Bell'O Audio/Video Component Cabinet, Dark Espresso

I wanted something that would look nice in my office and be able to hold all kinds of electronic equipment, including a home firewall, NAS, AVR, router, and modem. Looks fantastic, and it's huge. It's hard to tell from pictures, but this thing is a beast. If you think of a full size refrigerator, but short, you'll have a good idea how big this thing is.I don't know how the finish will hold up. I'm surprised that another reviewer reported warping because the shelves are very thick, but if I notice anything like that I will come back and report it.I also saw same reviewers saying it was difficult to get the doors on, and even taking off the hinge components in the cabinet. I wouldn't recommend that at all, and I was able to just snap the door right on without any problem. So maybe that's something the manufacturer fixed these years later.Whoever designed this definitely put a lot of thought into the functionality of this furniture and not just the looks.- Nice hinges that prevent the glass door from being slammed closed. I'm not sure what these hinges are but it's fun to try slamming it only for it to gently close instead. They can be adjusted with a screwdriver to better align the door, though mine was fine right out of the box.- Back panels held by magnets for easy access to wires and the back of devices.- *Almost* tool-less and easy setup. You can't actually put on the handle without a screwdriver, but everything else is basically tool-less unless you want to snug it up some with a flathead. I did this by myself, but I'd recommend two people because I had a hard time maneuvering the big pieces without scratching anything.I accidentally put the back wall on backwards... I don't think most people would do that, but that's something to watch out for.- Very nice finish. I don't know yet how well it will hold up but it looks really good right now, and I didn't notice any damage or scratching from the manufacturer or shipping.- Came with tube of touch-up stuff. I'm not sure what it's called exactly but it's used to apply to the furniture if it gets scratched. I thought it was very cool that they thought to include that.All-in-all I have zero complaints and am very happy with the purchase.Edit: I read some other reviews mentioning the lack of ventilation, and I'd definitely agree. There are a set of three ventilation slots on either side of the bottom of the cabinet. Other than that there is just the holes in the back for wires which might happen to also act as ventilation.Depending on what you have in there it would certainly not hurt to install fans on this, which would require cutting and drilling. So that wouldn't be a very easy job.I don't believe this was intended for devices that require a lot of ventilation, so I wouldn't personally dock points for that.

For the money, this is a very nice piece of furniture. It comes as a knock-down (you have to assemble it) but it literally took me longer to unpack it and throw away the packing than it did to assemble it...and with no tools! It's as close to "real wood" as you'll ever get at this price point. Many people would even call it "real wood". It's particle board with real wood veneer and real stain and finish on all visible surfaces. "Real wood" in furniture today typically means solid wood frames and plywood panels. That's pretty high-end for anything in this price range. The true meaning of "real wood" is almost unheard of today - everything is solid wood; no plywood, no particle board, etc. There would be another zero at the end of the price if this thing was made like that. So...for all intents and purposes, this is indeed "real wood" - all visible, touchable surfaces are indeed wood veneer, and it's a very convincing piece of furniture. It's solid, heavy, and has a nice high-quality look and feel to it. Assembly is very simple and fast. The way the back goes together is really cool. The back is almost completely open, so it's easy to get at components from the back. Two panels (through which wires can be fed via large oval holes) then attach to the back via magnets to make the whole back enclosed. It's very slick.ASSEMBLY TIME SAVERS: The bottom is NOT symmetrical. The edge with holes that has no holes on the opposite edge is the back. Same with the back panel/frame - one side has magnets on it, the other does not. The side with magnets is the outside.

This is a large, heavy, and attractive cabinet I use to store my HT receiver and related gear. The cabinet is designed to assemble without tools--you place anchors in the sides, the top and bottom, and tighten with the included allen wrench. Very clever (note, you will need your own screwdriver to attach the front door). Assembly was a piece of cake. Some reviewers experienced difficulty with the door, but I do not. The hinges should "snap" into place and hold the door steady even before you've tightened the screws.The cabinet is attractive and elevates the aesthetics in my family room.What about functionality? This is where I experienced a few issues. Cleverly, the Bell cabinet has rear panels that secure via magnet. I love the idea here, but I wish they'd gone with larger magnets, as the panels are relatively easy the pull away (and a bundle of wires can prevent them from properly sticking). The bigger issue is that the holes in the panels are centered without any side slots. What this means is that, once everything is wired, the panels can't be fully removed. You can pull them away from the magnets--that is, if they're properly sticking, which is hit and miss--and the panels will hang on your wires. I wish they'd designed the panels with 1) larger magnets, 2) with side slots that can be opened to fully remove each panel. As it stands now, the removable panels aren't quite the advantage I supposed they would be. That said, I do like the internal design of the cabinets. There is a rear channel behind the shelves that can house a pretty large collection of wires. I used electrical tape to secure wires to the backs of the shelves. It's a fairly need setup. What results, however, is a really rigid setup in which the wires have very little playAnother issue that's been mentioned: air circulation (or its lack). My HT receiver gets pretty warm while inside the cabinet. There are air slots on the shelves, on the sides, etc., but I'm not sure to the degree these help. My components don't get hot to the extent that I fear they'll burn up, but things do get pretty warm, and I'm considering a small internal fan. The point is, would I install a dedicated high-wattage amplifier in this cabinet? No way in hell, not unless I had a thorough method of cooling. I might even consider placing the amplifier on the very top, which would kind of wreck aesthetics.This is a good storage solution for components. I only wish that they'd better engineered the wire management, such as the rear panels.