Sanus CFA56 First Impressions

Audio Video furniture is something that most people don't think about until it is too late. They've amassed enough gear that is stacked (sometimes haphazardly) around their display and they just don't know what to do. There are a lot of manufacturers out there that offer furniture that may or may not actually have holding AV gear in mind. The next thing you know, you've bought something that the wife likes but that you'll have to take a drill to in order to run cables. While enthusiast-specific gear is available, sometimes their look just doesn't pass the WAF (wife acceptance factor) test. Why doesn't someone actually build good looking furniture that is AV friendly? Why indeed.

Sanus Systems is probably one of the biggest names in home theater and AV furniture. They were one of the first manufacturers I came across when I went out looking. Their name is synonymous with quality and functionality. I was thrilled when I discovered I would be receiving a piece for review.

First Impressions

The CFA56 showed up in a very long thin box that was plastic wrapped to a double-wide wood pallet. Like most pieces of furniture (and some speakers) it was delivered by a full sized tractor trailer. While it is possible (I know because I've seen it done) to get such a truck down my street, only the gutsiest drivers will do it. I've had polite and rude drivers; I've had some that have asked nicely for me to meet them someplace and some that have demanded I do so. I've had some that have been a big help and some that have just pointed at the cargo and stood by while I struggled. This driver was unique.

He called. I told him it was possible to get his truck down the street. He told me he'd be there in 15 minutes. Eighteen minutes later I walked outside looking for him and saw him dragging a hand cart down the street. He had parked at the end of the street and just walked it 2.5 blocks to my house! I couldn't believe it! He didn't even complain - said it was good exercise. Now I know that Sanus didn't have any direct control over the action of the delivery driver, but it did set the tone for the review.

The first thing you'll notice is that the box you receive is heavy - very heavy. You're probably not going to want to move it from where they deliver it, so make sure you have it covered (I had them drop it off in the garage) if you are expecting rain. After I cracked open the big box, I found four smaller boxes inside. Two contained the shelves and top cap, one had the side walls, door and back wall, and one had all the hardware. The big box is too heavy and unwieldy to move by yourself. All the boxes inside are fairly easy to move except for the one with the side walls. That one was pretty heavy and might require a little help.

At this point, you'll want to move the interior boxes to the room where the AV cabinet will live. If you don't want to take my word for it, the weight of the boxes should convince you. This is no lightweight piece of furniture that you're going to be able to just move around willy-nilly. The pallet that the large box was connected to goes a long way towards protecting the contents, but the packaging definitely helps. There is very little wasted space in any of the boxes and styrofoam protects all the corners. Each of the pieces is also wrapped in a soft foam fabric to protect from scratches. The various shelves and sides are taped together to keep things from sliding around. Most importantly there is a piece of styrofoam right under the seam so that when you cut through it with a knife you won't scar any of the pieces. This is uncommon and a very useful feature.

The only things you'll need to provide for assembly are a hammer and a Philips head screwdriver. The rest of the hardware is packaged separately and labeled. This is a welcome feature as it eliminates the hunting and pecking you often have to do when assembling such furniture. A couple of "L" allen wrenches are included as well. When I first unpacked the sidewalls, I wiped them down because they were a bit dusty. It turns out that wasn't good enough. Each of the pre-drilled holes seemed to be full of dust. I ended up having to vacuum them out.