T
Sturdy build quality but some negatives.
The item came flat packed and was reasonable easy to put together. The first thing that struck me was the size. It's deeper than I expected. Of course I knew the measurements but still, it's considerable deeper than I had envisioned. Which turned out to be a good thing as it's only barely deep enough to have room for all the cables coming out from various gear.
The build quality feels solid. And the wheels are very nice and smoooth. It's easy to move around even when fully loaded and the wheels do not scratch or damage the floor in any way.
But there are a few negative points...
First the finish. The maple imitation boards that were used for top and bottom had slight blemishes in the corners. Seemed like the kind of swelling you get when MDF panels have been exposed to water. I was only VERY slight but still... The boards were also not completely straigh. They both seemed to have been under some kind of pressure and bended slighty downwards at the center. Not a big deal to me but I would have expected better from a brand new product.
Also the kind of rack rails used on this cart aren't very good to be honest. It's not the usual rack nut system that most 19 inch rack used. Instead it's just fixed holes that you screw directly into. I can imagine them getting worn out and useless over time and then the whole cart is garbage. And of course the holes are not precisely enough drilled so you end up with every rack unit being slightly "off centre". This is adding up as you mount more gear until it is no longer possible to hit the holes with screw. I had to leave 1u unused in the middle of the rack because of this. And even then I struggled to get my gear to fit. So although advertised as 14u you will get MAXIMUM 13u into this rack. Really dissappointing!!!
The system of using fixed holes in the rack rails also makes it difficult to mount the gear without help. When using rack nuts it's easy to finger tighter the screws enough to secure the gear. Not so here. You basically need a screwdriver from the first turn. So try juggling an LA-2A, a screwdriver and a screw... Needless to say I dropped some expensive gear while trying to mount it alone. I really don't understand why they didn't use the standard and far superior solution of rack nuts. Really, really stupid!!!
If I had purchased this item locally I would have returned it and demanded a refund. However, dismantling it, re-packaging, dragging it back to the post office, shipping back to Germany and having to apply for a VAT refund (as I'm outside the EU) just seemed too much of a hassle. And after everything was mounted it does work really nice. So I guess I'm reasonably happy with it, although FAR from a perfect product and not really as specified.
The build quality feels solid. And the wheels are very nice and smoooth. It's easy to move around even when fully loaded and the wheels do not scratch or damage the floor in any way.
But there are a few negative points...
First the finish. The maple imitation boards that were used for top and bottom had slight blemishes in the corners. Seemed like the kind of swelling you get when MDF panels have been exposed to water. I was only VERY slight but still... The boards were also not completely straigh. They both seemed to have been under some kind of pressure and bended slighty downwards at the center. Not a big deal to me but I would have expected better from a brand new product.
Also the kind of rack rails used on this cart aren't very good to be honest. It's not the usual rack nut system that most 19 inch rack used. Instead it's just fixed holes that you screw directly into. I can imagine them getting worn out and useless over time and then the whole cart is garbage. And of course the holes are not precisely enough drilled so you end up with every rack unit being slightly "off centre". This is adding up as you mount more gear until it is no longer possible to hit the holes with screw. I had to leave 1u unused in the middle of the rack because of this. And even then I struggled to get my gear to fit. So although advertised as 14u you will get MAXIMUM 13u into this rack. Really dissappointing!!!
The system of using fixed holes in the rack rails also makes it difficult to mount the gear without help. When using rack nuts it's easy to finger tighter the screws enough to secure the gear. Not so here. You basically need a screwdriver from the first turn. So try juggling an LA-2A, a screwdriver and a screw... Needless to say I dropped some expensive gear while trying to mount it alone. I really don't understand why they didn't use the standard and far superior solution of rack nuts. Really, really stupid!!!
If I had purchased this item locally I would have returned it and demanded a refund. However, dismantling it, re-packaging, dragging it back to the post office, shipping back to Germany and having to apply for a VAT refund (as I'm outside the EU) just seemed too much of a hassle. And after everything was mounted it does work really nice. So I guess I'm reasonably happy with it, although FAR from a perfect product and not really as specified.
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b
could be better.......
This is a good sized sturdy unit let down by the awful rackstrip and bolts. Unlike any other...worse than cage nuts,
Hard to position rack equipment, you may end up losing one rack space to get your gear to fit. But for this would be a great unit, I managed to get my stuff in but it was not easy and it is a very stable unit.
wheels are cheap looking but function ok.
Hard to position rack equipment, you may end up losing one rack space to get your gear to fit. But for this would be a great unit, I managed to get my stuff in but it was not easy and it is a very stable unit.
wheels are cheap looking but function ok.
3
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GB
Not sure about it...
For 100 euros, you get 14U. But instead of a studio rack, this could be anything else. I mean that the holes are so close to each other that IF one (or -even worst- more) racks are a little bit bigger (like my MOTU 896HD which is 0.000001 mm bigger) you'll have serious problem. Also, try to forget heavy bass or a sub system near to it, as the iron sides are giving you some "sweet" harmonics.
You win a big space to work on and this is a plus. In general it's good for what you pay. I'll think twice before I end up with another one though…
You win a big space to work on and this is a plus. In general it's good for what you pay. I'll think twice before I end up with another one though…
1
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HP
Pretty but squeaky
The StudioRTA Producer Cart is a pretty and compact solution for your studio, especially if you have to have it fit your home decoration. The metal chassis seems durable but is quite squeaky - though it's not hard to come up with a quick fix.
0
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