tv stands?

[ebh]

i'm very close to buying a 50" plasma, but i'm going to need a new tv stand. the reason i'm posting here is i'm having trouble finding something nice that will house the 340SE center properly. i don't think i can just put it on the same shelf right in front of the tv b/c i think it'll block some of the screen (need to check that tho).

anyone pick up a tv stand recently? what i'm looking for is something that will do the 340 center justice, fit a 50" plasma on top, and hopefully house a panny xr55 receiver, a cablebox, a tivo, an xbox, a series 2 squeezebox, a nintendo wii, and probably an xbox 360 down the road.

oh, and i forgot to mention, i need something cheap, ideally less than $300 or so. dark wood is out, tho light wood veneer or silver metal would be ok.

[BradJudy]

oh, and i forgot to mention, i need something cheap, ideally less than $300 or so. dark wood is out, tho light wood veneer or silver metal would be ok.

I don't know of anything that meets those requirements and is under $300. I built my own Salamander knock-off and I still spent at least that much (including some tools).

[GaryB]

For $530 USD list (probably closer to $400 street) you might consider this Sanus pedestal stand. The shelves are adjustable and hold 50 lbs., so the top shelf is ideal for a center channel speaker. The front edge of a speaker mounted on the top shelf projects ~8" beyond the front surface of the TV, which is exactly what you want... even Curtis would approve.

Wiring may be concealed in the pedestal, and you would be able to place most, if not all, of your remaining components on the bottom shelf and base, although you might require an additional small "accessory" rack. My brother has a 50" plasma mounted on this stand... it's solid as a rock and looks fabulous. It's certainly at the top of my list for my hoped-for NEC 50XR6 in a few months.

[ebh]

hrmm, if the fiancee approved, this one is pretty good--a bit more "modern" than i was looking for, but i like it pretty well. i think it would hold all my gear, and if i go through with getting the panasonic 509uk (which doesn't come with a stand) it would save me some cash to not buy the stand and just mount the panel. still expensive, but not bad.

For $530 USD list (probably closer to $400 street) you might consider this Sanus pedestal stand. The shelves are adjustable and hold 50 lbs., so the top shelf is ideal for a center channel speaker. The front edge of a speaker mounted on the top shelf projects ~8" beyond the front surface of the TV, which is exactly what you want... even Curtis would approve.

Wiring may be concealed in the pedestal, and you would be able to place most, if not all, of your remaining components on the bottom shelf and base, although you might require an additional small "accessory" rack. My brother has a 50" plasma mounted on this stand... it's solid as a rock and looks fabulous. It's certainly at the top of my list for my hoped-for NEC 50XR6 in a few months.

[GaryB]

Exactly... you do save some money by not having to buy the small optional stand which is usually necessary to mount a plasma display on a conventional cabinet.

[curtis]

The front edge of a speaker mounted on the top shelf projects ~8" beyond the front surface of the TV, which is exactly what you want... even Curtis would approve.

LOL!! I don't know...after what I have seen in the last two weeks, I am drooling over a 1080p projector and the SmX screen. Then when I am listening to music, I have nothing in between my speakers!

[GaryB]

That would be the ideal configuration, of course, but not realistic in my family room.

[curtis]

That would be the ideal configuration, of course, but not realistic in my family room.

Likewise!!

[ebh]

gary, since you saw a 50" on the sanus stand, did you find the tv to be too high, or at an acceptable eye level? i'm curious because it seems like the middle of the tv ought to be around eye level, and the stand seems pretty tall.

[GaryB]

Hi, ebh. The mounting for the TV is adjustable in height and tiltable (assembly instructions) so you should be able to achieve a very satisfactory result. Even if the TV ends up a little higher than you might otherwise like (to avoid a too-low position of the center channel speaker or to allow stacking room for components on the bottom shelf) you can tilt the panel down slightly to maintain a perpendicular viewing angle.