Back in 1984 I had my vinyl collection (3,500 albums) held in 35 record crates (in five different colours) which I stored on an Ikea expandable setup I bought. It was an open shelf design which suited my needs perfectly and went all along two walls (it had a corner unit). Incredibly sturdy and it took all that weight. Forty years on I still use a large part of it in my shed for all my gardening equipment. After a huge sell off and auctioning over the last 30 years (to fund my CD addiction), my vinyl collection is now around 150 albums... just absolute favourites and sentimental items. I now store them in three aluminium road cases.
😅I have a 5x5 kallax stuffed full. I came up with a solution to keep them organized at a specific depth instead of my previous wood stops. Amazon sells 13”sq fabric storage boxes. Turned on their sides the fit perfectly snug. This way, the records touch nothing but soft fabric, and have a fabric backing that keeps them totally dust free. In black they’re not even noticeable on a black kallax. I can then put LP framed LPs in front of more unused sections keeping everything nice and sealed while looking good!
On a somewhat related note, IKEA's Lunnarp side table makes an excellent hifi "rack." I put my power amp underneath, other electronics in the middle, and turntable on top. It's perfectly sized and quite stable.
I use the Fjallbo as a budget hi-fi rack - it works well and looks pretty good! Like you say, it's deep enough to accommodate a turntable, and a vintage receiver on the middle shelf. A couple of simple mods that I did: I put some led strips (also from Ikea) behind the front "lip" of the top and middle shelves. That provides some subtle concealed lighting. I also had some translucent acrylic sheets cut to fit the inside of the bottom doors. That kind of "blurs" what's behind the doors, and along with the lighting provides a nice effect. There are also other units in the Fjallbo line so you can expand your storage and still match the style.
That sounds really cool 👌 nice touch with the LEDs. I also like that subtle light in addition to the gooseneck led turntable light I have behind me in the videos. The door mod sounds like a good idea also. Happy spinning and thanks for sharing 🎶🎧
I have a pax closet system one side has drawers and the other side adjustable shelves. The side with drawers has the spin clean on top and two shelves for vinyl storage. Works great.
Great guide. BTW. What do you think about nailing a 3 mm HDF board to the back to separate the Kallax from the wall (I have a 2.5 cm strip near the floor...). Will this work?
To stop records falling out the back? You could do that, or put small stops at the back. My new cabinet has stops, so is still open at the back but records don’t fall out. Thanks for watching 🎶
I will check at Ikea to see if any options available for the height I am looking for. I want to put my turntable on top of the shelving and need it to be at chest level so that I can stand up straight and cue the records to avoid bending over so much. I am hoping some options will enable me to do this. It is very aggravating having to bend and stoop every time I put a record on. Thank you
Just bought a Eket. Them being slightly smaller than the Kallax is actually a huge deal. I can barely fit a 1LP with a outer sleeve in it, I'd have to shove it in. 2LPs are absolutely off the table
I just won't use anything bigger than the 3x3 or 2x4 Kallax units for anything. Those feel reasonably stable and sturdy. The bigger ones seem to start getting some sway to them that I just don't care for.
I've seen some of the bigger ones bow in the middle a little. The wife has one in her office and that now has a minor bow. Nothing that looks like it would collapse, but still annoying.
I got the small VIHALS shelf. Perfect for two rows of record storage and even enough space for small amp and pre-amp on the top shelf. The back has a hole for passing cables. In my eyes much better looking than the clunky Kallax units.
Come to look at it, it’s a little tight. 31.6cm inside, which may just squeeze some, but not ideal. Damn. I was thinking of getting a few for a wall display
Same here. I bought one to test out and it is slightly too small. I did not take the width of the actual material into the length size, so the actual fit space is smaller than the lenght
Glorius Furniture is a European brand that offers the Record Rack 330. It sets on the floor with 2 cavities (shelves) stacked on top of each other and topped with a loose record storage on the top. Unit has a back for rigidity. White and black are your choices.
1980 I built a Philippine Mahogany Record storage table with cassette tape storage on each end while the shelf held about 250 records. Top held turntable and receiver with plenty of additional space. Unit sets on a pedestal base. Today the record shelf carries my PrimaLuna tube amplifier and preamp while the top has 2) CD players, tuner and a Crown XLi 1500 amp. This is a great piece of furniture edged in Ash and is stable as new. Records are going from boxes to units listed above.
You know, the record storage video I would like to see is one where the host goes through the process of engaging a carpenter to build custom shelves for record storage. It seems pretty obvious that no one really makes wall sized storage for LPs commercially. What you would do is go to a carpenter and go through the process of getting an estimate for the work. A carpenter might be willing to do this even if you are not yourself going to be buying custom shelving as a promotion for his particular shop. It seems to me the only difference between the process in the UK and the US would be the metric system, and every carpenter's estimate would be different regardless of where you were.
Geezer, you failed to mention the most important aspect of the Kallax. If you are going to use them stacked vertically, you MUST make sure they are secured to the wall.
That all depends on how you arrange them. I've got a 2x4 and a 3x4 next to each other with a 1x4 on top and a 1x2 on top of that. I was going to attach it to the wall, but I found that the 4x1 overlapping on top of the two larger units next to each other, and the weight of the records pushing down, it holds everything together. I've had them like this for three years and they don't budge. It helps that they're on a flat wood floor. On the other hand, I also have a 3x4 with a Frankensteined 2x4 on top which needed to be attached to the wall, otherwise it would've been swaying all over the shop.
I was concerned about the wooden dowels supporting the weight of the records when I switched my Kallax unit horizontally. I watched a UA-cam video of a guy replacing the wooden dowels with stainless steel ones instead. I’ve copied this hack so fingers crossed.
The 2x4 Kallax with the proprietary steel undercarriage are ideal for turning into a DJ booth though. Put a bunch of clamp-mounted monitor platforms and you can fit a Denon MCX8000 or similar all-in-one DJ console and 2 turntables on there and 2 monitors with 8'' drivers (I have the Yamaha HS80M's, the older version of the HS8). 87cm in height. Ergonomically ideal if you're of average height (but even my mate who's 1.93 has no issues DJ-ing there comfortably). And one can take it a step further: use standoffs to mount a piece of MDF (with a layer of primer and then a satin black finish on the visible side and attach an RGB LED strip in the open space in between. Perhaps have a large decal printed with your logo or that of your favourite record company (I have one of Überdruck Records) and stick it on there. Or even go the extra length and build a panel with a matte clear light diffusing front and LEDs built into it. A killer DJ booth that would look in place even if it was Armin van Buuren DJ-ing there, for under 200 quid in materials and 3-4 hours of work. And can hold +/- 800 of your favourite maxi singles. Weight is not an issue due to the 2 storey height and the steel undercarriage.
Is there really evidence of Kallax collapse due to dowels failing? I’ve seen the infamous Kallax collapse photo but curious if anyone has actually had the dowels snap under the weight of records. Seems improbable.
I swear by my heavy duty Interrek GS-3 storage racks. They are flexible, you can customize them to fit any space and they are everlasting. I even climb into these racks if i want to reach the top shelve, super strong and secure! And best of all, really not that expensive :)
I just wouldn’t want my records out on shelves like this. Even in their polyethylene outers. I’ve been sold many a second hand record in an outer and yet dirt and dust still appears to collect in the corners and bottom edge. I think they need to be stored in a closed container. Whether it needs to be air tight, I can’t say at this moment. I like DJ boxes and also these rather affordable “Really Useful” 19L storage boxes. Maybe I could see sitting the Really Useful boxes on shelving units. It would be good if there was a solution which allowed the display and easy access to the records but did not allow much dust and debris in when idle.
You need to buy a metal shelving unit 36"long by 18" wide 35" tall wood crates 12"×18" for your vinyl records four crates per unit just replace the cheap wood it comes with can handle the weight.
great suggestions, but we all have more platters than can fit in two of those 70's style Stockholms stacked on each other ;) Unfortunately, Kallax wins on price and ease... but like you said, its a bit boring.
Ha! Yea, they won't hold much. KALLAX are definitely popular for a reason: lots of storage for relatively low cost. I have no choice but to have mine stored across multiple locations around the house: (small British houses).
It's amazing how well the Kallax hold up considering they're mostly made out of plastic. The old Expedits which were basically the same were made from chipboard, but to save money Ikea designed the Kallax to do away with most of the wood and replace it with corrugated plastic. Its amazing they can hold the weight of records.
Yea, they’re basically made of thin air 🤪🎧 The still seem to hold up, remarkably. I have seen on some occasions that they bow in the middle a bit though.
did you put a URL or link in your previous comments/questions? YT now removes automatically any comment with a URL in it. That may be the reason why he didn't see it.
@@soundmatters it was about the MC pro phono danger got? I want to know if you can connect an mm cartridge to it? can you turn the gain off can you run it at 75 kohms?
@@jedi-mic If you plug a MM into a MC only phono stage, you will get distortion. They're designed to amplify the much smaller output signal of moving coil cartridges and so apply more gain (too much gain for MM carts).
Ekets too small! Gee thanks for crap reccomendation. Wasted money. Slightly too small for any records with tippon jackets. Why dont you try before you reccomend. Lame! Unsubscribed.
Jesus man. I can’t physically try EVERYTHING. You’re right. They are a bit too small, as another commenter pointed out, and I acknowledged. If that’s enough for you to unsubscribe to everything else I do, great, be on your way.
Back in 1984 I had my vinyl collection (3,500 albums) held in 35 record crates (in five different colours) which I stored on an Ikea expandable setup I bought. It was an open shelf design which suited my needs perfectly and went all along two walls (it had a corner unit). Incredibly sturdy and it took all that weight. Forty years on I still use a large part of it in my shed for all my gardening equipment. After a huge sell off and auctioning over the last 30 years (to fund my CD addiction), my vinyl collection is now around 150 albums... just absolute favourites and sentimental items. I now store them in three aluminium road cases.
😅I have a 5x5 kallax stuffed full. I came up with a solution to keep them organized at a specific depth instead of my previous wood stops. Amazon sells 13”sq fabric storage boxes. Turned on their sides the fit perfectly snug. This way, the records touch nothing but soft fabric, and have a fabric backing that keeps them totally dust free. In black they’re not even noticeable on a black kallax. I can then put LP framed LPs in front of more unused sections keeping everything nice and sealed while looking good!
Sounds good! You definitely need something to stop them from pushing back too far! Your approach is a different one. Thanks for sharing
IKEA sells them as well and I use them myself
@@tonyjedioftheforest1364the ikea ones are smaller (I have a few), the Amazon ones fit snug like a piston.
@@slidetek Hi there could you please give some more specific info on the product? Been looking for it and there are a bunch that might be it. Thanks!
On a somewhat related note, IKEA's Lunnarp side table makes an excellent hifi "rack." I put my power amp underneath, other electronics in the middle, and turntable on top. It's perfectly sized and quite stable.
Good to know. Thanks for sharing. Another space saving option!
I use the Fjallbo as a budget hi-fi rack - it works well and looks pretty good! Like you say, it's deep enough to accommodate a turntable, and a vintage receiver on the middle shelf.
A couple of simple mods that I did: I put some led strips (also from Ikea) behind the front "lip" of the top and middle shelves. That provides some subtle concealed lighting. I also had some translucent acrylic sheets cut to fit the inside of the bottom doors. That kind of "blurs" what's behind the doors, and along with the lighting provides a nice effect.
There are also other units in the Fjallbo line so you can expand your storage and still match the style.
That sounds really cool 👌 nice touch with the LEDs. I also like that subtle light in addition to the gooseneck led turntable light I have behind me in the videos. The door mod sounds like a good idea also. Happy spinning and thanks for sharing 🎶🎧
Great video, seems to be plenty of options with LP's.. albums... but as mainly a collector of 7" ..45s ... doesn't seem to be any on the market 😔
what do you consider for storage for 78's, 45's,ep's.?
I have a pax closet system one side has drawers and the other side adjustable shelves. The side with drawers has the spin clean on top and two shelves for vinyl storage. Works great.
Ah, interesting; a concealed setup. Thanks for sharing 🎶🎧
I have been using Billy bookcases with doors for record storage for years. Weigh a ton.
Well done on your 10k. And well deserved 😎
Thank you! Thanks to all of you for watching and subscribing 🙏🎶
Great guide. BTW. What do you think about nailing a 3 mm HDF board to the back to separate the Kallax from the wall (I have a 2.5 cm strip near the floor...). Will this work?
To stop records falling out the back? You could do that, or put small stops at the back. My new cabinet has stops, so is still open at the back but records don’t fall out. Thanks for watching 🎶
Check out the Besta storage system as well. Much like Eket but much more options.
Cool: will do. Thanks for adding 🎶🎧
I will check at Ikea to see if any options available for the height I am looking for. I want to put my turntable on top of the shelving and need it to be at chest level so that I can stand up straight and cue the records to avoid bending over so much. I am hoping some options will enable me to do this. It is very aggravating having to bend and stoop every time I put a record on. Thank you
Just bought a Eket. Them being slightly smaller than the Kallax is actually a huge deal. I can barely fit a 1LP with a outer sleeve in it, I'd have to shove it in. 2LPs are absolutely off the table
I’ve seen the Bestä lower drawer with vinyl records on pictures, I was thinking of giving it a try. Great suggestions! 👍🏼
you can also use Besta, especially with the "do your own" tool
I just won't use anything bigger than the 3x3 or 2x4 Kallax units for anything. Those feel reasonably stable and sturdy. The bigger ones seem to start getting some sway to them that I just don't care for.
I've seen some of the bigger ones bow in the middle a little. The wife has one in her office and that now has a minor bow. Nothing that looks like it would collapse, but still annoying.
I got the small VIHALS shelf. Perfect for two rows of record storage and even enough space for small amp and pre-amp on the top shelf. The back has a hole for passing cables. In my eyes much better looking than the clunky Kallax units.
EKET is actually not tall enough for records. I bought the single square version and returned it for a double square Kallax.
Come to look at it, it’s a little tight. 31.6cm inside, which may just squeeze some, but not ideal. Damn. I was thinking of getting a few for a wall display
@@soundmatters Yeah, it’s almost there but not quite. Some records by themselves will barely fit, but if you use plastic sleeves it’s too tight,
Damn. Seems off they wouldn't just make these the same size and the KALLAX. My bad for including this when it's tight at best
Same here. I bought one to test out and it is slightly too small. I did not take the width of the actual material into the length size, so the actual fit space is smaller than the lenght
It’s a shame. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t make these with similar dimensions to the KALLAX. My bad for mis-reading the measurements
Glorius Furniture is a European brand that offers the Record Rack 330. It sets on the floor with 2 cavities (shelves) stacked on top of each other and topped with a loose record storage on the top. Unit has a back for rigidity. White and black are your choices.
1980 I built a Philippine Mahogany Record storage table with cassette tape storage on each end while the shelf held about 250 records. Top held turntable and receiver with plenty of additional space. Unit sets on a pedestal base. Today the record shelf carries my PrimaLuna tube amplifier and preamp while the top has 2) CD players, tuner and a Crown XLi 1500 amp. This is a great piece of furniture edged in Ash and is stable as new. Records are going from boxes to units listed above.
Great video man , love the tips and ya grabbed another sub 👍
Thanks for watching! Welcome and enjoy the music 🎶🎧
You know, the record storage video I would like to see is one where the host goes through the process of engaging a carpenter to build custom shelves for record storage. It seems pretty obvious that no one really makes wall sized storage for LPs commercially. What you would do is go to a carpenter and go through the process of getting an estimate for the work. A carpenter might be willing to do this even if you are not yourself going to be buying custom shelving as a promotion for his particular shop. It seems to me the only difference between the process in the UK and the US would be the metric system, and every carpenter's estimate would be different regardless of where you were.
Geezer, you failed to mention the most important aspect of the Kallax. If you are going to use them stacked vertically, you MUST make sure they are secured to the wall.
Yea, they supply brackets for a reason, ay! 😬😨
That all depends on how you arrange them.
I've got a 2x4 and a 3x4 next to each other with a 1x4 on top and a 1x2 on top of that. I was going to attach it to the wall, but I found that the 4x1 overlapping on top of the two larger units next to each other, and the weight of the records pushing down, it holds everything together. I've had them like this for three years and they don't budge. It helps that they're on a flat wood floor.
On the other hand, I also have a 3x4 with a Frankensteined 2x4 on top which needed to be attached to the wall, otherwise it would've been swaying all over the shop.
@@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893 I don't have the courage to attempt that.
Come on dude. It’s Fjalbo - obviously 🤣🤣🤣.
Great and interesting vid, as always.
🤣🤣🤪 those crazy Swedish folk 😜🎶🎧
I was concerned about the wooden dowels supporting the weight of the records when I switched my Kallax unit horizontally. I watched a UA-cam video of a guy replacing the wooden dowels with stainless steel ones instead. I’ve copied this hack so fingers crossed.
Interesting. Let me know how you get on
The 2x4 Kallax with the proprietary steel undercarriage are ideal for turning into a DJ booth though. Put a bunch of clamp-mounted monitor platforms and you can fit a Denon MCX8000 or similar all-in-one DJ console and 2 turntables on there and 2 monitors with 8'' drivers (I have the Yamaha HS80M's, the older version of the HS8). 87cm in height. Ergonomically ideal if you're of average height (but even my mate who's 1.93 has no issues DJ-ing there comfortably).
And one can take it a step further: use standoffs to mount a piece of MDF (with a layer of primer and then a satin black finish on the visible side and attach an RGB LED strip in the open space in between. Perhaps have a large decal printed with your logo or that of your favourite record company (I have one of Überdruck Records) and stick it on there. Or even go the extra length and build a panel with a matte clear light diffusing front and LEDs built into it.
A killer DJ booth that would look in place even if it was Armin van Buuren DJ-ing there, for under 200 quid in materials and 3-4 hours of work. And can hold +/- 800 of your favourite maxi singles. Weight is not an issue due to the 2 storey height and the steel undercarriage.
Is there really evidence of Kallax collapse due to dowels failing? I’ve seen the infamous Kallax collapse photo but curious if anyone has actually had the dowels snap under the weight of records. Seems improbable.
I swear by my heavy duty Interrek GS-3 storage racks. They are flexible, you can customize them to fit any space and they are everlasting. I even climb into these racks if i want to reach the top shelve, super strong and secure! And best of all, really not that expensive :)
Sounds good! 🎶
I use the Kalliax four section. Less weight.
I had a similar unit for some time. Agree: 4 is a nice stable size 🎶🎧
Eket doesn´t work. A 12" record doesn´t fit on it. Great video!!
Yes: my bad, just a tad too small for many records. Another viewer pointed it out. It's a shame as I was looking at a few for my office.
I wasn't aware of that. I still keep my 1000+ LPs in red plastic milk boxes! 🙂
I just wouldn’t want my records out on shelves like this. Even in their polyethylene outers. I’ve been sold many a second hand record in an outer and yet dirt and dust still appears to collect in the corners and bottom edge. I think they need to be stored in a closed container. Whether it needs to be air tight, I can’t say at this moment. I like DJ boxes and also these rather affordable “Really Useful” 19L storage boxes. Maybe I could see sitting the Really Useful boxes on shelving units. It would be good if there was a solution which allowed the display and easy access to the records but did not allow much dust and debris in when idle.
You need to buy a metal shelving unit 36"long by 18" wide 35" tall wood crates 12"×18" for your vinyl records four crates per unit just replace the cheap wood it comes with can handle the weight.
great suggestions, but we all have more platters than can fit in two of those 70's style Stockholms stacked on each other ;)
Unfortunately, Kallax wins on price and ease... but like you said, its a bit boring.
Ha! Yea, they won't hold much. KALLAX are definitely popular for a reason: lots of storage for relatively low cost. I have no choice but to have mine stored across multiple locations around the house: (small British houses).
I use the Stockholm for placing the vinyl player and stereo on top and vinyl box sets inside, which rarely would fit in fx the Kallax.
It's amazing how well the Kallax hold up considering they're mostly made out of plastic.
The old Expedits which were basically the same were made from chipboard, but to save money Ikea designed the Kallax to do away with most of the wood and replace it with corrugated plastic. Its amazing they can hold the weight of records.
Yea, they’re basically made of thin air 🤪🎧 The still seem to hold up, remarkably. I have seen on some occasions that they bow in the middle a bit though.
I use Shelfstore. 60cm wide solid wood shelves have not deflected under full vinyl loading in 24 years.
I just use a DRÖNA
I've left you two comments now and you still haven't applied to my question I don't know why?
What question is this?
did you put a URL or link in your previous comments/questions? YT now removes automatically any comment with a URL in it. That may be the reason why he didn't see it.
@@brunohebert1351 No
@@soundmatters it was about the MC pro phono danger got? I want to know if you can connect an mm cartridge to it? can you turn the gain off can you run it at 75 kohms?
@@jedi-mic If you plug a MM into a MC only phono stage, you will get distortion. They're designed to amplify the much smaller output signal of moving coil cartridges and so apply more gain (too much gain for MM carts).
I have a Billy :)
They are going to collapse under the weight
Ekets too small! Gee thanks for crap reccomendation. Wasted money. Slightly too small for any records with tippon jackets. Why dont you try before you reccomend. Lame! Unsubscribed.
Jesus man. I can’t physically try EVERYTHING. You’re right. They are a bit too small, as another commenter pointed out, and I acknowledged. If that’s enough for you to unsubscribe to everything else I do, great, be on your way.
Ikea shelves suck. They are cheap and not solid, plus no back board.
Ikea kallax, record storage for karen's. 😂