CEDIA 2011

Rack of Ages

Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 9, 2011

While not brand new, Omnimount’s RE27 enclosed rack still elicits feelings of want and desire. The RE27 is a 19-inch rack that works with standard 19-inch rack shelves and accessories. It ships fully assembled, has integrated cooling with top and bottom ventilation, and has front and rear access with removable side panels. (If you can’t get to the component or cable you need to reach with this rack, you’re simply not trying…) All total, the RE27 is supposed to be able to hold up to 750 lbs of your most valuable gear. The $699 price is a steel – which also happens to be what the rack is made of.

COMMENTS
Lionel_Felix's picture
Submitted by Lionel_Felix on September 9, 2011 - 8:43am

I bought one of these for a client and am very impressed with everything it comes with. The quality and build is fantastic. My only ding against it is while the extraction fan is nice, it's always on and it's not very quiet. I would include an option for variable speed / #of fans engaged and a temperature sensor. It's easy to retrofit but since these are nice enough to be somewhere in common space, having that constant fan sound at that volume is a lot.

jnemesh's picture
Submitted by jnemesh on September 9, 2011 - 10:11am

But, I have found that even with a good amount of equipment, passive cooling is often sufficient. I had one of these racks configured in my showroom with a DirecTV tuner, Tivo, Marantz SR5005, Marantz UD5005, Gefen 1X5 HDMI distribution amp, and an Artison RCC600SA 600w sub amp installed in the rack, and had no issues whatsoever when I unplugged the fans and just let the heat dissipate through convection. This is a GREAT rack for the money!

One other (minor) gripe. The screws are made of incredibly cheap metal. If you have to move or replace any of the shelves in the rack, be sure to throw away the ones that they give you and get a pack of Mid Atlantic rack screws...you will save yourself HOURS of tapping out stripped screws!

JustinGN's picture
Submitted by JustinGN on September 9, 2011 - 2:04pm

Felix,

I don't have a sample to look at, but most of these cooling systems in 19" racks are nothing more than marked-up Data Center or PC cooling fans/setups. With a Dremel, electrical knowledge and a bit of elbow grease, it's entirely possible to retrofit a quieter cooling system (using 120mm or larger PC fans), or install a manual or automatic fan controller. That said, considering this sort of rack seems to be aimed at the consumer DIY crowd, it's likely the equipment in use won't generate nearly enough heat to warrant the use of the fans. Only when using multiple, hot components simultaneously should the fans really be needed, though that assumes the rack enclosure itself is ventilated properly.

For anyone that has seen these, what does the airflow internally look like? Is it based off a cold floor/hot ceiling design like data centers? Is there a vent on top I could put near an A/C return vent to prevent hot air from filling the room?

Justin

TheJoBoo's picture
Submitted by TheJoBoo on September 14, 2011 - 9:44am

Still holding to the flexibility and proven quality of Middle Atlantic for larger jobs, I am quite pleased with the Omnimount racks. Not simply a cheap alternative, they are an incredible value.

X