Does your Audio/Video system get so hot you could fry an egg? Does your entertainment system cabinet restrict air flow? As with computers, heat is right at the top of the list for reasons A/V components fail. If you are looking for a solution, Antec has heard your cries for help and have come up with a simple, yet elegant looking solution; the Veris A/V Cooler.

     The Veris A/V Cooler is a component sized device that can sit on, or sit in-between audio/video components to help increase air flow which in turn helps keep A/V components cooler. The A/V cooler is all black plastic with a metal top and rubber feet to help keep the unit in place as well as match the looks of most audio/video components.

Features:

     The Antec solution is very simple with only 2 parts, the cooler and the power adapter. There is nothing else to install or setup. You simply unpack the device and place it either on top off or in-between audio/video components.

     In the bottom of the A/V Cooler you will find a pair of 80mm cooling fans that suck the hot air from the A/V component and blow the hot air out the back of the unit.

     Above is another close up of the cooling fans. Two 80mm fans appear to work okay, but there is plenty of room for larger fans, such as a pair of 120mm low RPM cooling fans. I would have liked to have seen larger fans here to move more air, but this design does work nicely.

     In the back of the A/V Cooler you can see 4 air ports and then the power port in the center. To my disappointment, the Veris A/V cooler is nearly all plastic and feels cheaply made. The only metal I could find in the unit beside the screws is the metal plate in the top. From the pictures the unit appears to be of very high quality, but unfortunately I didn't get that impression once I gave it a closer inspection.

Here's another shot of the air ports in the rear.

     In the front of the A/V cooler is a 3-position switch with LOW - OFF - HIGH settings. There is also a nice looking blue light above the switch that let's you know when the unit is on. Once in a stack of A/V components, the Veris A/V Cooler fits right in and looks very professional.

Testing & Conclusion

     For testing the Veris A/V Cooler I placed the unit on top of my JVC receiver, which literally could probably cook an egg, some bacon and maybe even an entire rack of lamb if I left it on long enough. Seriously though, the receiver gets extremely hot, especially inside my oak entertainment center. After warming up the receiver and the cabinet for 1 hour, the Antec Veris A/V Cooler was ready to show what it can do... 

     The A/V Cooler seems to work fairly well but the problem with my entertainment system is lack of air flow. I'm sure these results would be much better with a cabinet or entertainment center with better air flow. An A/V cooler inside a restrictive cabinet can only do so much.

     As for the noise level, the A/V Cooler is nearly undetectable in low, but on the high the fans are quite loud and even create vibration within the cooler itself. Not a good selling point for sure. The cheaper quality of the cooler is also a major factor in the sound because the plastic case appears to amplify the sound even more. Fan vibration is also a major concern. A/V manufacturers have spent many years researching and developing anti vibration and sound dampening technology and all of that time and money could be spent in vain by adding a device that actually introduces vibration to your A/V components. Then we have the price... I have always been a big Antec supporter and their computer cases are top notch, but this thing just doesn't live up to the Antec standards I've come to know and love. The Veris  A/V Cooler looks nice, but feels cheap, sounds cheap, and costs way too much for what you get. Antec had a great idea here, but blew it with the cheap plastic and noisy cooling fans. I believe a similar unit with more metal and 120mm low RPM cooling fans would be a better solution. The Veris A/V Cooler would work fine in a low budget A/V system, but if you are looking for a high quality device for your high quality A/V system, keep looking. Sorry Antec, it's back to the drawing board with this one...

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Performance:	3 out of 5
Innovation:	3 out of 5
Quality:	2 out of 5
Stability:	N/A
Aesthetics:	4 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	1 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5