Regards to the Rack


I've been a builder for a long time. I mostly work with stone, so call me a mason if you want to assign a name. As with any type of building, the foundation dertermines the performance and layout of each consecutive layer.

So I come to my point. Recently I have entertained purchasing an equipment rack that costs more than my CDP. The justification-the foundation plays a larger role in performance than I previously thought. Before I was content with an uneven antique credenza but now I have begun to believe that foundation is the answer to allowing components to perform to their potential even if the cost is significant.

The question is here, are there others who share similar opinions of the fundamentals of foundation or am I just off my rocker to think I'll get that much more noticable preformance from a rack? Well no need to answer the latter part really, I am an audio-nut so we already know the answer there.

Regards
Peter
mariasplunge
Same here. Didn't think too much of it at first. I had the Solidsteel and bunch of Lovan Sovereign shelves which I thought should be good enough isolating the vibration. Last year, a friend bought some Grand Prix Audio rack and amp stands. We moved his BAT tube amp from a piece of 300 lbs slab (that used to sit underneath a laser in his company's lab) to this light-weight stand. Lo and behold, the four of us could not believe we actually heard a difference. It really buffled me because the Grand Prix was made of steel and carbon fiber. I can easily lift the amp stand with three fingers. But the differences were there.

I've since invested in some nice rack and stands from SolidTech (from Sweden) with some good results. Come to think about it, it makes good sense. A company I used to work with in the high tech industry invested a lot of money on vibration control tables for all their sensitve equipments like lasers. SolidTech's website has published white papers on how their products minimizes vibration.

FrankC
I think the rack can make a difference depending on your needs. Any rack with a good damping factor and ability to "drain" the energy may be of benefit to you. At one time I wanted a rixrax or symposium rack (5k), It would still be nice It's like buying jewelery both are stunningly beautiful. Do I need to spend that much, No of course not. Do others need to spend that much? well maybe. Remember synergy and balance is what makes a system really great. It's not how much money you can throw at it. I figured that out when I hit the 50k mark. Now I have my system on a great rack (don't laugh) from Staples I got on clearance for 49.00, (you can't get them there anymore) It has the best damping factor of any inexpensive rack I could find. The shelfs are thick but not solid, If you tap on a shelf It has a nice quick ring and then does dead. They are some kind of practical board covered with real wood, they are also reversible if I decide to change to a dark cherry. But sense I seem to like change I have plans of replacing it what a nice vintage danish piece. (At least I won't be out much money)

All that said, you have a wonderful system, it looks great on the rack you have. You could play around with different racks but keep what you have in case you want to go back.
If you are familiar with stone, have you considered building your own equipment rack? I've been considering building a rack with granite for some time. Just need to find the time. The stone will cost approximately $125 per slab with holes drilled. A tad cheaper with no holes.
I built one with slate, check my system.
The ninety day home trial period with some "footers" ideas from
Herbiesaudiolab.com
should allow you to use your existing furniture, at the same time experiencing a significant audible upgrade. It will give you a baseline of vibration control, against which to compare any future special rack purchase. Or, you can retain Herbie's ideas even with a rack.
His products seem to work well in every application where I have tried them. There are a few variations in his line to allow for tweaking the tweak.
And, the cost of his products is very reasonable.
Thank you all. I have been away for quite some time and just got to looking at this thread. Great suggestions all around. That was definately on question I had, how does grantite line up as an audio rack product. I mean I can get loads of granite for almost nothing and I have used it for my equipment, even went so far as to make a custom granite stand for my TT. But then I read granite only exaggerates the vibrations. Anybodt know about this?

Tim, nice rack!!

Again, thanks for the suggestions all. I will consider them closely.

Peter