Techcraft Veneto Series SWP60 TV Stand
Posted by on 11th Mar, 2010 in All TV Stands | 5 comments
- Center Channel compartment & storage
- Dimensions: 21.75″ H x 59.75″ W x 21.25″ D
- Supports up to 260 lbs
Product Description
Techcraft SWP60 Veneto Series Mahogony Credenza style TV stand. Classic wood tone will accentuate most decors.
This thing is huge and very heavy. FedEx was lucky I was in the house when they made the delivery, because for sure, the driver would have a sore back after carrying this fine piece of furniture. It took me I think a little over 2 hours to assemble this item. Everything was perfect when it comes to placing the screws, doors, hinges, etc. Seems like this was perfectly outlined and planned in the factory for consumers to assemble all the pieces together without any glitch. My goodness, when it all came together, it looked like it was made from solid wood. Fine piece of art.
Now for the negative. This is the deciding factor for consumers whether to get it for looks over funtion. When I placed my Pioneer Elite 84 in one of the racks, whoa, I cannot close the door and this piece lacks in depth. For those people with the new huge audio-video receivers,I would say measure them first before buying this piece of furniture. Heads up to all of you guys, depth is a little less than 18 inches.
So, what i did is cut the back thin wood portion to give way for the receivers connections (back of the receiver). Now, I can close it after making some modifications on the back side. Ok, the result after making some modification. If you place this furniture on a wall where people will not see the back side from the sides, you are good. But if the back portion can be seen wherein wire connections are noticeable, you may see a little part of the back portion of the receiver hanging out because of the cutout I made so I can push back the receiver further so I can close the door.
My verdict, I gave this only 3 stars since the company failed to consider the depth of big and huge audio-video equipment. Did I make a bad decision for buying this product, my answer is no. For the price of it, I think I am alright though making some modification. This is a case to case basis for audiophiles wanting all their equipment flawless. For some, this is a good buy, but for others, it may be a pain.
NOW, YOU DECIDE!!!
Rating: 3 / 5
We just purchased this TV stand (somewhere else) and LOVE it! We were concerned that our DVD player and speakers may not fit into the unit but to our surprise everything fit perfectly and we still have plenty of room for DVDs. Our 42″ flat screen looks great and we have lots of room on the sides which is what I wanted. I was worried that it would make the TV look small but it does not. The middle door has a screen over it instead of glass which would be great for speakers. One thing I love here is that they make this part sort of optional and the screen can be removed and another piece of glass (not included) can be placed there instead to match with the other two side doors.
It was quite heavy and bringing the box up to our 3rd floor apartment was interesting. When I first looked at the assembly directions it felt like a daunting task but after organizing all the parts and making a game plan it wasn’t that bad. It took us about two hours to put together. The parts are made of a very thick and heavy weight particle board with thin wood paneling on top making it look almost like solid wood with slight grains and knots. The fact that it is not solid wood is what is keeping the cost down (sort of). Though I would have preferred solid wood construction, this is the next best thing. This stand has weight and looks like it is solid. We are very pleased with the end result,
this is a very elegant and beautiful piece of furniture!
Rating: 5 / 5
We found the TV stand on Amazon, but wanted to see it in person at the store before purchasing. This item was available and on display at Circuit City and we ultimately purchased it there for ~$400.
I agree w/ R. Villa that the depth of the A/V cabinets is shallow for some of the largest equipment out there, especially once interconnects are made. As I’ve had to modify past entertainment centers as the other reviewer has noted, this was not unexpected to me.
The unit was packaged nicely and is very heavy. Assembly instructions were fairly easy to follow and once assembled the finish is very nice. Stand has a rich, contemporary and elegant look.
The unit fits our 61″ Samsung DLP perfectly.
Very pleased with the purchase.
Rating: 4 / 5
I ordered this cabinet before I ordered my new 58″ Samsung plasma, a very heavy TV. It was scheduled for a July 8th delivery, but was lost in the system and showed up 8 days later, after the TV. Other than the inconveinience, the cabinet went together easily, with no problems. It looks very good and is functional and sturdy. I would recogmend Amazon should publish the width of the internal compartments as todays components can be rather large. I had to buy a new center channel speaker as my Yamaha was too wide. It will only take one less than 18.7″ wide. Most will not fit. I found a Polk Audio CS1 that was 18″ wide and sounded good. Forget about the high end models, too wide, and I am not a fan of Bose. I use a Yamaha 7.1 A/V receiver, 2 Infinity front speakes, a Polk Audio sub, the new Polk Audio center and 2 Niles round, built in surround speakers. Overal the cabinet is god.
Rating: 4 / 5
So I spent many days researching tv stands, and having a hidden center channel rack was one of the biggest criteria. Especially one in which I could mount a decent center channel. In the end I found this Techcraft to be the best – on paper. It had the largest center channel shelf of pretty much any stand I could find, able to accommodate 18″ wide. And as already mentioned in previous reviews that’s just able to house a Polk CS1, which is a pretty decent center channel.
I purchased the stand in black from another site, and when I got it I was very happy with it. It’s not too difficult to assemble and the quality was very good. All in all it turned out to be a very sharp looking stand. But one thing I noticed right away was the inside of the center door – the one housing the center channel. The mesh frame, as well as the frame of the door itself, makes the mesh opening much smaller than it appears from the outside. You can kind of see what I’m talking about in one of those review pictures where the door is open. So while the shelf is able to accommodate 18″ in width, the actual mesh opening for the sound is considerably smaller. When I placed the CS1 on the shelf and installed the door I noticed just how bad it was. I would say the mesh frame (made of a strong cardboard) covered about 75% of the woofers and almost covered the tweeter entirely. This was unacceptable. I spent an hour with a dremel carving off the top half of the cardboard frame – so that way the mesh went all the way to the door frame itself. After doing that I would say that only about 10% of the woofers are blocked (now by the door frame itself) and the tweeter is pretty much clear. I was pretty happy with what I did.
The next day though while watching a movie I noticed that the center channel sounded ever so slightly muffled, or almost like it had an echo to it. So what I did was rig the door so I could open it and close it while sitting in my normal seating position. While continuing watching I opened and closed the center door and could definitely hear a *slight* difference. The CS1 sounded a bit more clear and bright while the door was open – and didn’t have that mild echo to it. So even with the mesh frame cut out there was still a slight sound quality hit to the CS1 when the door was closed. I haven’t decided yet if I’m okay with this and I may just end up placing the CS1 on top of the stand (since the tv will be wall mounted). I’m not too bothered though, I still feel like I got a great looking stand for a great price, and I can just used the center channel shelf for storage. The mesh would still serve a purpose as that’s where I put my receiver as well, and it’s good for that to get some air.
So – great stand. Solid and good looking. But I wouldn’t recommend it for a larger center channel. Having most of the speaker blocked by framing is quite unacceptable.
Rating: 4 / 5