I have some beefs with modern audio racks and furniture.

[Soundbaron]

And it's not just the prices. In the early Eighties, and before, you could buy stereo cabinets that were vertical, had glass doors, and effectively kept dust, and mishaps like spills off your gear. Of course I completely understand that the reason modern audio furniture tends to be open is to help dissipate heat. I don't think that's worth the trade off in most cases, because it's totally possible to build a traditional stereo cabinet which is spacious enough to allow for good ventilation around your components. In fact I still have one of my original cabinets from about 1980 or so that does that just fine. That's with a fairly powerful gear in it. Of course this might not be sensible for very large and powerful amps, but it's just fine for everything else. You can at least protect your preamps, Dac's, tuners, cd players, transports, etc. even if your amps are outboard.

I've seen a video on YouTube of a guy who built his own stereo cabinet and it was marvelous, if I can use the word . He built it for his woodworking shop where saw dust was a particular problem, but the cabinet he built would be great anywhere. The shelves were largely open from the bottom of the cabinet to the top, except for where each components feet were placed. In other words, kind of a U shaped cutout under each component which allowed ventilation from top to bottom. At the bottom he had openings to the outside of the cabinet with air filters that allowed fresh air into the cabinet to be pulled up by a quiet pc fan, or two, to exit the air and heat from the top, and keep the inside cool and dustless.

Now I'm pretty sure given the prices I've seen of Audio furniture which is really nothing more than open shelves with four legs, that what I'm suggesting would be prohibitively expensive, unless you have woodworking skills yourself. Nonetheless, a cabinet that fancy would not be necessary for most gear, as long as it was large enough to provide ample space around your equipment

I'm still using my old stereo cabinet from the eighties era, and although it's getting a bit long in the tooth it still works fine since I reinforced the shelves to accommodate the generally heavier larger weight of my gear now. Admittedly, it's a little wobbly due to the greater weight and because its joints have loosened up over time, but I sure wish somebody was producing reasonably priced cabinets in this style designed for modern gear. As I mentioned before, even if you have heavy large mono blocks you could leave them outside your cabinet as almost everyone does anyway, while still protecting everything else.

 

[Phil A]

There's lots of places to buy nice racks, however, prices will not be all that cheap for anything of quality today. One can also look at used items (and find something local) like here - https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=salamander

There's also plenty of videos on DIY stuff (e.g. making a rack from threaded rods and using either wood or granite shelves - e.g. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Hardware-Metal-Stock-Metal-Rods/N-5yc1vZ2fkos9n

 

[Mike]

Racks are the most puzzling item we sell. Europeans it seems are more apt to spend on a high end rack. Every person that walks in the store and whether they look at our Critical Mass racks, Artesania or Ictra racks all feel they should cost “$3000”. I survey people because I feel it fascinating.

 

[nc42acc]

Anybody considered Salamander Designs? I know they are not in the high end catagory but they are well made and stylish and will fit the budget minded buyers sensibilities.

 

[Shadowfax]

My VTI racks house everything I need them to hold and did not break the bank. They are not in the same universe as Critical Mass and others but are highly configurable and can be shot filled.

 

[Darrel]

My system has gone through multiple changes and cost. But, I still just keep what works for me. Cheap and stable.

 

[The Sandman]

I can't speak for all expensive high-end racks, but I can say that my Critical Mass Maxxum rack made an immense difference in the sound of my system - probably the single biggest difference among my many upgrades over the years.

Buying it was an act of faith - it's not at all like component that you can easily swap in and out of your system for comparison or the systems at a dealer or show. And they can be quite costly... it's really hard to pull the trigger - for me it took years of research and thought before I took the plunge. But it was so worth it. There's a reason so many manufacturers show their equipment on good racks - they make them sound better.

 

[Dizzie]

I had one highly respected rack. My disappointment was in how much usable space was lost to support arms and alleged isolation. I had a hard time fitting in my equipment. Good riddance. Now I have two custom racks made locally out of Claro (California walnut). I ordered my Sound Lab speakers to match the finish. I made matching floor stands. I use individual isolation devices from Symposium, IsoAcoustics, and Finite Elemente selectively on each component. The result is a beautiful system that does not look industrial and still provides isolation.