Audio Racks, real improvement?

Sam-fi · « **on:** 20 Jan 2011, 02:23 am »

Do audio racks really make an improvement to your gear and overall system performance? Anyone with experience with this have some philosophy or common sense to drop on the subject?

For someone looking to purchase their first rack what are some of the brands that offer a good value to performance ratio?

Thanks,
Sam

Gopher · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 02:36 am »

I don't have much experience with nice racks, but I will say that building sandboxes for some tube SET monoblocks made a large difference to my ears. Getting an inexpensive Target turntable wall mount has also yielded positive benefits, though I don't know how the heck I'm gonna get it out of the wall when I move as I stripped a couple screws installing it!

kgturner · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 02:46 am »

Quote from: Gopher on 20 Jan 2011, 02:36 am

I don't have much experience with nice racks...

Don't let your wife read that. *rimshot*

Kevin T

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 04:45 am »

Quote

Do audio racks really make an improvement to your gear and overall system performance? Anyone with experience with this have some philosophy or common sense to drop on the subject?

Yes they do....here's what to look for...

Must be sturdy with strong shelves.

Must have a useable inside shelf depth of at least 20 inches.

Spiked feet will isolate vibrations.

You might find this thread interesting....(a DIY rack)

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=63111.0

Sanus makes some nice racks....but avoid glass shelves...

Tyson · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 04:56 am »

Get a rack that is enclosed (with an open back) and either solid wood front doors or frosted glass. Makes it MUCH easier to swap gear in and out without the SO noticing...

Wasatch · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 05:17 am »

Checkout Sanus, and Quadraspire.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 05:29 am »

Quote from: Tyson on 20 Jan 2011, 04:56 am

Get a rack that is enclosed (with an open back) and either solid wood front doors or frosted glass. Makes it MUCH easier to swap gear in and out without the SO noticing...

..........

A good company for that product is Salamander...

Tyson · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 05:36 am »

Salamander is what I use - Looks like furniture, supports the habit

JLM · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 03:01 pm »

Except for excessive loudness or turntables on bouncy floors (footfalls or transfer of speaker vibration) the effect audio racks might have on system performance is minimal.

rbwalt · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 03:25 pm »

a good rack is a must!! try to stay away from ones that use MDF for shelfs. a good solid and thick self is a must. i had a old target rack that i used for a long time and last summer i was able to get my hands on a used room tunes rack.it made a nice difference.much more stable and solid and better resonance control( less vibration). check out under systems( rbwalt) to see my rack.

rob.

woodsyi · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 03:27 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 20 Jan 2011, 03:01 pm

Except for excessive loudness or turntables on bouncy floors (footfalls or transfer of speaker vibration) the effect audio racks might have on system performance is minimumal.

It's not so "minimumal" when you use tubes. I got lucky and got Adona racks before he discovered A'gon. He was local then and was just launching his business. I may have been the first "audiophile" to discover him. His price more than doubled since. The leveling and height adjustability of individual shelves and solidity I get by spiking the massive rack down to concrete on my basement floor make this a winner for me.

davidrs · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 04:32 pm »

Quote from: Sam-fi on 20 Jan 2011, 02:23 am

Do audio racks really make an improvement to your gear and overall system performance?

For someone looking to purchase their first rack what are some of the brands that offer a good value to performance ratio?

Sam,

Properly designed Audio racks and platforms or other isolation approaches do make a difference.

Unfortunately, most good solutions can be pricey unless you go the diy route.

If you can afford a good quality audio rack, by all means do so. If you don't want to spend your cash on a dedicated stand, a less expensive solution (like existing furniture) with reasonably priced isolation devices under your components (and furniture legs or base) is a good option.

Something as simple as good quality plywood cutouts for your speakers or monitor stands to sit on is a great place to start.

- David.

BrysTony · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Jan 2011, 07:26 pm »

I like the racks from Billy Bags -- they are well made with many different models and you can vary the dimensions to fit your particular needs.

http://billybags.com/index.html

Tony

Wasatch · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Jan 2011, 01:36 am »

Consider racks as a piece of gear.

JLM · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 Jan 2011, 05:56 pm »

Sorry for the miss-spelling.

I stand by my premise that racks have a "minimal" impact on the quality of sound reproduction in most systems (excluding turntables and/or bouncy/soft floors).

First, IME most audio racks are grossly overpriced based on content. I have solid cherry Harden brand furniture in the living room, dining room, and master bedroom; discount furniture in the family room and kids bedrooms; and whatever I want in the mancave/listening room (a mix of $2,500 leather chair/ottoman, down to my $30 Ikea nightstands). So I know something about furniture.

But over-the-top looks isn't unusual in audio. The finish I saw on the Salk Soundscape speakers make my nice cherry furniture look like hillbilly trash. And we’ve all seen massive metal faceplates on electronics. My gripe with audio racks is that most look like sleazy disco/ghetto leftovers and that they charge an arm and a leg for it.

Secondly IME this boils down to a budgeting question. Racks are purely an accessory, not a basic component (not needed for the system to function). In the real world that I live in, it boils down to a question of how much “bang for the buck” would spending extra money add in terms of sound quality? For example in my tube/solid state digital only system (that would retail for around $6,500 U.S.D., which I suppose is roughly an average system here at AC) does it really make sense to put another $500 into rack versus a better DAC or amp? Not IME.

To be honest it seems to me that WAF is what drives most of what is spent on racks.

Sam-fi · « **Reply #15 on:** 26 Jan 2011, 09:33 pm »

I currently have a turntable that sits on a thick cardboard box and a tube amp that sits on the floor. My floor is quite sturdy but I am afraid that the bass (of which my speakers have plenty) is causing distortion.

I have opted for a VTI rack. In my research they seem to be a much better bang for the buck then salamander and produce some pretty nice racks that are isolated by spikes on each tier. I will be excited to report my results this Friday when it gets here.

Thank you all for your help
sam

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 Jan 2011, 04:28 am »

Quote

I will be excited to report my results this Friday when it gets here.

Please do that....thanks and good luck.

Toon · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 12:57 am »

A mate of mine has a serious system, which was sited on a very expensive rack. As he has a concrete floor, was running CD-only and already owned a very heavy and solid wooden sideboard to move the gear to, he decided to free up funds by selling the rack, figuring it probably wasn't doing much. Nobody who heard the total and utter collapse of the soundstage that resulted would ever doubt the value of a top flight rack in a high end system, even in favourable circumstances where vibrational interference might not be thought much of an issue. Once returned to the rack, the system's previous performance was immediately restored.

That said, getting a rack to perform requires some serious science/engineering/materials; most of the affordable racks are built for looks rather than performance, so it's not surprising that experiences vary.

Delta Wave · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 01:28 am »

Quote from: Sam-fi on 26 Jan 2011, 09:33 pm

I currently have a turntable that sits on a thick cardboard box and a tube amp that sits on the floor. My floor is quite sturdy but I am afraid that the bass (of which my speakers have plenty) is causing distortion.

I have opted for a VTI rack. In my research they seem to be a much better bang for the buck then salamander and produce some pretty nice racks that are isolated by spikes on each tier. I will be excited to report my results this Friday when it gets here.

Thank you all for your help
sam

I have a VTI rack and am very pleased. You can fill them with sand/shot and add on shelves as needed. My whole set up was less than $500.

Ordered it from here with free shipping...
http://www.cymax.com/NoBot/Audio-Racks--C31.htm

Alexdad54 · « **Reply #19 on:** 6 Feb 2011, 02:46 pm »

That looks great, which model was that? There are several on the website you provided....
Thanks!

Dave