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How important is investing in a good hifi rack

post #1 of 25
9/20/09 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
Well the title says it all.
How important is getting a proper rack as opposed to sticking my gear on a sturdy table or a hifi rack that i've found around the house.

It would be good if you could answer it in regards to two things.
1. CD player, amps, etc
2. Turntable (which I would think it becomes more important for).

Other questions.
What are the characteristic of a good hifi rack?
Say I'm have three grand to spend, what percentage should I look at spending on furniture would you say in you opinions.


I found a hifi rack in my aunt's basement that no-one is using and I'll post some pictures of it tomorrow so I get an idea if it's any good.
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post #2 of 25
9/20/09 at 11:15am

Racks, or how to get tortured in hifi

Well, you are correct in stating that a turntable is the most prone to showing how bad a rack is or can be. The 2 things to really look for are rigidity and vibration damping or draining. Some turntables require very special stands, for example the Linn LP12 Sondeck requires it to be both light and rigid, and this really is true. A mass loaded rack with a Linn does seem to slow down the sound of it. And of course if it is not rigid, vibration gets magnified. Other turntables prefer a more robust and heavy (and always rigid) rack or platform. Out of $3000, I would maybe spend $100 for a rack. If you have a turntable, I would look towards a seperate wall mount platform, as this will give you a very firm place to put a table. You can always go on the cheap with a rack as long as it is mainly rigid. Many local mass market stereo places have decent racks , like Best Buy or even a Target store. You will hear many arguements as to what makes the best shelves, but at your price range look for an open rack, to allow air flow for ventalation, and rigid.
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post #3 of 25
9/20/09 at 4:52pm
It can help with a turntable, but the rest is really just cosmetics and having something sturdy enough to hold your components as well as to provide sufficient room for air to circulate. You don't want tight shelves where components can get hot from lack of circulation and being too close together.

Don't get hung up on the whole "vibration control" thing.

First, just how much vibration is there where you plan to set up your system? If vibration isn't a problem to begin with, then why buy something that solves it? Or supposedly solves it, for that matter.

Also, how does rigidity solve vibration? Cars are subject to a great deal of vibration, yet they have springs and shock absorbers. If rigidity solves vibration, then why not steel bars instead of shock absorbers?
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post #4 of 25
9/20/09 at 10:04pm
Thread Starter 
Here are some photos of the rack I found in my aunt's basement. It's a bit dusty and dirty as you can see, but those blemishes are easily cleaned.

Would this rack be sufficient, referring to using with a turntable. Otherwise I'd look at just getting a sturdy, heave table, or save a bit more and get a different rack.
LL
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post #5 of 25
9/20/09 at 10:35pm
Bohemianism that looks like a very nice rack. Just clean it and start using it. Enjoy it!
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post #6 of 25
9/25/09 at 4:49am
In a recent issue of What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision I found a review of different racks. The reviewer claimed to hear many sonic differences between 4 different racks ... I mean, come on... is there actually any shred of plausibility to that? Cables I can believe ... but different racks sounding different?
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post #7 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bohemianism View Post
Here are some photos of the rack I found in my aunt's basement. It's a bit dusty and dirty as you can see, but those blemishes are easily cleaned.

Would this rack be sufficient, referring to using with a turntable. Otherwise I'd look at just getting a sturdy, heave table, or save a bit more and get a different rack.
Is it possible to load the legs with lead shot or sand? I noticed the spikes on the bottom, do they screw out leaving a hole?
If so mass loading will help with a stand, especially if you are going to be using a turntable.
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post #8 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvrboy View Post
In a recent issue of What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision I found a review of different racks. The reviewer claimed to hear many sonic differences between 4 different racks ... I mean, come on... is there actually any shred of plausibility to that? Cables I can believe ... but different racks sounding different?
I have heard differences using glass, wood, slate and composite shelves.
So I would agree that different racks can sound different.
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post #9 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 883dave View Post
I have heard differences using glass, wood, slate and composite shelves.
So I would agree that different racks can sound different.
On solid state components ?
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post #10 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:28am
Free is the best kind of rack, beyond that, it's aesthetics (although you want the turntable stable for sure).
My favorite find is the $19 chrome steel storage shelving at Home Depot with some left over ceramic tile on the top shelf to make a table- the soundstage really improved......
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post #11 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrarroyo View Post
Bohemianism that looks like a very nice rack. Just clean it and start using it. Enjoy it!
X2
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post #12 of 25
9/25/09 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick_charles View Post
On solid state components ?
Yup
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post #13 of 25
9/25/09 at 12:34pm
I'm with you Dave. An audio rack for isolation is essential once your system becomes refined enough to hear the difference.
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post #14 of 25
9/25/09 at 4:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robm321 View Post
I'm with you Dave. An audio rack for isolation is essential once your system becomes refined enough to hear the difference.
Refinement has nothing to do with it, if components are sensitive to minor differences in vibration, excepting turntables and speakers and possibly tubes, then something is seriously wrong.

How can you explain a different stand making a difference to a solid state component ?

Is there any actual non-anecdotal evidence out there to support this

Someone should do some measurements on this.
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post #15 of 25
9/25/09 at 5:30pm
in theory, vibration makes a difference because components can be microphonic. an accelerometer and a shake table would be useful to make the relevant measurements.

whether such changes are audible is an empirical question, and cannot be answered by theoretical speculation.
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