Need a good equipment rack

PaulFolbrecht · « **on:** 23 Oct 2006, 02:48 pm »

I'm in the market for a new rack. Have been using cheap furniture as a rack for too long. Need four shelves, with top shelf at least 24" wide to support two tube monoblocks (they are wide).

Budget is around $1500 tops. Am consindering these strongly:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accsrack&1166268704

Any other ideas?? Thanks.

marvda1 · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 03:16 pm »

here's a nice rack for not a lot of money.
http://www.racksandstands.com/VTI-BL404-VI1001.html
they also have one with three legs for the same prive.

woodsyi · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 03:26 pm »

Quote from: PaulFolbrecht on 23 Oct 2006, 02:48 pm

I'm in the market for a new rack. Have been using cheap furniture as a rack for too long. Need four shelves, with top shelf at least 24" wide to support two tube monoblocks (they are wide).

Budget is around $1500 tops. Am consindering these strongly:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accsrack&1166268704

Any other ideas?? Thanks.

Paul,

I have those and they are excellent, especially if you couple them to a rock solid floor like a basement.

arthurs · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 03:49 pm »

Agree 100% on Adona, very good stuff, very good people to work with!

If you're interested in the VTI racks Marvin suggested, and live near Fort Worth TX, I have some in great shape you can have, just come by and get them.

JLM · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 04:10 pm »

I'd look into timbernation or deckert-ziegler@hotmail.com. Both do beautiful custom wooden racks for that price (or less). Mapleshade is another option that should fit in your price range. My vote goes to heavy/stiff racks, but the type of floor is the biggest factor. Are you on wooden or concrete floors? My advice is to isolate on wood and spike on concrete (preferred). Getting the isolation right on wood floors is a crap shoot with the different frequencies involved. Much quackery exists with racks and isolation products.

Most vibrations are transmitted via the floor (contact between solids). Vibrations transmitted via the air are minimal at "normal" sound pressure levels. Exposed tubes mounted to light weight chassis are the worst. Open racks won't help air borne vibrations (unless they're in another room).

miklorsmith · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 04:35 pm »

Squishy amphibian!

http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/mfglisting.asp?hdnMfg=Salamander+Designs&MFGID=107

I got these to replace my crappo homebuilt "racks". Check out all the options!

I went with the maple finish and the mesh steel sides and door. The mesh is transparent to remotes and looks really cool. The frosted glass looks neat too.

Mine is in a carpeted basement. I got casters and laid down some ceramic tiles on top of the carpet. So, I can tuck the rack against the wall and roll it out to get at the cables behind. It's pretty slick.

They're also somewhat affordable, very solid construction, and all the shelves are adjustable. If you're packing the rack tight, adjustable shelves are a must. They come flat-packed, but with decent instructions and are not tough to build.

I've bought a lot of stuff from Audio Advisor and they've always been good to me, to boot.

tvad4 · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 04:40 pm »

I also use a Salamander Synergy cabinet and I love it. Infintely adjustable shelves are a great feature. I replaced a couple of shelves with custom Neuance platforms. Perfect.

One note of caution. My cabinet arrived with some damaged pieces. The replacement pieces were packed incorrectly and also had to be returned. All in all it took over two months to get everything correct. The dealer told me this was not uncommon for Salamander.

One alternative is the racking from Adona Corp. They utilize the same posts and shelving supports.

accentstryping · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 05:20 pm »

VTI works for me, You can also have marble slabs cut to size (locally) to place on top of the shelves unless of course, you just want to spend money.
I look at audio this way, what kind of resale value do these items (whatever) have? Are people willing to spend 60-70% of new for a used item? Are there more effective ways to spend your audio money?
If you really want to spend money try JM Sound they have some bitchin $$ racks that they can't sell.
Maybe you could work a deal.
MMM

Carlman · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 05:48 pm »

Quote from: accentstryping on 23 Oct 2006, 05:20 pm

VTI works for me, You can also have marble slabs cut to size (locally) to place on top of the shelves unless of course, you just want to spend money...

Oooo! That's me, that's me! I WANT to spend money! I live for it! What's more is I want to waste time trying to find shelves (maybe even with doors) that look nice and can support the marble, then measure it all, go find some marble place on the other side of town an hour away, plan to get it, deal with it, etc. Who knows, it may all work out on the first try and I'll get a rack that looks nice and works perfectly... but it probably won't... so it's a rinse and repeat to get it right... I LOVE to waste time almost as much as I like to just spend money but sometimes I'd rather just get recommendations for what I'm trying to find.

Well looky there, I can be sarcastic too!

accentstryping · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 06:54 pm »

Did I hit a nerve there Carl?, my bad. Guess that just goes to show you, theirs a but for every seat.

Regards,
MMM

Joules · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 07:27 pm »

You can get the exact same material that the Adona rack is made from for about 7 dollars per foot, cut to length, from here http://www.8020.net/
You can get a 75lb 12" X 18" X 3" thick Granite surface plate for about 28 dollars from here http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=640-0120&PMPXNO=949402&PARTPG=INLMK3

tvad4 · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 07:44 pm »

Quote from: Joules on 23 Oct 2006, 07:27 pm

You can get the exact same material that the Adona rack is made from for about 7 dollars per foot, cut to length, from here http://www.8020.net/
You can get a 75lb 12" X 18" X 3" thick Granite surface plate for about 28 dollars from here http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=640-0120&PMPXNO=949402&PARTPG=INLMK3

Hey, that's great! Do you have a source for the cross supports, assembly hardware, casters, and shelf supports?

Joules · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 07:59 pm »

You can make X cross suports from the 8020 stuff $$$$
I made X supports from Hard maple bords from home depot
Assembly hardware comes from 8020 also.
8020 has casters that mount right to the ends of there channel material.
I built a three shelf Adona ripoff as above for about $350

tvad4 · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 08:14 pm »

The DIY route is certainly a good option for those handy folks with lots of time and patience.

Personally, I'd gladly pay the $850 for a professionally built Adona 3 shelf unit that I won't have to spend an entire weekend cobbling together, and that won't look nearly as good as the Adona version (based on my craftsmanship).

My 5 shelf Salamander cabinet with doors and sides cost around $1100...maybe $1200. It's in our living room, and it doesn't look like an audio rack. I consider that some of the wisest audio money I've spent.

arthurs · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 08:17 pm »

Adona shelves are not just slabs, there is an MDF layer and a proprietary material layer as well, FWIW. As Tvad pointed out, there's also the aesthetics factor to consider.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 08:17 pm »

Quote from: Joules on 23 Oct 2006, 07:27 pm

You can get a 75lb 12" X 18" X 3" thick Granite surface plate for about 28 dollars from here http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=640-0120&PMPXNO=949402&PARTPG=INLMK3

I was always told that granite and marble "ring", and are not well-suited for using as platforms for audio gear. As such, I have always recommended maple for folks looking for inexpensive alternatives....

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 08:21 pm »

I just ordered from Timbernation their 6 shelf audio rack and having Chris making a custom video rack also . You might want to ask him to do it in the warm cherry stain that I sent him. He called and said the stain was one of the best and most beautiful finishes he has used.
The price is within your budget and has a wonderful look. I will post some picks in about 2 weeks when they arrive.
http://www.timbernation.com/ampstand_PopUp.cfm

toobluvr · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 08:38 pm »

Quote from: Joules on 23 Oct 2006, 07:27 pm

You can get a 75lb 12" X 18" X 3" thick Granite surface plate for about 28 dollars from here http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=640-0120&PMPXNO=949402&PARTPG=INLMK3

And don't forget to add almost double that for shipping!

I have one of the larger ones (18x24x3) and lemme tell ya, movin' that thing around is no fun...154 lbs of back bustin', hernia inducing dead weight!

I got mine from Grizzly:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G9654

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 09:29 pm »

Wow, lots of opinions on this. Great! I am still leaning towards Adona! May order tomorrow. We'll see.

Thanks for the replies.

toobluvr · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Oct 2006, 09:51 pm »

This one might have potential:

http://www.nysound.com/exec/servlet/CategoryServlet?action=productdetail&itemID=ent-2313-01005&formID=0

Details are sketchy, so it's impossible to discern the design, or quality of parts and construction.
It appears to be aluminum alloy and wood. If the wood is solid, or something like butcher block, it is a screaming deal. But if price alone is a reliable quality cue, this is probably low quality.

If you do look into it and get some info, be sure to let us know. If it is indeed well-made, I'm sure others here would be interested in something this cheap.

Some other options from the same vendor, all low cost:

http://www.nysound.com/exec/servlet/CategoryServlet?action=shopping&category=27