Good cabinet, temper your expectations

Use:I purchased two of these cabinets to go in my living/movie room. I have multiple stereo components, a Wii, turntable, and alot of movies/records. I put the electronics in one...Read complete review

Use:I purchased two of these cabinets to go in my living/movie room. I have multiple stereo components, a Wii, turntable, and alot of movies/records. I put the electronics in one cabinet and the media in the other. I searched all over the city to try and find a stereo rack and it was just about impossible. 9 furniture stores and nothing even in this category! Stores just don't sell these anymore.Impression:I am very pleased with how they look and how easily they went together. I have assembled many a cabinet in my day though, so it might be more difficult for some folks as the instructions are a bit sparse. The pictures are good though and sufficient. I have received multiple compliments on their looks and I like their looks alot. A little bigger than I expected, but that worked in my favor. They really compliment my living room, as I have little decorating style and just buy everything in black. (hey, it works)Setup:I am a bit CDO (that's OCD for people who don't understand) so I put some extra effort into the assembly. I run a line of glue along every joint, not just in the dowell holes, and I have designed some extra reinforcement for the cabinets. They are sturdy enough, but the design is not as rigid as I prefer, so I added some struts in the back in a X-pattern to reduce possible flexing from top to bottom. You don't need all this, but it makes for a better end result.With the right arrangement, you can fit all your stereo components inside. Granted, you may need to cut out some of the heavy-cardboard backer when your connectors stick out too far, but a razor-knife makes that easy. I was even able to put the phonograph on the top shelf and maintain the ability to open the lid fully! Nice. AND, in case you were unable to find this info like I couldn't, the cabinet doors CAN be reversed so you can have a nice symmetrical setup on each side of your television. Nice.No need to modify this cabinet in any way if it is for media or game systems, unless you just want to beef up the rigidity as mentioned above.Cons:Remember people, you're looking at a large stereo cabinet for under [$], it's not heirloom quality. I mean seriously, you're paying $2/lb for this furniture. I knew this going in and it wasn't a big deal. The quality is good for the price, but if you're not careful the quality can be a problem. For instance, the veneer on the cabinet is paper thin. It looks great, but be careful not to scratch it or you're looking right at the particle-board underneath. Luckily it's black, so a Sharpee will take care of small scratches. Also, don't over-tighten those little round nuts that fit into the large holes, or it can break. The cabinets both got to me without a single broken or missing part, hooray, but they are shipped in styrofoam, which means you will spend a good deal of time trying to get all those little static-clingy bits off the panels and glass.Summary:This is a good cabinet for the money. I know I could build a better one, but shy on time I bought these and I'm happy. You will have a hard time finding something better for the price. The quality is fair, the looks are good, the price is great.