Measure your deepest component, add room behind it for connectors and cable bends, and treat that number as the minimum interior depth. Then check four things in order: can heat get out, can you reach the back, will the shelf hold the weight, and is the bay tall enough for the component with its feet on.
Every B&A console is 22 inches deep overall with closed gear enclosures between 19.5 and 20.5 inches deep and 19.75 inches wide, and each one is built to order, so a width or a layout can be changed before it is made.
Start with depth, not width
Width is the number people shop on, because it is the number that has to match the wall. Depth is the number that decides whether the door closes. A full-size stereo amplifier or an AV receiver is commonly 15 to 18 inches deep on its own, and then the cables behind it need somewhere to go. Speaker cable with a spade or banana termination, a stiff power cord, and an HDMI plug all want a few inches behind the chassis before they bend.
So the working figure is not the component depth. It is component depth plus connector depth plus the bend radius of the stiffest cable you own. If you measure only the box, you will end up with a console whose doors will not shut and blame the furniture.
| Model | Overall | Each gear enclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Majestic | 70 or 82 w × 22 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 17.25 h × 20.25 d |
| Monarch | 70 or 82 w × 24 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 17.25 h × 20.25 d |
| Horizon | 72 or 82 w × 24 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 19.375 h × 20.5 d |
| Haven | 72 or 82 w × 26 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 20.5 h × 20.5 d |
| Pennington | 74 or 84 w × 22 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 16.75 h × 19.5 d |
Depth on B&A consoles does not vary by model; height does. If your components are tall rather than deep, the model you want is the one with the tallest bay.
Then check that heat has a way out
A closed cabinet with a class A/B amplifier in it will run warmer than the room. What matters is not how many holes a cabinet has but whether air can enter low, pass the equipment, and leave high, and whether the back is open enough not to trap it.
B&A consoles ship with four adjustable vented wood shelves and removable vented back panels, with vented bottoms on the Monarch and Pennington, and an AC Infinity AIRPLATE thermostat-controlled fan system can be built in at order time. There is more on airflow in the ventilation guide.
Ask how you will reach the back in two years
Rear access is the feature people appreciate later. A sealed back means every change to your system is a furniture-moving exercise. A removable back panel means you take one panel off and work.
On the Majestic, Haven and Horizon the vented back panels come off without tools. On the Monarch and Pennington the back panels and bottoms are removable and vented as well. All five have grommeted wire chase holes through the bottom and divider panels so cable can move between bays without going around the outside of the cabinet. The cable management guide covers how to lay that out.
Check the weight numbers before the finish
Amplifiers are heavy, and the shelf they sit on is the part that has to be right. B&A publishes its capacities rather than leaving them to be discovered:
| Surface | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Top | 200 lb |
| Bottom shelf | 95 lb |
| Adjustable shelf | 60 lb |
| Drawer | 25 lb |
A heavy amplifier belongs on the bottom shelf, which is rated at 95 lb, not on a 60 lb adjustable shelf. If your amplifier is heavier than the bottom shelf rating, say so in your enquiry before you order rather than after.
Adjustable beats fixed, and vented beats solid
Fixed shelves force your system into the furniture's idea of a component stack. Adjustable shelves let you give the amplifier the space it needs and squeeze the streamer. Vented shelves let convection do its work between bays rather than stopping it at each level.
All five B&A models come with four adjustable vented wood shelves as standard, and the shelves are customer-installed on arrival, so you set the spacing after the console is in the room and you can see the gear.
Material matters, but not for the reason you have read
Solid hardwood and engineered panel behave differently under load and over time, and the honest comparison is longer than a slogan. It is set out in solid wood vs MDF. B&A builds tops, bottoms, end panels, dividers, fixed centre shelves, door frames and drawer fronts from solid American 4/4 walnut, cherry or ash, uses solid soft maple for drawer boxes, and uses cabinet-grade veneer plywood where a wide flat panel is the right engineering answer: adjustable shelves, removable back panels and drawer bottoms.
When a standard width stops working
If the alcove is 64 inches, no 70 inch console fits, and no amount of choosing will change that. If your amplifier is 21 inches deep, the bay has to be built for it. Every B&A console is made to order, so width, layout and interior spacing can be set before the build starts. See when to order a custom media console.
Frequently asked
How deep should a media console be for audio equipment?
Measure the deepest component, then add room behind it for connectors and cable bends. B&A gear enclosures are 19.5 to 20.5 inches deep depending on the model, in a cabinet 22 inches deep overall.
Which B&A console has the tallest equipment bay?
The Haven, at 20.5 inches of interior height per enclosure. The Horizon is 19.375 inches, the Majestic and Monarch 17.25 inches, and the Pennington 16.75 inches.
How much weight can a B&A media console shelf hold?
The published capacities are 200 lb on the top, 95 lb on the bottom shelf, 60 lb on an adjustable shelf and 25 lb in a drawer. These are the same on every model.
Talk to the person who builds them
Send your component list and the space you have. Brian will tell you which console fits, or whether it needs to be built to a different size.
Figures on this page are B&A's own published specifications, taken from the current product pages and the ordering and warranty terms. Equipment clearances should always be taken from your own component manuals.