With the popularity of the format and increasing amount of companies manufacturing products for it, few quality options are available to brandish and protect your Eurorack instrument. Most are plywood, or chipboard and tolex, and don’t possess the style and craftsmanship of the traditional 5U and Buchla formats. Finding an attractive, hand-made case for my studio became a frustrating task until I stumbled on a company called Art For the Ears.

Owned and operated by Dave Solursh in Collingwood, Ontario, Art For the Ears creates well-designed, distinctive cases to house your instrument. His cases range from dovetail skiffs, to a unique boat-style system [shipped flat and assembled by the user], to one-of-a-kind custom made cases. I opted for the 6U “Liberty” case.

The Liberty arrives flat and incredibly compact. Detailed instructions walk through the assembly process, building 2 aluminum boats that the Liberty cheeks bolt into. The cheeks are solid wood, finished with oil and wax, and available in Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Mahogany, Poplar, Ash, and Jatoba. I opted for Walnut. It's dark, lush, and cut with laser precision. Dave offers incredible customer support for help in choosing as well as the assembly process.

Art for the Ears also manufactures a power solution for their cases, consisting of a row power module [Flower Power] and bus board. Their supplies use high-end switching regulators with internal short protection. They have extremely low ripple, and are up to 97% efficient. Microfit 3 Molex connection wire is used to connect to the bus board, which can fit through the grill holes of the boats, enabling them to share power.

The Liberty case is small enough for the beginner [6U, 104hp], but still leaves plenty of room to grow into. In the event you do outgrow the case, additional boats and hardware can be purchased to expand your case into the 9U Goo or 12U Hexy. With the exception of the dovetail skiffs, all Art for the Ears parts are interchangeable, allowing you to create a customized studio case that’s right for you.

The Liberty is a great solution for anyone looking for a first-rate case for their Eurorack instrument. With quality materials, skillful workmanship, unique designs, and great customer service, I highly recommend Art for the Ears.

Price: Available upon request

artfortheears.com