2. misc-audio
  3. 1071704319

Filling A Tubular Metal Rack?

I have a tubular metal rack which consists of four hollow cylindrical steel uprights, sixteen hollow rectangular cross supports and is coupled to a carpet over concrete floor on four threaded spikes. My components sit on MDF shelves and are coupled to these shelves with brass cones and spikes. Up until recently I have had the rack filled completely with sand. I was advised on this forum to remove the sand from the rack as sand acts as a damping device and therefore kills dynamics. With the equipment in use on the unfilled rack I have introduced a metallic ring to the sound, loosened up the bass and diminished top end detail. It was suggested to me that I use a material such as Systrum's Micro-steel Bearing fill instead. I investigated this product on Systrum's website and I quote from their website...

"Steel is positioned as a primary conductor of resonance within our science and product designs. NO SAND, NO LEAD and NO RUBBER products, as these substances come from the "absorbent materials" group. It remains a fact that sand, lead and rubber materials are a solution to treat the negative effects of resonance and vibrations. However, these materials absorb dynamics and micro-dynamics when used with audio and acoustical equipment. They literally soak up and destroy the energies that make the musical presentation exhilarating.
Maintaining and increasing Dynamics within the presentation is a primary goal of all Audio and Videophiles. This raw energy creates the overall excitement and pleasure related to human emotion while listening to a recorded process or live-presentation. If you currently own a stand that can be mass loaded or are using sand and/or lead as the primary fill material, we highly recommend replacing the absorbent material with Micro-Bearing Conductive Steel."

The problem I have is a) the Systrum products are unavailable in my country (New Zealand. b)Systrum sells this product for US$40 a quart and I require approximately 15 quarts to fill this rack. Given the exchange rate and cost of freight, importing this product would be extraordinarily expensive. Approximately NZ$900 not including freight! This is clearly an unrealistic proposition.

I am hoping that somebody may be able to suggest a more readily obtainable and cost effective alternative. Thanks in advance for your help.
unhalfbricking

Showing 1 response by twl

twl
3,251 posts
 
While we at Starsound employ MicroBearing Fill in our racks, and promote the properly engineered Resonance Energy Transfer sciences, we cannot control the engineering or performance of unknown DIY racks and stands. Thus, we have no way of knowing if our MicroBearing Fill will indeed improve the performance of an unknown DIY rack or stand. It may improve it, or may not, depending upon many other variables used in its design and application.

This is a fairly common situation that we encounter regularly with our products. People seem to think that any tubular metal rack or platform will behave the same as a Sistrum rack or platform. This is not true, because simply using construction techniques which look somwhat similar to Sistrum does not mean it will perform like Sistrum. The same is true with our Audiopoints. I get calls all the time about Audiopoints, and people compare them to some cheap five dollar brass cone, and think they are comparing apples to apples. Not the case. Others don't even try Audiopoints because they "have tried brass cones". There's a difference. Audiopoints are correctly engineered to do the job that other brass cone makers don't even know about. If the product is not produced by Starsound, then it is not a Sistrum or Audiopoint, and will not behave in the same beneficial manner. Other items and DIY projects need to be handled on a case-by-case basis, because they are built on other principles than our Resonance Energy Transfer science.

Unhalfbricking, you can call me on my toll free line 1-800-307-0728, if you'd like to spend some time on this with me. If you want any of our Sistrum or Audiopoint products, I can arrange to have them sent to you in NZ. Or you could email me, if you'd prefer. I'd be happy to help you, regardless of any sale involved.
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