Thread: How to choose the right audio rack

Just posted a video on the steps I went through in how to choose an audio rack. Check it out:

How To Choose a Hi-FI Audio Rack / Hi-Fi Console - YouTube

One of the areas that often see poorly done is turntable height. So many, mostly newcomers to LP playback have their TT's placed way too low. My platter resides 50" from the floor, perfect for my 6' 1" ht.

Originally Posted by Mikado463

One of the areas that often see poorly done is turntable height. So many, mostly newcomers to LP playback have their TT's placed way too low. My platter resides 50" from the floor, perfect for my 6' 1" ht.

I know you don't like mine but for the amount of records I play and not wanting it on the top shelf, it works just fine.

20220427_101005.jpg

Originally Posted by Shadowfax

I know you don't like mine but for the amount of records I play and not wanting it on the top shelf, it works just fine.

20220427_101005.jpg

Brian, my back aches just looking at that, LOL !

One other thing of note with your placement, can you keep the dust cover lifted for playback ? if not, that's another reason to move it. But I understand your feelings about minimal LP playback, regardless us serious vinyl guys would put it up top and the knick-knacks below !!

Originally Posted by Mikado463

One of the areas that often see poorly done is turntable height. So many, mostly newcomers to LP playback have their TT's placed way too low. My platter resides 50" from the floor, perfect for my 6' 1" ht.

That's a good point.

I did mention making sure you take into account the height you want your components at, but I didn't think about mentioning a turntable specifically. It would have been better if I had used a TT as an example.

Originally Posted by stereogeek

You didn't cover the most important thing.....how does it sound? The reason I say that is there was a huge difference when I went from a solid maple shelf rack with threaded rods to an inert multi layered shelf rack.

Absolutely true. That will be coming up in a future video!

And the video after that will be "how to create an invisible force field around your gear to keep dust from daring to ever land on it." Or am I the only one who curses at the dust? LOL

Originally Posted by Shaqy88

Video was very informative,

I really liked getting your wife on board part.

I am looking for a rack also in family room and for now I relly like this
Myro HiFi Furniture

Being that I am form Europe thay seem like a good bet.

Thanks again

They look really nice. Here is a link if anyone is interested
Shop solid wood Hi-Fi Racks & speaker stands — HiFi Rack

Originally Posted by Shaqy88

Video was very informative,

I really liked getting your wife on board part.

I am looking for a rack also in family room and for now I relly like this
Myro HiFi Furniture

Being that I am form Europe thay seem like a good bet.

Thanks again

Thanks so much!

Originally Posted by stereogeek

You didn't cover the most important thing.....how does it sound? The reason I say that is there was a huge difference when I went from a solid maple shelf rack with threaded rods to an inert multi layered shelf rack.

Can you provide more details as to what is considered an "inert multi layered shelf rack"?

My rack and the top of where my TT sets is 36". Perfect for me. Like anything audio, its a personal preference, as we all are not the same, nor have the same rooms and or home construction.. ex: Some have wooden floors with wooden floor joist, others have poured concrete floors, and concrete slab homes.

Originally Posted by CPP

My rack and the top of where my TT sets is 36". Perfect for me. Like anything audio, its a personal preference, as we all are not the same, nor have the same rooms and or home construction.. ex: Some have wooden floors with wooden floor joist, others have poured concrete floors, and concrete slab homes.

That's a really good point about home construction and how that will affect how a rack works in your home. We have slabs here in this part of Texas with no basements due to the kind of soil we have.

Originally Posted by MichaelsMinute

That's a really good point about home construction and how that will affect how a rack works in your home. We have slabs here in this part of Texas with no basements due to the kind of soil we have.

Same here in Fla thick concrete slabs, but some really older homes are built and some still standing, on wooden beam support structures.

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Just a note that all hard materials, including tile, stone, concrete, will resonate, and or, ring. Just ask the folks who were walking down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906. In fact, sound waves will travel faster through concrete than air because it's much denser.

Folks that think having a concrete slab floor means it won't vibrate, resonate, ring, or have an audible impact on the sound of their system should...think again.

Here's some...data: Watch this video with Norm Varney of A/V Roomsystems, play a music box mechanism at approx. 8:20 into this video, and specifically, on a speaker with a cabinet made of concrete at approx. 13:10 into the video. Turns out concrete rings like a bell.



This is why racks (e.g, Core Audio, HRS, Finite Elemente, Artesania), amp stands, speaker cabinets that incorporate constrained-layer damping (as one example of a design embodiment) perform well to attenuate or damp (not "dampen", which is to make something moist) vibration, resonances, and ringing.

Good stuff. Thanks for posting that vid.

I have rubber pads between my rack legs and the hard floor and then I also have vibration control at the component level.

I'd love to have a super fancy vibration-fighting rack, I just am not prepared to spend $5k-$10K at this time for one.

Signed,

The BOT (sorry - couldn't resist. LOL)

Originally Posted by Shaqy88

Now maybe it is just me... In the 80ties Yamaha had this "neutral sound" series, never liked it...

It was natural sound.

Originally Posted by Shaqy88

I am going on a limb here and will say something that 90% of the tech guys won't like...
But i don't like the idea of killing of everything in the room.
This will be more like studio sound? Right?
And we are going for a concert-hall sound?

As far as am concerned it is more about "controling the vibration" like thay do that i concert halls.
In Dresden there is one relatively newly built one, and it struck me when i went there that this is the game...
The guys that were making instruments were thinking this way i think, and the guys that were designig the concert hall were also thinkin in those terms.

Now maybe it is just me... In the 80ties Yamaha had this "neutral sound" series, never liked it...

I agree. I had a room once that was severely over-damped and virtually completely dead. It was impossible to get good sound in the room.