Hi-Fi rack guidelines.....

[plastic penguin]

Can anyone state what the general "rule of thumb" is for equipment racks? I have a Stands Unique like the one WHFI reviewed back in the summer. Now, if I went out and purchased a system of about 10K, would I have to allow for a rack upgrade too, or is that less essential.

I'm not thinking of buying but would like someone to clarify rack/system situation.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

If your new equipment fits on yor rack, why would you need a new one?

I had to get a new one as my Tv increased in size and the components were all bigger so they wouldnt fit on my old rack. Otherwise I would have saved myself a considerable amount of money.

 

[Anonymous]

I recently moved my equipment from an old Alphason rack to my Soundstyle AV rack to have the living room looking a bit more minimalist.The effect on sound? Nada! I reckon that if your stand/rack is level, solid and provides adequate ventilation then any sound differences will be pretty minimal.

 

[Anonymous]

People seem to experience different levels of improvement from the areas available for improvement on hifi as it is 'out of the box'. I've used good cabling (including mains) and it yields a great deal; similar for using a mains filter, and there's something to gain from screening out RFI by covering unused phonos (Cardas caps etc), but I think that eliminating vibration from your system has been the biggest single area for better sound.

Start off by using a lightly-inflated bicycle inner tube under your source and amp and see if you get anywhere. Some hear things immediately, others very little. It's a slippery slope from then on to Townshend. Their racks etc might not be cheap, but they add what would cost a lot more of you achieved it through greater spend on kit itself. Or at least that's my experience.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

plastic penguin:
Can anyone state what the general "rule of thumb" is for equipment racks? I have a Stands Unique like the one WHFI reviewed back in the summer. Now, if I went out and purchased a system of about 10K, would I have to allow for a rack upgrade too, or is that less essential.

I'm not thinking of buying but would like someone to clarify rack/system situation.

Thanks

Joel has heard big improvements in sound from his hifi rack but many others would laugh at that. I think that the essential thing is the rack is heavy and solid. Mine weighs a ton! The downside is moving it to get behind and play with cables and the like. If you spend £10k on equipment, you would be mad not have a nice looking, solid rack, regardless of sonic improvements.

 

[Anonymous]

not sure on this at all

ive always gone for the light material approach but solidly constructed

if youre going to put a bicycle inner tube under a piece of equipment or use something like sorbothene feet then its those that absorb the vibration thus negating the need for solid racks

i also wonder whether individual shelves attached to the wall might be the best solution but then it wouldnt look great

on the other hand a rack a piece of furniture so whatever looks best in your room ive never tested a rack to see if theres a difference in sound and probably never will so that approach works fine for me especially as theres a lot of ugly racks out there

 

[Anonymous]

one off:if youre going to put a bicycle inner tube under a piece of equipment or use something like sorbothene feet then its those that absorb the vibration thus negating the need for solid racks

Alas you need a 'some of' between 'absorb' and 'the vibration'!

 

[Anonymous]

12th:one off:if youre going to put a bicycle inner tube under a piece of equipment or use something like sorbothene feet then its those that absorb the vibration thus negating the need for solid racksAlas you need a 'some of' between 'absorb' and 'the vibration'!no i missed nothing

12th:Start off by using a lightly-inflated bicycle inner tube under your source and amp and see if you get anywhere. Some hear things immediately, others very little. It's a slippery slope from then on to Townshend. Their racks etc might not be cheap, but they add what would cost a lot more of you achieved it through greater spend on kit itself. Or at least that's my experience.alas you missed the words do not before start off

win some lose some

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, just being friendly and suggesting that inner tunes won't remove all vibration.

If we are going to be argumentative, I'll ask whether the 'lose some' refers to capitalisation, or to personal experience of the things to which I refer.

Fifteen all.

(Minor moderation accepted!)

 

[Anonymous]

12th:Hey, just being friendly and suggesting that inner tunes won't remove all vibration.If we are going to be argumentative, I'll ask whether the 'lose some' refers to capitalisation, or to personal experience of the things to which I refer.Fifteen all.(Minor moderation accepted!)fair enough i thought you were trying to be smart

yes ive made racks and speakers so know a tiny bit about the properties of some commonly used materials though im strictly an amateur

 

[a91gti]

@ the o.p.
Get the heaviest rack you can find/afford and it won't vibrate. I tend to favour butt ugly racks too as they seem more purposeful.

 

[JoelSim]

I've not done a rack comparison but I imagine you get a slightly different sound according to many variables including material, sturdiness and build quality.

ie wood won't sound like glass, but wood will sound better with brighter components and give a warmer sound, glass maybe to liven up dull components.

I could be wrong...

 

[plastic penguin]

JoelSim:

I've not done a rack comparison but I imagine you get a slightly different sound according to many variables including material, sturdiness and build quality.

ie wood won't sound like glass, but wood will sound better with brighter components and give a warmer sound, glass maybe to liven up dull components.

I could be wrong...

Mine is glass and wood and it's fairly chunky and business-like. I suppose doing rack comparisons is trickier than other components, but brought the subject up because I've never anything similar.