Any Bell'O rack owners? Danger Will Robinson!
Comments
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I say you get Dr. Smith and The Robot and head over to Bell'O!I got static in my head
The reflected sound of everything -
At the VERY least they could have offered to replace his shelf holders so he could continue to use the rack
I think you missed the part where I said they're going to be sending me new shelf clips. Assuming they're still available, which apparently there's some question of. I hope the replacements have been redesigned. If I keep using this thing I'm probably going to engineer some kind of failsafe mechanism.
My biggest problem is that the company doesn't seem to particularly care that one of their products failed spectacularly. Their first response was "please provide proof of warranty" and their second response was "we don't see the big deal here, but have some shelf clips if you insist."
I wasn't looking for them to pay me damages or send me a new rack (although I have high regard for companies that send replacements as a goodwill gesture.) I guess I was just expecting more of an attitude of "This is a very serious issue you've brought to our attention, lets talk about what happened and how we can address it." -
Oh man, that bites. As anal as I am, I'd have to sell everything and start over.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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You know, I'm a little glad they didn't offer to send me a new rack. Look at their current model:
http://bello.com/images/products/AT-423B_Naked.jpg
Awesome support there.Oh man, that bites. As anal as I am, I'd have to sell everything and start over.
If you'd like to pay my way, I'll do the same thing. :biggrin: -
that sucks about your gear. Seems odd to me how they responded. Most people keep racks around longer than the warranty period. Its not like every year I'm going to run out and buy a new one, but when you do want one you remember what you like.
I had almost bought a used Bello a year or two ago and glad I didn't. -
Awesome support there.
Looks like the same clips.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Ouch! That design looks like it's inherently unsafe with only three clips holding up the entire weight of each shelf and no fail safe way to prevent a shelf from moving forward. I had some Bell'O racks some years ago but sold them because I found having audio gear on glass racks didn't perform as well sound-wise as having the gear on wooden racks. I had no concerns about safety with the ones I had, but their products are more designed for style than function.
Anyway, the Bell'O racks I had were the type with fixed shelf positions with metal slots in the rear pillar for the glass shelves to go into and permanent resting points in the front and side pillars. Plastic clips held the glass in place inside the slots in the central pillar. The ones I had were very solid racks and very safe. The tempered glass they used was thick and strong and the wood and metal parts of very high quality. The retail price was much higher though. They can design them well. Looks like they certainly screwed up on this one. The quality seems to be about on par with what's sold at WalMart. -
If you didn't like the looks of the assembly, why did you keep it? Just curious.If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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If you didn't like the looks of the assembly, why did you keep it? Just curious.
It was a gift. And I didn't think it would fail. -
Got the new clips in the mail today. They appear identical to the old ones.
One problem--the rep on the phone mention some models had their clips riveted on, but I said thought mine had screws. I went to the rack today and it turns out my clips are all held on by hollow flat-head pop-rivets. Aluminum pop-rivets. Part of the failure may have been because they started to stretch out and let the clips pull away from the uprights.
Well, I have no easy repair option and I wouldn't trust aluminum rivets in any case, so I think I'm going to use my own ideas now. I like the idea of putting a solid subframe under each shelf. -
Duct tape...and lots of it! Duct tape can fix anything.John in MA wrote: »Well, I have no easy repair option and I wouldn't trust aluminum rivets in any case, so I think I'm going to use my own ideas now.
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The brackets broke at their "chain's weakest link", and that being the span that has a big, gaping hole through it for the rivet. I wouldn't reuse the same pot metal brackets. Make your own out of aluminum angle or channel and then anodize them or just buff them.
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http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.phpbobman1235 wrote:I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments. -
I'm thinking about either **** or welding a T-shaped bracket together. It would span the front of the rack, with the "I" going back to the rear mounting point. That'd keep the shelves from going anywhere pretty well.
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Personally, I'd invest the time/money in a more substantially built rack than try to jigger something to try and make it work and 'hopefully' not eff your equipment again.comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
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Personally, I'd invest the time/money in a more substantially built rack than try to jigger something to try and make it work and 'hopefully' not eff your equipment again.
Agreed. This time go for something that is all wood. or even metal.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
Got an email from the CPSC today. They accepted my complaint and notified Bello about it. Doubt anything'll happen but it feels good.
Yeah, I'm not sticking with this thing. Shame to waste such a pretty piece of hardware, but I value my life. -
I have personally used Bello racks and the actual one you own and had a problem with. From the pictures I see you Installed the shelf supports the wrong way. You put the screw end on the stop of the shelf and the flat non screw side on the bottom.
I never had any problems with that rack or any Bello product including the one I owned which was a higher end model. We also had that very rack on our showroom for many years and have swapped out gear left and right with no problems.
I'm sorry this happened to you.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
well part of it has to do with the cables being so tight that one problem compromised the other shelves.
regardless of what he does, he should leave some slack in the lines to prevent this from happening again.comment comment comment comment. bitchy. -
Here is a few old shots from my Bello rack , I had it pretty loaded up.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I have the identical rack that mantis has (see above) and couldn't be happier with it. I got it off craigslist for $40.00. I will say that the supports for the glass shelves are hard plastic balls bolted into the frame. Seems pretty sturdy but taking no chances. I put my onkyo m-508 on the bottom glass shelf with 2x4 support under the glass. I didn't think the glass shelf could handle the 55 lbs of amp without additional support. I hope the new support clips work out better for ya...
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I have the identical rack that mantis has (see above) and couldn't be happier with it. I got it off craigslist for $40.00. I will say that the supports for the glass shelves are hard plastic balls bolted into the frame. Seems pretty sturdy but taking no chances. I put my onkyo m-508 on the bottom glass shelf with 2x4 support under the glass. I didn't think the glass shelf could handle the 55 lbs of amp without additional support. I hope the new support clips work out better for ya...
See that B&K on that shelf? It weighs 55 lbs and the shelf didn't budge.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I have personally used Bello racks and the actual one you own and had a problem with. From the pictures I see you Installed the shelf supports the wrong way. You put the screw end on the stop of the shelf and the flat non screw side on the bottom.
I can't quite make out what you're saying, but I set it up according to whatever paperwork I had at the time. Screws on the bottom. That's how the current small Bello rack goes, too. Manual:
http://www.bello.com/images/products/AT423B_AI_M1_121409v1T_Ltr.pdf
I like the look of the rack in your pictures a lot better than mine.well part of it has to do with the cables being so tight that one problem compromised the other shelves.
regardless of what he does, he should leave some slack in the lines to prevent this from happening again.
I had enough slack in the cables for working purposes. At least a foot. A collapse wasn't really on my mind then. -
It truly amazes me that the Bell'O people don't seem to care how this type of story can spread throughout the audio world via the internet and forums. I would'a thought they'd have overnighted John in MA a brand new unit with profuse apologies and a check to cover damages to his gear. They may soon wish they had done just that.
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Has this thread 'spread throughout the audio world' that I'm unaware of?
The bottom line is that while what happened sucks, the company is not responsible for warranty of a 7-8 year old unit, let alone the equipment involved....try using that argument on a home, car, or just about anything else and see how far you'd get.
I would take the new clips and make the decision to keep or scrap the unit and invest in something that has a more sturdy design, and if keeping with the current unit, I'd leave MORE slack in the lines so if one falls, the rest aren't all yanked down. Ultimately, one clip broke, but the cable tension pulling on the above shelves brought the others down, so is that really Bell'Os issue?comment comment comment comment. bitchy. -
John in MA wrote: »I can't quite make out what you're saying, but I set it up according to whatever paperwork I had at the time. Screws on the bottom. That's how the current small Bello rack goes, too. Manual:
http://www.bello.com/images/products/AT423B_AI_M1_121409v1T_Ltr.pdf
I like the look of the rack in your pictures a lot better than mine.
I had enough slack in the cables for working purposes. At least a foot. A collapse wasn't really on my mind then.
That PDF is for a completely different rack , I'm gonna assume you went over the max weight on the shelf that broke. Again I'm sorry this happened to you ,I can't stand to see any gear get damaged but I have Installed that exact rack for many many years and never once had one break. Things happen and it sucks.
I always put the screws on top as I felt it seems stronger that way. The screws are just there to keep the shelf from sliding forward. If you get new ones , please Install them with the screws on top going down on the shelf. This way you will have all metal bottom.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
It truly amazes me that the Bell'O people don't seem to care how this type of story can spread throughout the audio world via the internet and forums. I would'a thought they'd have overnighted John in MA a brand new unit with profuse apologies and a check to cover damages to his gear. They may soon wish they had done just that.
I'm positive this is a rare case here. I have installed hundreds of these racks and never once had one fall apart or break. Bello makes high quality furniture for Av gear and in all my years in the business never once did I see any Bello stand of any kind fail.
If your concerned about Bello furniture , do a search on line I bet you will be hard pressed to find many broken ones due to manufactures fault.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Wow I almost couldn't look at the photos :frown: Not sure if Bello really has responcibility here due to the age of the rack but it really should have lasted longer IMO. This will keep me from buying anything Bello.
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Has this thread 'spread throughout the audio world' that I'm unaware of?
The bottom line is that while what happened sucks, the company is not responsible for warranty of a 7-8 year old unit, let alone the equipment involved....try using that argument on a home, car, or just about anything else and see how far you'd get.
I would take the new clips and make the decision to keep or scrap the unit and invest in something that has a more sturdy design, and if keeping with the current unit, I'd leave MORE slack in the lines so if one falls, the rest aren't all yanked down. Ultimately, one clip broke, but the cable tension pulling on the above shelves brought the others down, so is that really Bell'Os issue?
I never said Bello should absolutely be responsible for this, which is why I'm not storming the company's gates like other people would like to see. I'm simply describing my negative experience.
A. It's a poorly engineered unit for the price. The materials used for the clips/rivets are weak and undersized, and there's no positive retention for the shelves. These shelves are literally 1/2" away from falling to the ground and only friction provided by a plastic screen against smooth glass keeps them from moving. The shelves weren't pulled down by the full weight of the amp on its cables. The upper shelf got jerked forward a tiny bit and that's when everything came down. The clips seem to have loosened with age.
B. When dealing with makers of fancy consumer goods (not counting houses, cars, etc) I'm not used to this kind of attitude when there's a problem. The only communication I had back from Bello was "Why should we care?" Most companies I've dealt with were at least interested in hearing about my problems.That PDF is for a completely different rack , I'm gonna assume you went over the max weight on the shelf that broke. Again I'm sorry this happened to you ,I can't stand to see any gear get damaged but I have Installed that exact rack for many many years and never once had one break. Things happen and it sucks.
I always put the screws on top as I felt it seems stronger that way. The screws are just there to keep the shelf from sliding forward. If you get new ones , please Install them with the screws on top going down on the shelf. This way you will have all metal bottom.
I posted that PDF because it's the only one I could find for a glass-shelved Bello rack. My amp is 28 pounds. The shelves are rated for 55. Both the zinc clips and the aluminum rivets show damage. I don't like that design. -
I'm afraid that you don't have an understanding about liability issues and how they are completely unrelated to "warranty periods" Ever seen a product recall on an older product that's well out of warranty? As far as "spread" well......I am one who, on the basis of the pics & story, will NEVER purchase anything from Look out Below Bell'O.
Has this thread 'spread throughout the audio world' that I'm unaware of?
The bottom line is that while what happened sucks, the company is not responsible for warranty of a 7-8 year old unit, let alone the equipment involved....try using that argument on a home, car, or just about anything else and see how far you'd get.
I would take the new clips and make the decision to keep or scrap the unit and invest in something that has a more sturdy design, and if keeping with the current unit, I'd leave MORE slack in the lines so if one falls, the rest aren't all yanked down. Ultimately, one clip broke, but the cable tension pulling on the above shelves brought the others down, so is that really Bell'Os issue? -
OK, enough with the arguing.
After a thorough examination, I couldn't find any time-efficient way of making this a failure-proof rack. But...I found a deal on an awesome 7-shelf Salamander w/bottom drawer on Craigslist. The guy's delivering it tomorrow.
If I break that thing I'll bloody well deserve it.
