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A Question About Audio Racks

I have a question about audio racks that I hope some folks here might be able to help me with. I am currently thinking about an upgrade and wondering if I might get even better sonic results from using a mostly wood rack over the glass/steel combination that I am currently using. I live in South Korea, and we don't have access to some of the more interesting racks that can be purchased easily in North America. That coupled with the currently weak currency discourage me from trying to import. I'm currently using this rack: http://audiodeco.com/product/goodsdetail.asp?no=50&cate1=&cate2=

It's served me well for about four years. I'm considering changing to this one:

http://www.carnivalmall.co.kr/mall/m_mall_detail.php?ps_ctid=01000000&ps_goid=51

Obviously this is all in Korean but the Carnival rack uses walnut with a bed of marble in the shelves. Does anyone think this would be much of an upgrade if at all? The glass in the Audio Deco is very thick with little if any vibration. The shelves are adjustable in the steel frame. The Carnival rack is not adjustable. I would like to have a bit more shelving for components, so I was thinking of buying two of these. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
washline
10 responses Add your response
washline OP
202 posts
 
Thanks for all the advice. We do have MDF in Korea. In fact one company, Bauhaus, produces entire racks from them at a very inexpensive price. In fact, I've bought several LP racks from them already, all made from MDF. Those look quite good in their walnut veneer, but I'm not as fond of the appearance of their racks, which have enclosed sides and look more like traditional, boxy furniture.

Carnival, on the other hand, does produce shelving made from real walnut without the beds of marble glued in, and this might be a better solution. The prices of this shelving is even less than the imbedded marble.

Unfortunately, we don't have normal hardware stores over here in Seoul, so DIY projects are probably unlikely. Plus, I don't have the equipment or even a place to really store it if I were to purchase it. Getting wood and so forth is also a hassle, so I'll likely skip that kind of project. Some of your other suggestions are very good though. I'll be in the US over the winter so I'll try to purchase some brass footers from Mapleshade. Thanks again for the suggestions.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Washline, Thom Mackris of Galibier Design has a post on another thread which has led me to a part of his site which could be very pertinent to your issue. If you go to the Galibier site and check out the following page :

http://www.galibierdesign.com/faqs_stands.html

you'll get the benefit of some very dedicated and hard-working people's experience on racks, shelves and vibration control. There is more in the Forums section of that site.

Good luck!
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,830 posts
 
Any solid, stable wooden furniture that sits on a firm solid foundation itself works optimally to enable the best sound from the system.

Buying nice looking second hand furniture to place components on/in is a good way to save some money that can be invested better in the system itself perhaps if the goal is to produce better sound.

The only other requirements are that there is sufficient room for all your stuff and access for connecting things, and that you like the way it looks.

Also make sure there is room to keep low level devices separate and shielded from inductance fields from nearby transformers like those in power amps and other power equipment nearby and other potential sources of noise, like RF interference that might be present in some digital devices, etc.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
I don't know about the availability of MDF in South Korea but it makes good shelf material at a reasonable price. I am in the middle of a construction project suggested by Noel at Skylan Stands. It involves putting 3 sheets of 1/2" MDF [he suggested 5/8s but it was not available at Home Depot ] together with BLU-TAK at the corners and a wood screw at each corner and one in the middle. He said he has found this to outperform Maple. I have a 4" Maple butchers block under my table now and will post the comparison in the future. He also said to use 3 5/16 washers with one thickness of electrical tape over them which I assume was to place the support points against.
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jgiacalo
446 posts
 
Check Tpsonic's system. He has what I've found to be the best combination for resonance management. Between shelf and component use Mapleshade IsoBlocks (or much, much cheaper yet and essentially the same material, V-pads from HCAV suppliers), then a brass footer like the Mapleshade HeavyFeet in direct contact with the bottom of the chassis of the equipment. Ideally the shelf should be wood or similar resonsnce-absorbing material.
Best advice so far is to avoid glass, marble, granite and other materials which tend to resonate.
tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
.75"-1" threaded rods are available,preferably brass.These are used as the four uprights,with jam nuts securing the shelves (top & bottom).Most hardware stores carry 1.25-1.5" ID tubing.Cut these to desired shelf height.Surround the uprights with this and fill the tubing with your favorite damping material (lead?).Use wood shelves 2-4" thick.Star Sound and others make "footers" that will screw on to the threaded uprights
This will provide a very sturdy and heavy rack for your system-check my system photos.DIYs can be very attractive and save some money.
washline OP
202 posts
 
Thank you gentlemen for your replies. And I particularly appreciate knowing about the problems of marble as shelf material. Thank you.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Nice to see a post from Lak, above. I agree with both his and Stanwal's points. It seems to me the move you are considering won't deal with the key issue, which is the material of the shelves. Every good shelf I have seen or heard has used wood or carbon fibre in some way, for resonance damping or tuning, and the support members have been made of metal for rigidity.

For a personal example, my welded steel Target rack uses light, rigid plywood for shelving. The components sit on various antivibration footers. I'm planning on replacing some of those plywood shelves with hard maple.
lak's avatar
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lak
4,529 posts
 
I agree with Stanwal however I know that glass and marble shelving are poor selections to use. Try to find a rack that has shelving made of thick vinyl or hard wood, or shelves you could replace with one of the materials I suggested. At that point you still might want to use some type of isolation devices.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
I don't know the racks but a good upgrade is putting isolation devices under your components whatever rack you are using. I am a small dealer and sell the Star Sound points which I know are good but there are others on the market which will help. I would try this before I changed the rack.
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