Benefits of a Shallower Rack


I’ve got a relatively small listening space to work with. Also limited adjustment toward the center of the room as I’m not the only one using the space (yet it is largely dedicated to the stereo). Although I’ve managed to arrange things so my speakers are at least three feet from the sidewalls, I really can’t go past 19” from the front wall - measured from the rear of the speakers. Being that the room is only 11x12’, I’ve noticed that even minor adjustments and wall treatments can render serious results. Even moving my Pangea (a cheap and monolithic four tier) audio stand slightly from left to right when experimenting with sub placement can majorly affect the center image.

So I wanted to ask here how many of you may have gone to a wider/lower rack to good effect? Or did it present yet another problem that became more of a trade off than a benefit? The idea being that I would remove some spurious reflections via bringing my gear closer to the floor and out from between the immediate field between the speakers.

Ultimately looking to diy a decent wood rack that would sit far lower than what I’m currently using.

Thanks to everyone in advance!

 

riccitone

@sbank

I’d probably have to change the orientation, or use a current side wall as a new front wall to make that feasible. Doesn’t mean I couldn’t try it. Often thought about setting the rack to a corner or side.

Thank you 🙏🏼

Timbernation is a good company to check out. He'll make whatever you want and his price is reasonable. Chris uses solid hardwoods and his work is very nice and he stands behind it as I learned from personal experience.

@riccitone A couple of small considerations if you move it to a side or corner:

- if you have a turntable putting it very close(<3ft) to a speaker can cause feedback, when the speaker output gets picked up by the cartridge

- low frequency energy congregates in corners, so if side is an option vs. corner, it's usually a safer choice to avoid any complications

+1 on Timbernation, he made some custom sized amps stands for me about 20 years ago that served me well until I sold them along w/those amps. Good value and craftsmanship. Cheers,

Spencer

I've used curtains to drape the top and sides of my rack to excellent effect.  You can also get stand-alone absorbers to put next to them.  Experiment with a blanket at first, if you like the results consider spending a little money. 

I've also draped my speakers the same way with similar benefits. Thank you for the reminder, I may very well now go on a bit of a shopping spree.