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A couple of observations for those considering the unit: First the minor ones: (1) it is VERY heavy, I'm not looking forward to moving it in the future (but this also speaks to the overall quality); (2) the assembly instructions are pretty cryptic but once you get the concept, you can see how the whole thing is engineered; although, I ended up with extra pieces (I assume Salamander provides extras "just in case" and a couple where I had (and still have) no clue what to do with. Overall, I'm satisfied with the unit, it seems to be well made and looks great. The descriptions matched to my expectations and despite other reviews indicating damage due to insufficent shipping protection, everything arrived in good condition. For the major "gotcha": it's a real pain to try and get everything adjusted correctly, as the shelves, doors, and feet are all movable'adjustable; this part has been the most time-consuming (literally hours) so be prepared with a good level (the one Salamander provides is so small as to be useless)and lots of patience.
I would repurchase one of these without question if I needed one again. The whole thing took only about 1 hour to put together and was very straightforward with clear directions. I also purchased the plasma stand, and was very impressed by the solidness of it (it was a big chunk of solid steel). This makes the plasma almost right on the wall - basically the same distance as if I had used a mount to put it on the wall (but without all the drilling required for the mount).The only negative I can think of is the price - it is one of the priciest systems out there - but you really do get one of the best engineered systems. I purchased the Synergy 329 cabinet together with the plasma stand.I am a big fan of Synergy - I purchased a Synergy cabinet 10 years ago, and it has served me very well. During that time, I changed components constantly, and was always impressed by its flexibility, in particular the easy access on the back, as well as the shelves which can be adjusted to any height.With my new Synergy purchase through Amazon, everything was delivered without a single scratch. Also, I was able to mount my Pioneer PRO-111 to the combination very easily.I really like two things:1) I can pull out the cabinet very easily if I need to access connections on the back of the TV.2) The plasma is located at the back of the cabinet.
I must say it is a pleasure to look at every time I pass by it, and have even had friends ask for the price as it does not have a cheap look to it but the contrary.PS. The stand actually looks much better than the picture provided by amazon and the manufacturer. Although the box was somewhat heavy (about 120+ pounds), the delivery service person seemed to have no issues getting it into the house with a hand truck. It is packet very carefully in order to protect all items (did not find a single scratch). It also includes space for a moderately sized center channel speaker such as my Klipsch RC-64 (one of the only 2 stands I was able to find where it would fit after days of searching online) and that could also hold its weight of about 62lbs. It is a perfect fit for a 46" LCD and can accommodate just about any piece of electronic within the cabinet. I must say, I am very pleased with the quality of materials and how it all arrived. The template to measure the height of the inside cabinets was actually missing, but a level (a small one is even included) could also be used to ensure the shelves are placed straight.After spending about 2 hours building the stand, everything attached well enough to make it seem as if it were professionally built and is very sturdy which is great considering the stand is holding over 200lbs worth of equipment.
Amazon's inside delivery was very careful, and the Salamander box arrived "in apparent good order"--all the damage was hidden inside the box, caused by its poor packaging design. Definitely not recommended. Assembly takes a couple of hours, and requires tools not included. The appearance when assembled looks cheap, and clearly will look worse and worse with only a little use. (To see all this done right, order similar technology furniture from Anthro, where every part arrives cradled in perfect packaging, in multiple boxes so it can be shipped by UPS, and assembly is simple and straightforward, with all needed high-quality tools included).
Unfortunately, the quality and finish of all materials used are far below what anyone would expect for this price. All parts are in a single cardboard box, which is too heavy to ship by UPS (and too heavy for one person to lift). My package was also missing the important "template" for marking locations of parts, which made assembly more difficult, but even if I'd had the template the assembly would have been unnecessarily intricate and complicated. I'm going to look for this same layout and dimensions, but in a better quality and with more appropriate design, to replace the Salamander cabinet as soon as possible. The Salamander Synergy 329 is just the right shape and size to hold a 40-inch HTDV on top with a Yamaha YSP-4000 on the full-width shelf below and 4-6 other components behind the doors at the bottom.
The design does not facilitate access, cabling, or cooling for electronic equipment, as you would expect.The manufacturer packs the parts with inadequate protection, so they arrive all scratched, and in my case with the corners of both the top and bottom panels chipped and broken, detracting further. Assembly instructions are poorly written and illustrated.
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