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10 Manliest Man Caves

by Rachel Cericola November 12, 2009
Photo Credit: Jay Miller

Photo Credit: Jay Miller

Some guys love power tools. Some love cars. Some are happy with a comfy chair, a remote and something to nosh on. Then there are those who need to go above and beyond—to create a space that most men only dream about.

Today, we call these spaces “man caves.” In these caves, though, the only things being fired up are amps, Blu-ray movies, video games and gigantic TVs (sometimes multiple ones). They are places where a guy can play with his toys without worrying about prying eyes or greasy kid fingerprints.

We know some man caves look more like Fight Club than much fun, so we’ve compiled 10 of our favorite manly-man high-tech hangouts.

Hog Wild

harley man caveNo matter how dainty you are, it’s hard not to look manly standing next to a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Maybe that’s why this homeowner parked his hog collection right in his home theater. The 40-by-25-foot basement houses both of his passions, allowing guests to snuggle up with a good movie and a good ride.

Other highlights include 32- and 46-inch LCDs and a 58-inch plasma, a Panasonic Blu-ray player, two high-def cable boxes, Elan in-ceiling speakers, an iPod dock, a bar and a poker area. The 46-inch TV is also hooked to a motorized remote. When it’s not in use, it gets sucked into the ceiling, so that everyone can enjoy the hand-painted mural behind the bar. That mount and everything else ties into an RTI T3-V handheld remote and Elan’s OleXL touchpanel.

The Garage Mahal

garage man caveEvery guy needs a place to tinker. Dennis Hiffman and Tom Collins needed a 6,000-square-foot garage. Located on an amateur racing track at Joliet, IL’s Autobahn Country Club, the space houses all of the cars used in the duo’s GSD (for Greasy Side Down) racing team. It’s also got a 55-inch Fujitsu plasma, a Crestron Adagio system, SpeakerCraft speakers, and access to a ReQuest media server. However, the most impressive (and drool-worthy) feature is the Panasonic camera, which captures live racing action outside and routes it into the garage and other areas of the house.

Upstairs, there’s a 1,200-square-foot living space, complete with living room, kitchen and two bedrooms. It’s also got a 42-inch plasma HDTV with Artisan speakers attached to the sides, in-ceiling SpeakerCraft speakers and a Denon receiver. Everything is tied up into neat, sometimes grease-covered Crestron in-wall touchpanels and handheld remotes.

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Photo credits:  Jay Miller, Noah Fallis