versatile, customizable, stable

time consuming to level the shelves

I have been using the Archetype 5 rack for seven years (!) and it has served me well. Yes, it looks like a giant erector set, but that's its utilitarian charm. Mine still looks quite new, and the only scratches it's picked up were when someone transported it over a brick wall. The shelves are very supportive and can handle most components you throw at it. It did get somewhat wobbly when I set an old 20" TV set on top, but that's probably not the best use of the top shelf. It is time consuming when setting up the first time to get every shelf level, so if you are work-averse you should stay away. But the basic principle of construction is simple. And the versatility is undeniable.

I bought a pair of these on a closeout or someting like that at AA. They must have been like D- stock or something. I could not assemble the unit because the rails were machined so badly that the nuts would not travel down them and got stuck. AA gave me no problems about authorizing the return, but I never sent them back because the return shipping was so high, the units are very heavy (I live in NYC -- you can't just back your car up to a shipping center around here), the boxes hard to reseal without steel bands, and I ended up just eating the loss. Also, be aware that you will have to spend hours twiddling nuts to put these together. It is much more tedious an annoying to build than the usual types of assembly-required furniture. In the end, I found that some of the big box retailers and mom and pop furniture retailers have audio racks that are as good as the lower end racks sold through "audiophile" channels at less than half the price.

good sturdy

none

I am writing a review for this rack because i made my own (DIY) clone of this rack, although mine is taller and the shelves are like an inch bigger on each side., its pretty much the same thing. Mine uses 5/8" rods and 3/4" birch plwood shelves, So, it performs like the store bought one anyway... This is a very good rack its very sturdy and can hold MUCHO weight.mine does anyway... I havent tried but im sure i could stand on it no problem . and i aint a little guy either. When fully loaded you can move the top around and it will sway a bit, not much but with heaver rods this would not happpen. And i really think you should try the DIY approch. i got all the materials for less than 100 bucks and only took a day to build+ assembly and its better than the store bought one, And WAYYY cheaper.

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I suppose the first strength of this thing is STRENGTH; the shelver are realtree and Salamander claims the shelves can hold 150# ea. My 65lb. amp serves as a nice low center of gravity, other than that it just sits there solid as a rock. The "infinately" adjustable shelves are a fair trade for the threads on the supporting columns. Perhaps the nicest touches were the spanner and level provided with the kit. One seldom sees anything that requires assembly that doesn''t begin the instructions with a list of tools needed for the task. There were also a number of extra nuts and washers provided.

The threaded legs are not too estheticaly appealing, but they''re black, and the ease and convience make up for any shortcoming in appearance.

My wife suggested this rack after looking at an Audio Advisor catalog. We had been using a custom LP storage/equipment rack but we are contemplating the purchase of new speakers and needed vertical rather than horizontal space.

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Concrete Blocks, Costom Made.

Flexibility

Awkward to build

I need something which was compact and afforable. After finding the Salamander line at Cambridge Audio, I decided that it fit my needs perfectly. Assembling the unit turned out the rather time consuming, but the end result was a nice, sturdy shelf unit which perfect for my needs. I also bought the castors, which are great for moving the unit out when cleaning or connecting cables. This unit is really great if you have tower speakers.

Attractive, sturdy, shelf heights individually customizeable, shelves made of real wood, not MDF.

Awkward to build. Poor instructions

While the end product looks marvelous, the instructions to put it together are poor. Hint to anyone purchasing one: assemble the top shelf with the end caps FIRST, then build DOWNWARD. Expect to wash your hands frequently during construction so as not to stain the shelves.

Nevertheless, the Salamander Archetype 5.0 serves its purpose and blends in well with my wife's traditional decor. The 19"W x 16"D useable area on each shelf accomodates all of my components. The solid shelves accomodate my heavy amplifiers and receiver with no sign of stress.

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Very solid for the price, also very compact, yet spacious at the same time. Adjustable shelves too? Unheard of at this price.

The only negative is that it doesn't come with carpet spikes. But at its price point, that's nit-picking

Well after upgrading and adding a separate 5 channel amp to my existing system, I now needed an extra shelf! So I looked at many, but I really didn't want to spend more than $400 or so. I came across the Archetype 5.0, and bought it on the spot! I ordered the 5.0 in black, and it arrived from Audio Advisor in 4 days.

I was a little concerned about assembly, especially with this unit being so affordable. The gentleman at AA assured me it wasn't bad at all.

Got the unit unpacked, breezed through the instructions, grabbed the wife and got busy. Setup was a breeze, much much easier than I had anticipated! The wife even couldn't get over how easy it was. We figured we had to have done something wrong. Nope, it was a cinch!

Adjusted all the shelves accordingly, with my new Rotel RMB-1095, 80 lb beast of an amplifier, getting the spacious bottom shelf. Plenty of room to breathe, while also leaving plenty of room for the other equipment.

I was concerned about the weight of all the components, could this inexpensive rack really hold them all comfortably? Yup, no problem. I should also mention that I use the Denon AVR4800 as my pre/pro, and between the Denon and the Rotel we're talking about 140lbs+ for just these 2 components. No problem at all.

This rack is extremely rigid and sturdy. Going up and trying to sway the rack with the components in it......doesn't happen, it doesn't sway at all. It also takes up little space, and has plenty of room for all my equipment! Very unobtrusive looking. The wife loves it also.

Here's the toys occupying the space:
Pioneer PD-F908 101 disc cd player
Onkyo Integra DPS-5 dvd player
Sharp hi-fi vcr
Denon AVR4800 receiver used as pre/pro
Rotel RMB-1095 5 channel amplifier

Anyone looking for a 5 shelf rack, look no further! This is the one!

Have a great day!

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Altra 4 shelf rack

Limitless shelf adjustability

Initial assembly, but it's a minor quibble

I bought a black Archetype 5.0 to accomodate my then-constantly-evolving vintage system, with the intention of replacing it with something fancier once I had "all of the pieces in place." Yeah, the initial assembly was kid of a drag (spinning on all those nuts, dropping on the washers, dragging the rubber gaskets down the standards), but the price was really right and the end reward was a rack that offered no limits on the positioning of its shelves, something that proved extremely valuable as equipment was added and removed from my system. Funny thing is that now that my system is "complete" (yeah, sure; at least for the time being), I have lost any interest I may have had in replacing it - it's attractive but unobtrusive, thereby placing visual focus on the equipment rather than the equipment rack. By the way, the plastic "cable channel" that can be bought as an option is pretty close to useless; save yourself $20 and use some cable ties instead.

Looks good for the price. Adjustable.

Assembly required taken to a new level

I will try to be brief: It is fairly nice looking. The assembly process is stupid and grueling -- no shortcuts. It comes with rubber cup feet, but these make the unit a little unstable on carpet. Need spikes or to add furniture-caster cups. The little-bitty level that comes with it works, but just. Use your workman's level or better yet, two of them. Your hands look like (no joke) you just changed the oil on your lawnmower. No way around this, because you have to thread 36 separate nuts down the long rod legs and then add 72 washers. This process is slow, slow, slow, so relax (which I did not). The leveling process is not simple, but doable. It is micro-adjustable, by God. If I had to do it over, I would at least look for something assembled that was halfway decent. Trouble is, there is not much out there in the price range. One of the original myths for the salander was the creature who emerged from the fire. That's about the way I felt, when I finished the assemble, like I have been vulcanized.

For flexibility, fair price and appearance the Salamander Archetype series is hard to beat. When I expanded my system this past autumn, new additions included amplifiers that were too large to fit on the five-shelf Standesign as well as a pre-amp that was not as tall as the old receiver I had been using. The ability to adjust the shelves into a safely balanced, practical arrangement that was pleasing to the eye took some time, but was worth the effort. Since then, I have added components, and the range of shelf adjustment was more than adequate. Currently I have a 2.0 stacked above a 5.0. With the weight of the system, the arrangement is quite stable. One of the shelves (in the cherry finish) was marred along the wide edge. Rather than deal with exchange, I turned the imperfection to the wall. If you can see it, GET OUT FROM BEHIND MY HI-FI. I am satisfied with the performance and my wife is satisfied with its appearance. If only satisfactory audio components were so reasonably priced. It is a four-star product with five-star value.