Anyone use Salamander Design racks? Comments?

Rigidity is great, but it does not preclude other aspects concerning vibration from factoring in on sound quality.

If memory serves, the Synergy system got a great review in Stereophile. Vibration control was considered excellent except when placement is on the "top of the top" panel. Then, a simple cone or something like that clears things up easily. It's built like a tank, no A/V store phony garbage here, sorry. Design choices can easily compliment most interiors. I added the "extra weight" isolation shelf option ($50) for my amp and it works very well.

I am using a Twin 40. With two six shelf stacks, it accomodates all my stuff. I have a larger turntable and a digital source on the top shelf. I don't have any side panels or doors due to concerns about ventilation and the need for regular access. Also, I have some components that extend past the edges of their shelves, and a side panel might not allow this.

The corner post architecture is effective for stable support. The rack is in a corner of the room, and I have braces between the top shelf and the two adjacent walls. The result is a very rigid set up, especially with my heavy amps on the bottom level. There's absolutely no swaying or low frequency sensitivity.

True, there's no real vibration control, and I have thought about special supports or platforms like the Gingko Audio and Vibraplane systems but haven't invested in them yet.

Before the Twin 40, I used two Standesign racks, the Design 4 and 5T, that had shelves attached to single posts in the back of each. I found the post got in the way of cabling for some deeper components. The lack of vertical adjustability of shelf positioning was inefficient for allocating vertical space. Finally, the shelves would sag/dip down under the weight of my heavier equipment. In the long run, these negatives offset the positives of a visually attractive design: with the higher shelves indented/slanting backward and no vertical rack elements visible from the front -- the shelves appearing to float in the air with no support.

I have a Synergy Triple 20 and agree with most of what's been said.

Pluses
- flexibility to deal with component changes
- disassembly is NOT required to move/add a shelf if you buy the optional shelf support thingies (forget the name, but they work)
- doors hide components while providing ventilation
- very sturdy BQ, I've got 400+ pounds of gear in mine and it doesn't care
- decent wood finish, not as nicely finished as our B&W's but very few things are

Minuses
- very poor vibration control, treatments/tweaks are mandatory
- not cheap

On the whole we're happy with it. It's in the living room, where an open rack of gear would simply be unacceptable. It was the best compromise for our needs we could find in six months of searching. Obviously YMMV.

Agree with the posts above, I own a Twin 30. If you are getting doors for them, you can potentially load the rack with 500 lb of iron or brick to increase mass and improve vibration control, and the best part is you can hide those ugly things behind the closed doors.