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Looking for Ideas and Advice on DIY Component Suspension

Posted by Jim Hodgson (A) on February 12, 2017 at 15:16:57

I'm thinking about experimenting in the DIY component suspension realm, and I could really use some ideas and advice. (I've combed through the archives already, and I've seen a bunch of proposals ... but I haven't found anything definitive.)

Specifically, I'm considering suspending my DAC by some form of bungee system. I chose my DAC as it is the best/most internally-damped of all of my components (and presumably will suffer the least by being decoupled from a shelf). In addition, it is relatively consistent, weight-wise, throughout -- meaning not lopsided in any direction. And it has 1/4-20 threaded holes on its chassis bottom, which I'd like to utilize, here.

My (preliminary) plan is to insert four 1/4-20 eye bolts like these...

...into the chassis bottom (with "eyes" pointing down obviously), and running bungee cord through the eyes parallel to the chassis bottom. As the eyes are 1/4" diameter, 3/16" diameter bungee cord should thread easily through the holes. And with a tensile strength of 200 lbs., the cord is beyond strong enough.

I figure that I'll have to run two separate lengths of cord -- either side-to-side or front-to-back. And my DAC will then be supported at each corner (from below) with what the archives say is the best cord material for the job. (That said, I've considered lots of other options: Kevlar, Gore-Tex, Teflon-coated fiberglass, etc.)

So, I'm halfway there (maybe?) ... but I'm not sure yet how to finish this off. Utilizing the ceiling for mounting (as I've seen others do) is not a possibility. Instead, all of this needs to be contained more or less within (but not on top of) my rack, which looks like this:

I've been considering simply running the cords up and over the rack shelf (which is 2" solid maple) above my DAC -- and securing the loose ends in a "pocket knot" or a similar quick-release device for easy height adjustment.

As an alternative, I could run two lengths of 1" flat nylon webbing with a buckle (again, for height adjustment) across the shelf above...

...and "convert" to bungee cord below using the following device, which is designed for that task:

So that's basically where I am with this. I wonder ... if one of these options seems workable, should I be considering adding some kind of anti-vibration material under the cords or straps? Or is utilizing the shelf above a bad idea no matter how it's executed? (It has occurred to me that, by involving a shelf at all, I may be negating any benefit that my suspension system might otherwise yield.) Should I be considering my rack's 1" solid steel uprights as anchoring points instead? There are a thousand easy-to-attach pulleys and such available at hardware stores, marine stores...

Anyway! I'm completely open to any advice, suggestions, recommendations -- even ones that say to give this whole thing a pass. (On this last possibility, I know that similar efforts have been failures for many.) Honestly, any thoughts would be most welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Schiit Audio

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