Hi-fi furniture
A hi-fi cabinet brings the turntable, the amplifier and the records together in one piece, with open compartments where your equipment can breathe. Our designs take the form of sideboards or low consoles, with doors or open compartments depending on how you want to show your kit.
Compare the width and depth of the compartments with those of your amp before choosing: they are listed on every product page.
Setting up a hi-fi system on a cabinet
A hi-fi cabinet has to hold several components at once: the turntable on top, the amp in a compartment, sometimes a CD player or a receiver. The layout matters as much as the size.
Measure the amplifier
A standard full-width hi-fi amplifier is often just over 40 cm wide and 30 to 40 cm deep. Take its exact measurements, add room for the cables at the back, then compare with the cabinet’s compartment. A compartment that’s too tight means forcing the connectors.
Think about ventilation
An amp gets warm. Keep free space above and behind it, avoid keeping it behind a closed door while you listen and don’t put anything on its vents. Your equipment’s manufacturer usually states the recommended clearances.
Keep turntable and amp apart
Place the turntable on the top and the amp in a lower or side compartment. That way the turntable stays accessible and away from the heat. On Batignolles, two open compartments on the right take the equipment, while a large compartment behind a door on the left houses the records. Bastille, at 121 cm, puts the compartments in the centre between two side doors.
Store the records alongside
A 12-inch LP sleeve is around 31.5 cm square. To store records upright, the compartment needs a little more than that in height and depth. Allow roughly 1 cm of width for 3 to 4 records, depending on their weight.
Dealing with speakers
If the cabinet is wide, you can put a compact speaker at each end, away from the turntable. Otherwise, go for speaker stands. For a setup that also takes the TV, see our TV and hi-fi units.
Phono preamp: built-in or separate
A turntable without a built-in preamp must go through the amp’s phono input or a separate phono preamp. This small box fits next to the amp, in the same compartment or on a nearby shelf: keep the cable to the turntable as short as possible.
Choosing a style
Solid doors for a tidy living room, open compartments to show off your equipment, hairpin or metal legs for a lighter silhouette: find clean lines in our modern record cabinets and all our designs in the record cabinet collection.