Audio Equipment Racks

Does Plastic Shelving Have Any Use With Audio Equipment?

When thinking about audio equipment racks, most domestic users probably think first of wood construction while the professional studio owner will likely consider steel or other strong metal as their material of choice for their racks and rack cases. Plastic does not spring to mind so easily for either group of audio enthusiast.

That is not to say there is no use of plastic in equipment racks, and plastic shelving can often be associated with metal framed racks. In fact, some plastic shelves are made specifically to be used on metal racking. What form that plastic might take varies, and might well only be as part of a powder coating over metal.

It is around the home that plastic shelving is more likely to be used for audio equipment. For the high end audio racks, powder coating is a familiar finish, and that coating is likely to have a plastic content. The finishes can be quite stunning in a modern home, with black a familiar choice for audio video furniture.

In the living room for the family’s main entertainment equipment, wood and metal are likely to dominate. In bedrooms, especially kids’ bedrooms, plastic shelving as we would imagine is more likely to be used for storing and stacking audio video gear. Let’s face it, most kids are not so fussy about their room décor, and blasting pop music is likely to sound much the same from equipment on a plastic shelf as it would on the most sophisticated piece of audio furniture the connoisseur would choose.

There is such a big choice of plastic furniture available for a children’s room, and many of the cabinets and plastic shelving units are likely to be as suitable as needs be for a child’s audio gear. However, as with anything for a kid’s bedroom, it is best to choose shelves or cabinets that are robust, as children tend not to care for their furniture as much as adults do. Even if the CD player, speakers and amplifiers are cheap, it is probably economic to buy furniture that will last a few years, not be demolished in a few weeks.

For outside, vinyl makes a good material for children’s playhouses. If you are brave enough to allow the children to have music or video in the garden, then matching plastic shelves for the equipment, inside the playhouse, are a good option. Of course, once installed, the shelves can be used for toys and other things, so you are not committed to enduring their noise from a sound system. The neighbors might be very grateful for that!