need a cool looking audio rack

[bhd812]

I have seen the S&S stuff before, and I have seen the stand in the first pic before in life. there stuff is very stable,amazing looking, and for audio racks it doesnt cost tomuch...$750.00

I think the led lighting kit cost $200.00

 

[gundam91]

I find the S&S racks ugly as hell!!

Yes, I really know what I am talking about.

I am an architect. I spent six years studying design (the good, the bad, and the ugly). I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They are just not my cup of tea.

 

[bifcake]

You're the only person I've ever heard say that. When I first saw the Schroers & Schroers racks, my jaw dropped. I thought they were just amazingly beautiful. I still think that. Granted, I'm not an architect, and I didn't study design, but their furniture is just amazingly beautiful to me. It sort floats. It looks so delicate, light and airy. It moves me like a good aria.

 

[gundam91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake You're the only person I've ever heard say that. When I first saw the Schroers & Schroers racks, my jaw dropped. I thought they were just amazingly beautiful. I still think that. Granted, I'm not an architect, and I didn't study design, but their furniture is just amazingly beautiful to me. It sort floats. It looks so delicate, light and airy. It moves me like a good aria.

Design is largely a matter of personal taste. With that as a preface, allow me to rant a little. The big issue is that our culture (especially in the United States) has abandoned "design" a long time ago. In the design community, I would classify US market as "ultra conservative", even though we have very talented minds coming out of design schools. The sad part is that there is a huge gap between what the design community deems as aesthetically pleasing vs. what general public accepts as beautiful. (I think it's more of a social issue) Look at most houses that are getting designed out there. We have not progressed in 100 years. People are still mesmorizing in Frank Lloyd Wright's prarie style (early 20th century), the colonial stye (17th century), the plantation style (the 18th century) when it comes to residential design. The only movement that resembles a quantum leap in what is socially acceptable design was Joseph Eichler's track houses in California in the 1960s. Although it had faded to a cult status these days. Nowadays, you only see houses with somewhat decent and cohesive design in the high end custom home market. But still a very small niche in that market at best. The good news is that good design is having a comeback and is beginning to integrate into every facet of our lives again. (with Target, IKEA, and Apple Computers leadeing the movement).

We did some furniture design as well back in school. By the way, some of the more famouse classic pieces of furniture are designed by famous architects.

If any of my students designed something like these, they would have received advices to change their career.

(not just from me, I was just a design teaching assistant, but from most of the professors as well) I understand your point about the airiness of glass and how it sort of floats in the air. But all the designs in the S&S lines are not very cohesive, in that all various design elements are not well integrated, and details are not very elegant. For example, the TV stand with three shelves and the round base. This is what i would tell my student: If you want to emphasize the airiness of glass, you would not want to use glass, especially thick and short ones as supporting element, because it take away the "airiness" of the glass and emphasizes the strength and rigidity of the glass instead. (Kind of oximoron, and the proportion of the vertical pieces does not convince me that they are light and airy) The horizontal pieces works well to emphasize the concept of "floating in the air". But we have three things going on here, the horizontal rectangular glass elements, the vertical pieces at an angle, and the circular base, that visually clashes and takes away the concept you are trying to empahsize with the horizontal pieces. We can go on, and on, and on...but that's not important as this is not a design critique forum.

I think the bottomline is that we can agree that we disagree and that we have very different tastes.

And I just have better taste than you. (

Just kidding) Like I said, design is a matter of personal taste. And as you said, there are lots of people out there that think these look great. Otherwise this company would be out of business a long time ago.

 

[bifcake]

That's very interesting. I wonder what would you consider an example of a good design in AV furniture. Can you post an example? Do you like Bello stands? I find them very beautiful as well.

BTW S&S is a German firm, not an American company. Hence, I would think they're not bound by American conservatism.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhd812 holy SH&&! http://www.particular.com/products/migration.htm $23,000?...I was like omg I love this..then I seen the price

$23K for something that looks like something someone made in shop class?

What a horrible pic. Aside from the cut glass, the stand looks like rusting metal. $23,000? Please.

I wouldn't buy that ugly thing for $23.

-Ed

 

[bifcake]

I agree. Perhaps we're showing poor, American, conservative preferences and exhibiting extremely poor taste.

Maybe we're not sophisticated enough, but I tell you, that thing is UUUUuuuuugly!!!

 

[Snake]

And worse off kindly tell me where $23k-worth of materials and labor is in this thing???

NOT!

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake That's very interesting. I wonder what would you consider an example of a good design in AV furniture. Can you post an example? Do you like Bello stands? I find them very beautiful as well. BTW S&S is a German firm, not an American company. Hence, I would think they're not bound by American conservatism.

Hmmm, but I will have to agree with Gundam91. I have also seen these S&S designs and was not very impressed. The overall lines are very traditional with glass "added" to give the impression of modernism; the support structures of almost all the models are too large and intrusive to the eye, subtracting from benefit of the glass' transparency. The support structures - the frames - holding the glass should at least come from the rear holding the glass in cantilevered designs while minimizing the verticals and optically opening up the design. The benefit of designing with glass is to truly appear "floating in space" yet the S&S designs never fulfill that goal thanks to overly obtrusive supports.

 

[lan]

I don't really dig many of these racks. Not enough panache

 

[gundam91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake That's very interesting. I wonder what would you consider an example of a good design in AV furniture. Can you post an example? Do you like Bello stands? I find them very beautiful as well.

I did. The two companies posted on my first thread are my favorites. No, I don't like Bello stands either.

You have to find a balance between form and function when it comes designing a stereo stand. It's not just the look. But also it needs to be rigid and sturdy. Most important, it needs to prevent vibration from entering into components, and dissipate mechanical vibrations from the components. I have seen some very beautiful designs by students but they do not have a good understanding of engineering and their racks failed the "vibration" test. I like designs that are outside of the box. Designers that can think out of the box. Most companies have racks that have a frame and few pieces of rectangular MDF/glass plates sitting on the frame. The "Spyder" from Finite-Elements (also German) broke that tradition. The Novus and Ypsilon from Particular also broke out of the box and use tensile strutures to support MDF platforms to eliminate floor vibration from entering into the components directly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake BTW S&S is a German firm, not an American company. Hence, I would think they're not bound by American conservatism.

I think you have misunderstood what I was saying. I did not say Americans have bad taste. Conservativeness does not equate to bad taste. Bad taste has no borders.

What I want to say was that when it comes to design, people tend to have an image of what something ought to look like, a mental boundry of what is acceptable, hence a box. Good designers like to push the envelope and challange that boundry. But Americans in general tend not to embrace that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake Perhaps we're showing poor, American, conservative preferences and exhibiting extremely poor taste. Maybe we're not sophisticated enough, but I tell you, that thing is UUUUuuuuugly!!!

$23,000 for that ugly thing from Particular IS ridiculous. But I guess when you call it sculpture, some rich fool will fork over the money. Just saw something on PBS where one of the reporter bought a white T shirt for $150 because the art dealer told him that it is "art" and the wrinkles on it is "one of a kind".

So let me summarize my points again before someone misquotes me and I become "Anti-American" and a target of FBI investigation as a terrorist suspect.

1/ I like designs that are outside of the traditional concepts;
2/ beauty is in the hand of the beholder. Design is a matter of personal taste and perference;
3/ Bad taste has no borders;
4/ American society is more conservative when it comes to accepting something that's outside of the box.
5/ Taste is subjective. Enjoy what you like and don't listen to anyonel else.

Just think of my opinion is bunch of bull.

 

[jeffreyj900]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljhodad If cost is no object: http://www.grandprixaudio.com/gallery.html Or DIY: http://www.audiotweaks.com/diy/rack/page01.htm

Thanks for the DIY link.... I actually went to Home Depot and purchased the parts today! I skipped the nice wood on the top and opted for MDF + Cork + MDF for each shelf. I'll just have to see how it turns out

 

[bhd812]

how bout this one guys?

its cool and cheap
http://www.studiotech.com/jsp/produc....jsp?prodID=50

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhd812 how bout this one guys? its cool and cheap http://www.studiotech.com/jsp/produc....jsp?prodID=50

I like it simple, and elegant!

 

[bifcake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gundam91 So let me summarize my points again before someone misquotes me and I become "Anti-American" and a target of FBI investigation as a terrorist suspect. 1/ I like designs that are outside of the traditional concepts; 2/ beauty is in the hand of the beholder. Design is a matter of personal taste and perference; 3/ Bad taste has no borders; 4/ American society is more conservative when it comes to accepting something that's outside of the box. 5/ Taste is subjective. Enjoy what you like and don't listen to anyonel else. Just think of my opinion is bunch of bull.

It's actually interesting hearing your thoughts. It's sort of like listening to someone who knows a lot about art talk about art. Alas, my tastes are much more sophisticated when it comes to art than they are when it comes to architectural design. As such, I really can't say that I was very impressed with Particular's offerings or the other companies' racks. I understand that they're breaking the mold with their designs, but it doesn't seem to work. At least not to me. It's not Picasso, it's more like graffitti trying to be Picasso.