High End Racks - Page 4

I did a flexi rack variation with 2x2' plywood, 5/8" threaded rod. I used 4 posts, and covered the threaded rod with painted PVC pipe.

I used a jig to cut the pipe in even lengths for each shelf, which made spacing easy. I ground a point on the 4 ends of the threaded rods,

threaded on a double nut, washer, and rubber spacer. I stacked the shelves on each other, drilled the holes through all of them so they would line

up the same. I sanded, stained, and put edging on them. On goes the bottom shelf, a rubber spacer, a washer, and a nut. Wrap a tight warp of

electrical tape on the 4 rods, slide on the painted PVC pipes, and repeat. I used rubber insert nuts on the top and cut the rods off flush.

Also, all the washers and nuts were painted black. Not high end, but cheap!

But in the end, I've seen some pre-made racks that were just as cheap used. This one is deeper and wider than most. I have been thinking

of re-doing it with some better shelving. I have already shortened it, changing some of the shelf spacings. In the end, not too bad.

This photo could be better, but it gives you an idea on how it works out.

so is there any difference going from a couple hundred dollar rack to those that cost thousands? besides them maybe being a bit heavier?

cause right now my $20 4-shelf rack i bought from wal-mart last year is holding up both my amps and my DAC and some headphones just fine.

I got 3 shelves of these Salamanders. I placed them on my table next to my monitor and laptop.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SMA5

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubstep Girl 

so is there any difference going from a couple hundred dollar rack to those that cost thousands? besides them maybe being a bit heavier?

 

cause right now my $20 4-shelf rack i bought from wal-mart last year is holding up both my amps and my DAC and some headphones just fine.

Yes. Of course, for just a headphone rig, that would be pretty pointless. You toss a 60-100 pound stereo amp in there and that cheap rack will

not quite get it done. Add the vibration of speakers in the room, things go to pot pretty quickly. A cdp or worse yet a turntable, and vibration is

a major concern. It's kinda like toss a couple boxes in the back of a hatchback vs. a load of landscaping brick in your F-250.

A small setup in an office or bedroom doesn't need to be flashy or heavy duty. Put it in the "mancave" and add a full blown two channel

system and you'd better have a bit of show. It's hard to show off a set of Proac's and your shiny amp to your buddies sitting on

cinderblocks and boards(yes, back in the 70's we did that when we were all broke). Getting old does have it's perks.

I didn't pay a lot for my stuff. Everything in my current system is used. 2k for shelves? Not gonna happen. But

I made sure to have a sturdy rack. And if the right one shows up I can afford, I'd upgrade.

oh ok, makes sense. i was thinknig the same thing, only for really heavy components and turntables.

luckily i have none of that...yet 

Difference between a well made $200-400 rack and a $3000 - 40000 audio rack = no difference in sound improvements for your gear, it all comes down to craftsmanship and brand. Seriously if I was charging someone $3000 for audio racks that can be found for few hundred dollars I'd shoot myself in the foot. It's almost as bad as spending $5k on moon rocks that supposedly improve the sound response out of your system. 

There seems to be some misinformation here about the intended purpose of high end racks.

The main purpose of  the high end racks (i.e. that cost thousands) is to improve sound quality. And this applies to all components that sit on them. 

And a big factor is that these racks/feet are intended wick away vibrations caused by the components themselves (particularly those that have moving parts or transformers).

Therefore, such racks are intended for headphone systems as well, although I imagine that loudspeaker systems would benefit more because there are more sources of vibration to deal with.

The above is mostly based on comments from fellow enthusiasts and from the manufacturer's . By personal experience, I've found that racks and feet have helped slightly the SQ of my headphone based system, but the difference is not strong enough to make me take it to extremes. OTOH, I haven't tried racks/feet that costs thousands, so maybe I would change my mind ,  but I'm just not curious enough to find out the moment. 

For those that are sitting on the fence about the value of this, I would say: If you hear differences in cables and in power supply improvements, then you should try some of the audiophile racks/feet (preferably on a trial basis). But if you don't hear cable differences, then don't worry about it.

The photos are of my two audio racks, large and small, they were done from drawings I did by the same place that did my outside gates.

The frames are made out of steel and welded, then powder coated Matt Black.

The three shelves are Wenge wood.

The marks in the carpet are from the rack and my chair.

The frame cost me £85,

Powder coating was £45

and the three shelves of Wenge wood altogether was £575.

The photo is the small rack for the Aristaeus [ when I receive it ] to separate it's amp section and PSU.

The small rack cost me £35 and powder coating was £10

The isolation cones are for the Aristaeus's spiked feet.

Because the large and small racks weren't very expensive, they probable can't be classed as high end, but the large rack is immensely strong and I'm very happy with the SQ I get from the audio equipment that goes on the large rack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David1961 

The photos are of my two audio racks, large and small, they were done from drawings I did by the same place that did my outside gates.

 

The frames are made out of steel and welded, then powder coated Matt Black.

 

The three shelves are Wenge wood.

 

 

Very nice. Solid and functional. I think they are very good and certainly show how to get the function

and feel of the high end without the cost.

I am a bit puzzled by why so many would read a thread  "high end racks" and be shocked to see people talking about

expensive high end racks. Would you go to a High end car show and point out how a Honda gets you to work?

Anybody used those

http://www.futureglass.com/contemporary_furniture/pages/hifi_lookup.php?page=GEM%20Petite%20Hi%20Fi%20Stand&type=Hi-fi%20Stands&section=Home

And as this is rack discussion, does anyone have any ideas on desktop mini racks, something similar to one featured in this thread.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/538675/tiny-audio-rack

Wow!  I am impressed.  Those are really nice looking.  Not to mention the gratification of doing it all yourself.  Well done sir!

Quote:

Originally Posted by David1961 

The photos are of my two audio racks, large and small, they were done from drawings I did by the same place that did my outside gates.

 

The frames are made out of steel and welded, then powder coated Matt Black.

 

The three shelves are Wenge wood.

 

 

The marks in the carpet are from the rack and my chair.

 

The frame cost me £85,

 

Powder coating was £45

 

and the three shelves of Wenge wood altogether was £575.

 

 

 

The photo is the small rack for the Aristaeus [ when I receive it ] to separate it's amp section and PSU.

 

 

The small rack cost me £35 and powder coating was £10

 

The isolation cones are for the Aristaeus's spiked feet.

 

 

Because the large and small racks weren't very expensive, they probable can't be classed as high end, but the large rack is immensely strong and I'm very happy with the SQ I get from the audio equipment that goes on the large rack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT 

Anybody used those

http://www.futureglass.com/contemporary_furniture/pages/hifi_lookup.php?page=GEM%20Petite%20Hi%20Fi%20Stand&type=Hi-fi%20Stands&section=Home

 

And as this is rack discussion, does anyone have any ideas on desktop mini racks, something similar to one featured in this thread.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/538675/tiny-audio-rack

Very nice as well. Matching stuff makes the Mrs. very happy.   As far as desktop racks go, buying some wood dowels, aluminum bar stock, or just going flexi rack style on a smaller

scale would work pretty well. It's then finding a good shelf material. A good woodworker is hard to find, so for me it's all DIY.

David, a very nice rack you have there. Had you bought it ready made, and taken manufacturing and markups into consideration, I'm sure it would have breached the £1k mark, so I'd class that as high end on both price and style .

Andrew_WOT, I once had a large Futureglass A/V stand. It was very nicely finished and looked good in a modern setting. The glass was very, very heavy. 

However, glass-based racks are not normally recommended for best SQ, unless they are damped down in clever (i.e. expensive) ways.