I would agree on this. Fortunately my Continuum comes with the Castellon stand which is a tank on isolation feet.
Are equipment racks oddly the most difficult audio purchase?
- Thread starter Lee
- Start date
Happy to report sonic bliss has been restored. The isolation platform I use under the Technics turntable was put together for about $200, yet to my ears it noticeably elevates the sound quality, even though I have my stand sitting directly on a concrete floor, and in a room adjacent to the listening room (i.e. least potentially problematic setup you could imagine).
in the 80's a close group was starting in Mossbauer spectroscopy and I was advising them on instrumental aspects. Mossbasuer spectrometers rely on absolute rest and vibration free structures.
As the starting project budget was small we assembled a simple structure - we played with some very large boxes of sand and inner tube tires. We tried several versions, optimizing the type of sand, inner tubes and mass. Fortunately we could rely on objective data - the Mossbauer peak Q-factor and a good solution was quickly found.
The bad news is that such cheap and effective solution is not practical for home audio - the volume and weight of the resulting system is not compatible with typical audiophile rooms and systems.
As the starting project budget was small we assembled a simple structure - we played with some very large boxes of sand and inner tube tires. We tried several versions, optimizing the type of sand, inner tubes and mass. Fortunately we could rely on objective data - the Mossbauer peak Q-factor and a good solution was quickly found.
The bad news is that such cheap and effective solution is not practical for home audio - the volume and weight of the resulting system is not compatible with typical audiophile rooms and systems.
I don't know, jack about racks, as i've never really experimented much. I have experimented much more with platform and footers. But even that is extremely limited. What I have seen is some equipment likes to bleed away noise and other don't have that need.
My gut says a well made sturdy wooden rack is a perfectly acceptable foundation to then sit appropriate platforms for the type of equipment you're using on top.
But I would also accept brands like HRS and SRA, ETC are potentially higher performing with or without the additional platform on top.
My budget says I build a sturdy wood rack. I have the Jet table saw, drill press and chop saws and routers. They are easy to build if you take your time. Its just tongue and groove from what I see. If made tight enough, you may not need to glue. Just bolt or hammer wooden pins. The queation is, do you spike the second layer to the base layer, or T&G both.
The wood also matters. Solid maple 2.5 inch thick makes a great amp stand.
These are maple, currently sitting on top of the carpet. There is a corian block on top with a dimple and Drusy stone set in it. Tube amps and preamps like this. The DAC and Server prefer the footers from Norm Varney. I forget the name. Metal, rubber and foam.
My gut says a well made sturdy wooden rack is a perfectly acceptable foundation to then sit appropriate platforms for the type of equipment you're using on top.
But I would also accept brands like HRS and SRA, ETC are potentially higher performing with or without the additional platform on top.
My budget says I build a sturdy wood rack. I have the Jet table saw, drill press and chop saws and routers. They are easy to build if you take your time. Its just tongue and groove from what I see. If made tight enough, you may not need to glue. Just bolt or hammer wooden pins. The queation is, do you spike the second layer to the base layer, or T&G both.
The wood also matters. Solid maple 2.5 inch thick makes a great amp stand.
These are maple, currently sitting on top of the carpet. There is a corian block on top with a dimple and Drusy stone set in it. Tube amps and preamps like this. The DAC and Server prefer the footers from Norm Varney. I forget the name. Metal, rubber and foam.
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I wrote earlier in the thread about our new venture, Folgenhaus Bespoke Audio Furniture. As the importer of several respected high-end audio brands and Global Head of Marketing and Sales for Von Schweikert, my partner, John Heins, and I felt that the time was right to introduce audio racks that honor the fundamentals of sound audio engineering, combined with audio furniture that is beautiful to behold and infinitely customizable.
Our newest offering is called the "Hex Series". Hex racks maintain our preference for clean, minimalist design, utilizing air-dried American rock maple shelving with massive uprights constructed of solid brass.
www.folgenhaus.com
The uprights are inserted flush with each shelf using German inserts and stainless steel 8mm bolts that are run deep into each for maximum rigidity. Each fully adjustable footer is also solid brass. Handcrafted to order, each Folgenhaus rack is built to the customer's specifications and finished in the natural stain of your choice.
The finish on the racks below is called Titanium. We also offer a beautiful walnut finish, as well as black satin, and virtually any finish you can imagine. The larger rack is an extra-wide 72" H x 21" D unit, built to the client's specification.
Typical builds are triple-wide 66" W x 21" designs with either two or three shelves, depending on the client's needs. 48" double-wide models are also available.
Feel free to PM me for more information.
Our newest offering is called the "Hex Series". Hex racks maintain our preference for clean, minimalist design, utilizing air-dried American rock maple shelving with massive uprights constructed of solid brass.
Hex — Folgenhaüs Bespoke Audio Furniture
www.folgenhaus.com
The uprights are inserted flush with each shelf using German inserts and stainless steel 8mm bolts that are run deep into each for maximum rigidity. Each fully adjustable footer is also solid brass. Handcrafted to order, each Folgenhaus rack is built to the customer's specifications and finished in the natural stain of your choice.
The finish on the racks below is called Titanium. We also offer a beautiful walnut finish, as well as black satin, and virtually any finish you can imagine. The larger rack is an extra-wide 72" H x 21" D unit, built to the client's specification.
Typical builds are triple-wide 66" W x 21" designs with either two or three shelves, depending on the client's needs. 48" double-wide models are also available.
Feel free to PM me for more information.
Attachments
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Beautiful wood.A good tonewood rack with some high quality isolation will blow the doors off of a metal rack with isolation IMO. I’m slightly biased though. This rack has Bolivian rosewood shelves on solid macassar ebony legs with Carbide Audio bases.
Tima, I am a fan of the SRA Scuttle racks. Excellent performance and good looks!I was sent an original Silent Running Audio (SRA) Scuttle rack to review and I ended up buying it on accomodation. It was a very early edition of the Scuttle -- one of the first ones made. A few years later SRA (Kevin Tellekamp) made changes to introduce the Scuttle Mk.2. A few years after that he made even more significant changes and released the Mk.3.. He wanted to test my original Scuttle to see what shape it was in after 5+ years of use. Smart move on his part as he a) guarantees his products for life and b) he wanted to learn how well he might retrofit some of the changes made in Mk.3 to an original model that had been in use.
So he sent me the Mk.3 to review and as I do with most of my reviews did a comparison between the original and the Mk.3. This meant I had two Scuttle racks for a 'side by side' comparison. They were both of a size three high and double-wide to accomodate 6 components. You almost never see racks compared directly so it was a great opportunity. I did not actually have them side by side as having both took up too much space. I had already reviewed the original model so I knew that well -- the review was done when it was brand new. I installed the Mk.3, did my review due dilligence, moved it out, put the original model back, did more listening and note taking, then put the Mk.3 back in place. You might imagine what a pita and how time consuming it is to switch racks back and forth, twice -- I am a concientous reviewer. I ended up shipping the original back to SRA for evaluation and purchased the Mk.3, which I still have along with another single-wide Mk.3 that holds 3 components (my Lamm LP1 three-box phono stage.)
View attachment 135276
The Scuttle Mk.3 is in the foreground. You can read about the original model here and the Mk.3 here at TAB.
To speak briefly about the upstream topic of treating components individually. The SRA racks do that. The racks are much more than equipment stands -- they apply multiple SRA vibration management techniques targeted at energy management of whatever is placed on them. These are not generic racks. Each rack is custom made using SRA's Component Specific Design (CSD) which accounts for the placement of each component in a specific spot on a rack. So tubes or solid state do not matter -- each rack is built for the components that you have. No add-on footers (typically one size fits all) should be used. Change components or their arrangement and SRA supplies free updates to match with what you currently have. You can read about their CSD process in the reviews.
View attachment 135277
Here is the Mk.3 with components -- from several years back in my ARC time -- look I had a CD player!
My suggestion is to choose from an established vendor whose products are known for their vibration management efficacy. In my opinion there are two of these: Critical Mass Systems (CMS) and Silent Running Audio. If you want a simple stand to hold components off the floor, you're buying furniture -- choose what you like, just make sure the rack will hold the weight and gives adequate ventilation space around each component.
Look at Box Furniture in New York. You can also find a local woodworker and see if they can do it.
Timber Nation and Massif are decent but the joinery just isn’t there.
Physics doesn't care how simple or complex the tech may be, it's the effectiveness that counts.
Did Reed make them. That is similar to how I built my workbench. Rock solid. That is how I would make my audio stand.
I have one too, I am very happy with an old solid steel from the 90th. However, compared to a modern, resonance-optimized finite elemente rack, it is significantly inferior in terms of sound quality.
Each level can be optimized for the device's resonance frequency using the four vibration weights. Such technological sophistication naturally comes at a price.
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A few more images of the Folgenhaus audio racks with aged American rock maple, solid brass leg supports, and solid brass custom-adjustable footers. The ability to handle heavy components is never in doubt. Also available as a triple shelf in triple-wide and double-wide configurations. Basically, you imagine it, and we can build it. All finishes are entirely organic, European, and custom-stained to your preference.I wrote earlier in the thread about our new venture, Folgenhaus Bespoke Audio Furniture. As the importer of several respected high-end audio brands and Global Head of Marketing and Sales for Von Schweikert, my partner, John Heins, and I felt that the time was right to introduce audio racks that honor the fundamentals of sound audio engineering, combined with audio furniture that is beautiful to behold and infinitely customizable.
Our newest offering is called the "Hex Series". Hex racks maintain our preference for clean, minimalist design, utilizing air-dried American rock maple shelving with massive uprights constructed of solid brass.
Hex — Folgenhaüs Bespoke Audio Furniture
The uprights are inserted flush with each shelf using German inserts and stainless steel 8mm bolts that are run deep into each for maximum rigidity. Each fully adjustable footer is also solid brass. Handcrafted to order, each Folgenhaus rack is built to the customer's specifications and finished in the natural stain of your choice.
The finish on the racks below is called Titanium. We also offer a beautiful walnut finish, as well as black satin, and virtually any finish you can imagine. The larger rack is an extra-wide 72" H x 21" D unit, built to the client's specification.
Typical builds are triple-wide 66" W x 21" designs with either two or three shelves, depending on the client's needs. 48" double-wide models are also available.
Feel free to PM me for more information.
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