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I'd like suggestions for audio racks. I do have an existing Target rack i've had for 25 years, but i'm adding new gear and want something different.I'll need at least 5 shelves.
I don't need exotic or ultra high-end, but i'd like something esthetically pleasing and not industrial looking, but a good isolation rack and well built.
I'll place my budget at 750-1K.
Thanks.
Follow Ups:
Sanus AFA black 32 inch component stands are sturdy and easy to assemble. I just replaced much heavier Adona modular racks with a pair of these. I got my $300 worth.
I would only recommend TimberNation to individuals who live close to him.His track record has become questionable of late.
I had to go-round and round with him on a set of speaker plinthes that I ordered.Delivered 23" square by 3 3/4",instead of 24" square by 4".Finish was rushed,even though he has 25 years in the business.Same for a friend who purchased black cherry speaker stands.Had gouges and attaching hardware was uneven and sloppy.
Thorough documentation ,down to the last detail and use PAypal. That way,when he is delayed past the 3 week delivery time,you may have some recourse.Be prepared to keep constant contact to keep yourself aware of said progress.
Buyer beware.
Tom:cat
TimberNation Racks are great. Just got mine!
Hi ,I've been using Lovan Racks for quite sometime . It's capable of supporting my VPI TNT 6 and HR-X turntables in w/c each table weigh 120+ lbs . Not including the weight of my electronics ( ARC REF 5SE & Phono 2SE , SP10MK 2 ) and the 1 1/4 inch acrylic flatform. It provides good ventilation for my equipment bec of its open design and each post can be sand filled . They're of modular construction so you can arrange them when you make an upgrade. I was amaze how stable they were when our country was hit by an intensity 6 earthquake , while I was listening to music on my TNT 6 , it continued playing and never skipped a bit. Probably a big help was I had carpets on concrete floor .
Hope this helps ,
Mondial
Edits: 01/22/18
nt
If you currently have a Target stand of the welded variety, almost all of the models priced below $1k from other brands will not be as rigid, and likely not be an upgrade in sound quality. Or even a step sideways.
After Target Audio, it's very difficult to find anything as good without spending big bucks.
Totally agree. You would do well to look for a used Target to reside alongside the one you already have.
I'm of the school of thought that says both the racks isolation and each individual components isolation from the rack is more important.
When Al Sekela had me mount both my TT and CD Transport atop a ball to allow dissipation of centrifugal forces created by motors spinning media my mind was changed.
I don't like spikes. I use both my own as well as products from Herbies for isolation. The springs under my transport are courtesy of Geoff Kait/Machina Dynamica. About ten pounds of batteries atop my transport.
From the pics; Transport feet removed placed on Deflex pads, on a three inch solid oak slab then on the springs, urethane footers then atop my Trivista with a dead transport serving as a DAC. Finally Herbies ball/cup feet under the Trivista to the QS&D rack with solid Maple verticals, pin and cup between shelves, composite shelves and stock spikes to the floor. Adding the pictured spike decouplers to the floor.(decouplers at floor not visible due to sinking into deep carpet pile) I was surprised at the improvement in the low end from them. This and Als recommendations made me decide for me that both rack rigidity alone AND spikes that couple the rack to the floor are not for me
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
Al Sekela is greatly missed. He was local to me, became a friend, and was a great source of advice and insight which continues to improve my system today. He stressed the importance of proper vibration control and clean power. He considered many racks to be far from ideal.
Edits: 01/24/18
Apologies to Chico Escuela
lol reference appreciated! Pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks! Oh looks good too
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
I should be thinking ROUND, not RECTANGULAR ;-)
Well of course you may think otherwise but give it a shot and decide for yourself. All Herbies stuff comes with a 90 day money back trial, Machina Dynamica 30 too I think
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
VTI Racks
I prefer a much narrower approach than others to eliminate diffraction. I use slightly different models with both the music system and the HT. Pics of both are found in my gallery.
and a good price.
Though I am always wary of spikes on a hard surface, low frequency vibrations are transferred - high frequencies are decoupled. Of course the feet of the component will decouple also - probably at a much lower frequency. IMO, if the goal is to isolate each component on a rack from ground, and other components in the rack, soft "feet" are required.
Now, if you want to isolate components from sound (and sound induced vibration) in the same room, you need a seriously closet to place your gear inside. FYI that is what the pro Installers do! But what ashame to hide the beautiful equipment we spend our hard earned money on.
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
Great idea on the wire shelving. I'll need to investigate a little further.
Wire shelving is simple, versatile, attractive and cost effective. It is no more than it needs to be to satisfy its function. Complexity only increases cost without equivalent benefit.
I use these behind the main system rack as well for my power supply units.
I have hesitated writing my contribution to this thread due to expected negative criticism. However, in the interests of helping the OP find an inexpensive alternative to pricey and complicated solutions I have decided to brave the flames.
I never understood the need to spend exhorbitant amounts of money on basically fancy shelving. All shelves vibrate. They also collect dust. Most of these so-called racks cannot be upgrqded for equipment changes because the shelves are permanently fixed in position.
I have used basic wire shelving for years. My system is not modest. I rest each unit on dense foam blocks. The shelves do not vibrate because they are not a solid surface. The entire structure is fully adjustable for greater height or more shelves. Dust does not collect because, again, the shelves are not solid. The shelves do not ring because of the dense foam blocks.
The entire structure rest on Black Diamond Racing cones and discs.
You can build your own for any size you want from individual parts using posts and shelves of your own choice.
The very best part is that unncessary expense is avoided. The money saved can be put to better equipment uses.
I hope this helps
...
Looks like i have lots of choices!
I have a Timbernation rack and like it.
Bob-
if you like metal and glass- Bell 'O is a very fine rack.
My main system uses a Salamander Synergy 40 rack with fully adjustable shelves. My problem is I need a higher rack, maybe 8 inches more and I am unable to find anything I like. I have the Solid Steel in the other system and the only way to get what I want would be to buy a Solid Steel 3-3 and 3-5 rack and use some of the 3-3 rack to build the 3-5 higher.
Only problem with that is the big rack is 999 and the smaller is 699. That's 1700.00 for a few inches of height.
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
Roger Waters
If you just want taller uprights for the Synergy, you can purchase the aluminum extrusion bits from eBay seller 80/20. They have an extensive catalog of different extrusions that are quite similar to those used by Salamander. A custom DIY Synergy style rack could easily be created.
John
check out Sanus Euro Rack. Very good for my humble needs.
I purchased a Solid Steel rack from Music Direct just before Christmas for 499.00 It has 5 shelves and is extremely sturdy.
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
Roger Waters
+1 Salamander!
Yep that my rec too. Very nice and variable.
ET
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936
Hey bob24,The Synergy Core System from Salamander is excellent. I've had mine for nearly 15 years. It looks as good and is as solid as the day I installed it. You can customize it to meet your needs. One of my best a/v purchases, period.
Looks like Salamander is running a sale now too.
Cheers,
Scott
Edits: 01/19/18
Thanks for this. We are moving and I will need a new rack that is wide and perhaps 3 shelves (Including top). Most importantly for WAF is the backing to hide the wires necessary to power and play my components, which number 8 at least, including TV, cable, Apple tv. Most racks are open backed and it must be a mess when all hooked up.
Mcondo, you might try looking in furniture stores such as Scandinavian and "modern" oriented stores. They might have something which will be both functional and asthetically pleasing.
Our system in housed in a two-piece teak unit, with the stereo in the lower section and glassware/books in the upper. I cut some openings in the back of the lower section to accommodate cables. You couldn't pay me enough to put a wire shelving unit anywhere in our living space, although we do have one in the garage.
:)
I have a dedicated room. The floor is porcelain tile over concrete. The system is used exclusively by me. Furniture style was never a priority. I chose simplicity and functionality over aesthetics. My choice also limited the need for expensive footer solutions under each piece of equipment for further isolation from resonance prone shelving.
I could have afforded a very expensive and elaborate audiophile type rack or cabinet but my choice works for a system that is not of modest cost.
I clicked in to support your approach ,and, to tell the truth, to run my mouth for fun. And I always tend toward the latter, so don'y get all misty eyed thinking you are special.
The perception gap between audio , non audio, and garage racks will trigger some objections ,perhaps on snob appeal alone, and thought you might need a friend on this one. In type "a" circles, a guy who has spent thousands of dollars in racks is going to kick if another guy says he has better sonic results for hundreds invested.
More to the point, I have a wall hanging garage rack adapted to living room furniture, and am willing to stick up for the sonic positives in that decision, and address the style problems that surface when no other surface in the room has the ever controversial wire rack look. I went with covering the thing.
Sure, I could have contacted an Italian design studio to make something up, but I decided to save on both design and construction costs , deciding to simply adopt the best pre made rack I could find for easy results, with the hope it could easily save money.
Furniture stores tended to have only book length depths, so that left storage systems , hardware stores, or paying for the exotica of dedicated audio furniture.
In my brief readings about acoustics and the basic principles for setting up recording playback rooms, the wire rack approach works for me and my understandings, plus I like the low cost and flexibility available for future needs.
When I came to a wire rack as a solution to hang my turntable on the wall, the audio products for this task were few, and small, probably to reduce the sonic footprint, and were all several hundred dollars and up.
But I like a place to put cleaning equipment. And I don't like paying nine prices for simple material and designs I could have welded up locally for non magically jaw dropping, brand new world, eyeopening prices. I threw in the usual audio adjectives, just to illustrate my point, what are you paying for? . The merch costs a lot, and you take only the sellers word how much return on investment is available sonically, since there are no double blind test attached to any rack system I am aware of.
I can say the only thing that can be proven about audio racks is that you are paying for style, and that is the deal with most furniture. If one tries to make the point you are buying a sonic advantage, one would need proof, beyond the established audio understandings science, not stereo pimps writing about audio racks, can provide. And one still has to extrapolate the science to apply to the furniture as best one can, since all you can do is either agree with the statements or not, which may or may not effect the buying decision, since any other furniture also comes without equally proven, or any known, sonic advantages.
I would point out that all market value is subjective, if a guy with thousands of dollars in audio racks thinks it is worth it, it is, just like the guy with super wires, bit coins, or the old dutch guy with his tulips. The only thing that effects happiness is perception.
I will be even happier when I fill DIY audio stand fixtures with a mixture of sand and lead shot, because It should work well to resist micro effects, and commercial products wouldn't ship like that, giving me the luster of un-obtainium to my construction. Bawahahahhahaha.
You bet. Yes, the options for the back are nice. I went for the casters and I'm glad I did. Makes moving the cabinet a breeze and they lock solidly in place. Assembly is very well thought out and the fit and finish superb.
Cheers,
Scott
but had to reinforce the rear with steel L-braces, custom cut and drilled, otherwise it wobbled.
Wow, I have to say that is a complete surprise. We have our plasma tv on top and equipment on each shelf inside and it is solid as a rock; not a hint of wobble. Honestly, it is one of the best a/v purchases I've made. It never occurs to me to try something else.
Your reply surprised me so much that I had to go over to the rack and try to get it to wobble; no movement at all. Did you ever contact Salamander about it? I'm glad the L brackets worked for you.
Cheers,
Scott
I don't. It it cheap material (? what to call it ?), and I needed continual access to the rear.
Do you have multiple columns? I don't, so maybe that is one reason.
But, design wise, it is NOT rigid. Did I not tighten the screws sufficiently, maybe.
Yeah, they are a good company with good customer support. I should have reached out. Maybe I'll send them an email.
Still, stunning racks and I got around that particular problem. I wonder what their solution would have been.
Hey jedrider,
No, I don't use the thick plastic back panel. Like you I prefer the easier access to my cables and thicker less flexible cables need more room. I may try the optional metal back at some point that extends away from the rack and allows more room for cables.
Yes I have multiple columns; three in front and three in back (see pic in link). I also have six castors on mine. Yes, they are stunning racks. I've been delighted with mine from day one.
Cheers,
Scott
I suspect not having the back panel is the reason for your rack being unstable. I don't have Salamander rack (always wanted one though) but judging by how it's build, it's a classic cabinet, with back panel acting as brace to all 4 sides. Once attached to all 4 sides, they have no where to go. With metal braces you basically achieved the same thing.
I also misjudged how important cheap particle back board could be to the structural integrity of cabinet. One of my book case became wobbly after moving, but it was rock solid all these years with lots of heavy books in it. Turned out, during move nails that attached panel to side and top/bottom sides got loose. After putting panel in place and reattaching it with screws, cabinet became rock solid again. Side panels have no where to go and all angles stay perfectly square.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!
I'm going to check out the Salamnder site.
I was checking online for Target audio racks, but it appears only available from Canada?
I bought the slide out shelf for my Synergy 40. It was a great place to keep all the accessories like the remotes, record cleaning brushes, etc. I also put the metal perforated sides on it. I just wish mine was higher than 40 inches.
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
Roger Waters
Very nice! stereo5
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