even some of the plastic straps had broken on the first box, so strong wrap on the exterior or at least reinforced tape over the straps might be needed. After reporting damage found to the second shipment, I was given the okay to see if I had one good one between the two shipments. I searched through both boxes and finally managed to make a nice cabinet with only a few minor flaws. The directions for assembly were adequate; however there is a protective film on one side of the shelves and sides that it fails to mention. The manufacturer confirmed this can be removed.

I took some time to find a new audio video rack for my small home theater I put together and was looking forward to receiving this rack. When the box arrived it wasn't damaged however when I opened the unit the shelves were placed in the box without any shipping material between the individual shelves. The result was that each shelf was scratched. I know that these will be hidden in the unit under the components but for the money I really wish they invested a few cents for packing material between each shelf. The next issue is that the unit did not arrive with assembly instructions. I had to utilize the instructions from the Salamander web site (PDF) file which did not include how the door attached to the unit (Its obvious though for anyone who has assembled furniture before though). The last issue is that the unit does not come with wheels, which I highly recommend doing (most new AV tuners are 60 pds alone + all the other component weights add up to something that would benefit from wheels). Wheels cost $$$ extra, they are nice but way over priced.

I had been looking for months for an audio rack for my new gear and wanted to wait till I found the perfect piece. This one holds everything I own, and with the perforated steel door panel, it keeps my system ventilated. I purchased an extended rear panel too, which makes room for a larger component, and the casters I bought make it easy to move. It's functionality and sleek design were just what I was looking for.

As those of you who are looking at this product probably know modern HD stereo equipment has outgrown the standard stereo cabinet. If you purchase a stereo cabinet at Target or similar stores that has 14" deep shelves, your 16" deep (without anything plugged into the back of it) receiver isn't really going to work. So, like me you have probably started looking at products that cost quite a bit more than you really wanted to pay. That being said, you will probably be happy with this product.
I compared this product with products from Sanus and StudioTech. I frankly liked the StudioTech product the best...but it is the most expensive of the three products and is just a little too big to fit in the area that I had for it. So I was went with the ever so slightly smaller Salamander. Sanus has an excellent product as well, for me it came down to the fact that aesthetically I like the Salamander slightly better.
I do have some problems with the Salamander Synergy:
First of all, hop online and pickup the assembly directions that you can get from their webpage. The version on the webpage has a different series of steps that is MUCH easier for installing the door.
Next up, the back-panel is purely there for looks...which is a good thing. Unlike cheaper systems, the structure of the entire cabinet is the four pillars, everything else is hung from those pillars sort of like how a sky-scraper is built. Once again, this is a good thing. The problem I had is that the back panel is attached the back pillars with screws. I highly recommend getting a pair of nuts to be placed between the pillars and the back panel. The issue that I had is that when you take the panel off, the screws slide down the pillars via gravity, so every time you want to take it off you have to re-align everything. By simply placing a nut on each screw and tightening them into place, you can pull the back panel on and off again with ease. Salamander should have had this there in the first place. Further, it is challenging to get all the wires that you are going to need into the small opening available in the back. I widened it out a little with a dremmel saw. BUT if you have fewer wires, you will likely not need to make any modifications.
Finally, it is REALLY easy to scratch the top and bottom (very pretty) cherry plates with those aluminum pillars when installing them. It is ironic that the inside black shelves that can't really be damaged during installation are protected with a plastic film that you just take off, whereas the two pieces that could easily be damaged during installation are not so protected. I would love to see Salamander flip-flop which pieces they protect.

Oh, and almost forgot. Bye the wheels. They are separate. And they are an additional seventy bucks. But they are worth it. This product fully assembled and loaded down with gear is heavy.

I really do like this product, and if I had to do it all over again, I would buy it again.

The cabinet is pretty nice and fits all my components as planned.

I do have to agree with virtually every other reviewer here: The packaging is terrible. The box arrived punctured, the various pieces are not sufficiently protected. Almost every piece had some minor scratches and the door insert (metal) was dented significantly. I'm not sending it back due to the hassle involved, and because the next one might be in even worse condition, but cheap packaging like this is pretty disappointing for such an expensive prooduct.

For the price, I expected the packaging to be better and the box came and it was have crushed and puncture. YIKES!!! (also pieces was loose in the box)

Luckily only the styrofoams were heavily damaged. The wood and material is great. But when I put the door on, it is not 100% level/even as there are gaps on some corner. I have try to adjust it for hours and no luck.

Just make sure you understand that it may have some gaps with the doors..

Great unit and very easy to assemble. Everything was heavy duty including the packaging. The downside is that the cardboard left mark on the wood that I havent been able to remove. Overall Im happy with the purchase.

Sturdy cabinet and shelves.

Most of the strength and rigidity comes from the aluminum posts and thick (over 1") top and base panels. The door is also solid even with the screen because the panels are 3/4" thick.

However, the quality comes at the expense of added weight. I definitely recommend getting the Saturn Wheel Set if you plan to put the cabinet in a location where you can not easily access the back panel. It took a little effort to slide around the combined weight of the cabinet and components on a low pile rug with the standard legs.

The only hiccup in assembly was the installation of the shelves. The cabinet comes with a plastic template for positioning the shelf pegs. The template was not the most intuitive tool to use to get the desired spacing between shelves, partly because it is designed for two models of cabinets. Ditched the template for the traditional tape measure.

Relatively easy to put together, looks great! Although this may seem pricey, I really like it. The shelves come with a plastic covering on them to protect them. Removing it makes the shelves glossy.

This Salamanader unit is an awesome addition to your home theater collection. The unit was easy to setup, very flexible for shelf sizes, came with its own little leveler, and is solidly constructed. This is a must have if you like well built furniture that looks good! You can put 2 of these side by side and reverse the doors so they look to be one unit. The shelves were very customizable so getting big and small equioment heights fitted was simple. Highly recommend this product!