Salamander DesignsSynergy 237 Audio Video Component Cabinet with Wood Frame Doors, Black Oak with Black Posts

Purchased this to support my new Sony 55HX929 and associated components. I am very pleased with the unit and thought I would offer some assembly comments and opinions on design - I will not rehash discussion of basic features.There has been some discussion here about materials. The door frames are solid wood, the top and bottom appear to be MDF composite with real wood veneer, and the side panel are a plastic composite with a very high quality matching woodgrain surface that I suspect is NOT real wood veneer. The top and bottom are very high quality veneers. The only giveaway that it is not solid hardwood is A) the underside which is clearly painted MDF and B) the veneer appears as a single piece of wood, which is highly unlikely considering the price. However I think (and more importantly my wife) it is a very high quality appearance.There is exposed metal and fasteners, but that should be expected given the Synergy line is the "tinker toy" reconfigurable rack system that is dressed with wood. If you are looking for a piece that is 100% wood (a more traditional furniture piece), there are other Salamander lines that might be a better fit. I personally like the look and appreciate the modular reconfigurable design.I found the doors easy to adjust for correct alignment assuming you are familiar with standard European hinges. There are screws that control fore/aft and side to side alignment although the included instructions make no reference to this. Given some comments I read in other reviews, it seems there is not universal familiarity with these types of hinge hardware.Assembly was pretty straightforward with one person, but I do have a couple tips to pass along. In order to make sure the aluminum columns were square to the base and each other, I used a long aluminum door level and some clamps to align the columns and hold them in place while tightening the feet. To set the shelf supports (which are infinitely adjustable), I used an adjustable combination square (for instance:  Swanson 12-Inch Combo Square (Cast Zinc Body, Stainless Steel Blade and Brass Bolt) ) sitting on top of the column to set the position of 3 of the supports. I then put the shelf in and raised the 4th support to eliminate any wobbling and tightened it.I have a Denon 3311 receiver, and while it does fit with the back panel on, the bend radius on the speaker connections is a little tight if you have something other than zipcord speaker cables and you use banana plugs. The removable back panels are a textured black plastic about 1/4" thick, and I easily cut away a section at the bottom to allow the speaker cable to exist the cabinet directly. Much cheaper than buying one of the extended back panels.The pieces were very well packed by the manufacturer and are contained in an outer box that is very heavy. However, I was able to open the outer box as well as the large inner one holding the top and bottom panels and individually move everything by myself.Overall I am extremely pleased with the unit and think it is very attractive and functional. The perforated metal doors pass IR signals easily and are a big help in cooling compared to the normal glass or wood. The side panels can also be replaced with matching perforated metal to further aid in cooling in required.I used the optional 6" Salamander Stiletto feet in black to raise the cabinet to proper viewing height for my TV.

I have to come some where in between the good and bad reviews here. This is definitely not "cheap ikea wood" but it's also not quite the overall quality I expected for well over a thousand dollars. The front doors are real, solid, well crafted wood, the top and bottom (which are identical pieces of wood) are very dense, very strong composite wood with a really nice finish. Most of the hardware is good, heavy duty stuff (for instance the door hinges), but not everything. The end panels are something much cheaper and thinner, possibly a wood/polymer composition... just not what I expected for the price. It rattles when you tap on it. Also the bolts DEFINITELY show on top. I read a review that said this before I bought, but I didn't realize we were basically talking about two stacked pennies on top in 8 places. The bolts are smooth and tapered, but still...you see them even from across the room. Not a huge deal, just not what I expected for well over a grand.I'm very happy with the way my components are stored and how well they breathe. The adjustable shelves give you the ability to give your receiver all the room in the world. I even put my center channel in there and the sound is not effected whatsoever. IR remotes work perfectly with the doors closed. I have a very minimal number of wires coming out the back; just the wires to my TV, speakers, sub, and power cord to surge protector. This unit does NOT have a real "cord management system" as I believe the description hints at. What it does have is plenty of room to tuck away wires that you bundle and strong black plastic removable backing to cover it all up.Overall, I would say this is a high quality unit with a brilliantly simple, well thought out design...just not QUITE worth the price tag. If I had to guess, I'd say they put a lot of money into R&D and not quite as much into the final product. If the price was down around $950 I would have given it 5 stars.

Very disappointing. Extremely difficult to assemble because nothing aligned properly and to put the screws in became a nightmare. I put together many much cheaper cabinets and racks over the years without absolutely any problem, but this was a truly miserable (and expensive) experience.

I'm giving this 3 stars based on a price-per-value perspective. It's no doubt this is a quality unit, I really like the near infinitely adjustable shelves, not just a dowel pin. I also like it's low to the ground....what I can't grasp, is the price of the stand. The only part that's not real wood are the shelves and they are $60 each if you wish to expand the storage.For over $1300 I expected much more, not just a modular system. I can get a Bell'O 63" wide stand for less than $500 that holds just as much but maybe lacking some contemporary styling. I just don't see one thousand three hundred dollars...that's alot of money.Again, this is prob the best stand for its size and storage, but too pricey IMHO. The stand is as much as some 65" TV's.

After a long shipping wait the cabinet arrived. The product was carefully packed. Upon opening the shipping crate I was very happy with the high quality of material of the product and the excellent design.