How do Hi-Fi racks improve sound?

[Native_bon]

Why does being level make such a difference? Simply, because it allows the source component, typically a disc player, to devote more of its effort to reading the disc, and less to compensating for the errors created in reading said disc. The more level and stable your disc player, the better it'll sound.

Can't quite remember the last time I read such tosh. This is the stuff we were fed for years by the mags - back in the days before the internet when we had to take this carp as fact by the 'experts'.

Thankfully *most* of us have been able to get a clue since.

Cannot agree more. :O

 

[Glacialpath]

In my exxperience Glass Hi-Fi racks no matter how tempered/treated the glass is or how thick it is, they sound bright because of resonence from the Hi-Fi components recting with the glass. Yes the vibrations are miniscule but are enough to colour up the music i.e. making it sound bright.

Wooden ones are much better depending on the wood but can still add resonence into the audio. Bamboo has the least amount of resonent input to the audio thus making the audio play out relitivly un coloured.

Of course the main reasons have already been pointed out to you i.e the ventilation the racks can offer for your Hi-Fi seperates. I really need a good one because as you can see from my picture my Hi-Fi is stacked directly on top of each other. As the are the DAC and Power amp hum when they are switched on but if just the control amp and power amp are stacked, the hum from the power amp is not audible. Same with the DAC. Turned on on it's own it doesn't hum so much.

Some Hi-Fi racks are designed to destribute vibrations/machanical noise some Hi-Fi units create so they are less audible (inaudible to us) and are taken away from the rest of the system letting the audio play out cleaner.

I believe the whole thing with keeping you disc player or HDD level to be true. Try playing your CD player with 4 CD cases stacked under 1 corner. It will still play but then play the same bit of music with the player flat and see if it sounds any better.

I'm now expecting a load of flack from most the other guys but I don't mind.

Hope that helps. :rockout:

 

[spiny norman]

Can't quite remember the last time I read such tosh. This is the stuff we were fed for years by the mags - back in the days before the internet when we had to take this carp as fact by the 'experts'.

Thankfully *most* of us have been able to get a clue since.

The internet has brought forth a whole load of new 'accepted wisdom', a significant proportion of which is total rubbish, only gaining legitimacy because it's repeated enough times, so that makes us all empowered, all much better informed, and all with much more of a clue.

However, it seems not with enough of a clue to realise you're arguing with a post from six years ago, huh?

 

[JMacMan]

I currently own and have used:

A Five tier Sound Organisation Rack

An Audiotech TT stand

Two five tier Mana Racks, complete with reference tables and speaker bases.

Testing them out with my then Naim kit on them, and at matched volume levels revealed barely perceivable differences in sound.

Sighted was another matter and the Mana sounded better.

I'm not aware of any scientific research that conclusively proves that vibration is an sonic issue in a SS amp or power supply, and that therefore a rack by deduction, can influence the sound of the kit - my own matched volume level experiments on my own tables and racks say no.

Racks are good for ventilation though, and one should use one.

Cheers

JMac

 

[JoelSim]

I use HiFiRacks podium for mine. Ever since I first installed it I have been impressed. I would never have believed just how much depth they brought to the sound if I hadn't heard the before and after.

A very worthwhile investment.

 

[TrevC]

I would never have believed just how much depth they brought to the sound

You know how a clean car is nicer to drive than a dirty one? It's the same psychological effect. (Unless you are talking turntables, that is).

 

[chebby]

Most of them are overpriced and ugly and have dubious claims made for their efficacy. If you must use a rack then get the best looking / best matched to your other furniture and don't worry because they'll all 'sound' the same.(That is, they won't make anything sound different.)

Turntable supports are different of course. They need to be completely rigid and completely level and - preferably - soundly attached to a solid wall.

 

[nima]

Most of them are overpriced and ugly and have dubious claims made for their efficacy. If you must use a rack then get the best looking / best matched to your other furniture and don't worry because they'll all 'sound' the same.(That is, they won't make anything sound different.)

Turntable supports are different of course. They need to be completely rigid and completely level and - preferably - soundly attached to a solid wall.

Such claims are easily tested - and refuted - by those who own hifi racks.

Those who don't will just never know, will they?

 

[pauln]

Most of them are overpriced and ugly and have dubious claims made for their efficacy. If you must use a rack then get the best looking / best matched to your other furniture and don't worry because they'll all 'sound' the same.(That is, they won't make anything sound different.)

Turntable supports are different of course. They need to be completely rigid and completely level and - preferably - soundly attached to a solid wall.

Such claims are easily tested - and refuted - by those who own hifi racks.

How? Please explain and then perhaps answer the OP's question i.e. How do hifi racks improve sound?

 

[Glacialpath]

Most of them are overpriced and ugly and have dubious claims made for their efficacy. If you must use a rack then get the best looking / best matched to your other furniture and don't worry because they'll all 'sound' the same.(That is, they won't make anything sound different.)

Turntable supports are different of course. They need to be completely rigid and completely level and - preferably - soundly attached to a solid wall.

Such claims are easily tested - and refuted - by those who own hifi racks.

How? Please explain and then perhaps answer the OP's question i.e. How do hifi racks improve sound?

See what you think of my explination earlier in the thread.

 

[ReValveiT]

So a glass table sounds hard and cold, whilst a wooden table sounds warm.

Much the same way silver cables sound bright and copper warmer.

Do people not stop to consider for even one second that their eyes are telling them what to hear?

 

[hifikrazy]

I would never have believed just how much depth they brought to the sound

You know how a clean car is nicer to drive than a dirty one? It's the same psychological effect. (Unless you are talking turntables, that is).

Now doesn't this post give your low self esteem a nice boost?

 

[Vladimir]

Glass surfaces reflect sound and if you have lots of them on the side walls (windows, credenza, pictures behind glass etc.) and in front of you (coffee table) you will hear brighter and/or boomy sound. However, a glass rack that sits between the speakers can in no way reflect more brightness since higher frequencies are directional and don't interact with the rack, even through secondary reflections (not enough energy unlike low frequencies).

So IMO it's just a placebo coming from experience with other open glass surfaces.

What makes a difference in sound with racks is how well they isolate and relief vibrations for systems with tubes and analogue sources. If you ahve valve amp and a turntable, I would not be surprised there is a real audible difference when changing racks.

 

[chebby]

Most of them are overpriced and ugly and have dubious claims made for their efficacy. If you must use a rack then get the best looking / best matched to your other furniture and don't worry because they'll all 'sound' the same.(That is, they won't make anything sound different.)

Turntable supports are different of course. They need to be completely rigid and completely level and - preferably - soundly attached to a solid wall.

Such claims are easily tested - and refuted - by those who own hifi racks.

Those who don't will just never know, will they?

I know because i've used a few 'good' ones in the past and - frankly - they never made a jot of difference. The least satisfying (improvement per £) hi-fi purchases ever made really. And they were ugly. Never again.

I eventually realised I could have spent similar amounts on some really nice furniture instead and still be getting satisfaction from it now.

But we (yes me too) believed this #### back then for long enough ("the next one will really make a difference") for the manufacturers (Sound Organisation, Atacama then Quadraspire in my case) to thrive.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

So a glass table sounds hard and cold, whilst a wooden table sounds warm.

for a second i thought that you were talking about the difference between transistors and valve systems... :shifty:

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Yeaaaaaaa. Why DO clean cars drive better?

 

[Al ears]

Yeaaaaaaa. Why DO clean cars drive better?

The one's I've come across don't because they are usually driven by myopic old geezeers in hats. 🙂

 

[Al ears]

Never met a rack yet that seriously improved sound.

They serve only to isolate equipment and look good in your room.

I only got my HiFi Racks version because of any leg length you like and variety of finish.

 

[plastic penguin]

Why DO clean cars drive better?

Cause all the filthy ones are in the knackers yard. :dance:

 

[MrReaper182]

Well my hi-fi rack makes my hi-fi equipment sound that little bit better. I recently put my hi-fi equipment on a flat wooden tabe and played somes tunes and the tunes did not sound as good as when the hi-fi equipment was on the hi-fi rack. That's maybe because the hi-fi equipment when being played vibrates a little less when it's on the hi-fi rack (mine has spiked feet to help stop any vibration that may happen when the hi-fi equipment is on).