I seriously doubt that you or anyone else on this site or anywhere else on earth would be able to "hear" a difference in an A/B/A blind test. Purchase the material you like best at the best price you can find and enjoy your music. There are no absolutes when it comes to anything posted on any of these forums.
Look at the system pages, our members own every conceivable type, shape, brand and material you can buy. Don't give it a second thought.
Most on here have great intentions but cannot provide a shred of proof or data for anything they post, it is mostly opinions and a lot of conventional wisdom that gets repeated as fact.
Some discussions do center on electrical codes, physics, engineering principles etc, but even those discussion seems to go way off-track and there is seldom a consensus and never a "Solved once and forever" FAQs folder.
I hope this makes you and others with similar questions put into perspective what it is you are really getting from the forum. Do not take anything you read here too seriously.
This is a hobby and we are all hopefully in it for the best music reproduction we can afford. If it sounds good to you...it is good! Period....!
Happy Listening and good luck with your new rack. Post a Pic when complete! |
Tom, I totally hear you.
Opinions based on experience or science are somewhat valid, but opinions not based on either should not even waste space in the forums. That's why I wanted to know if anyone actually tried both. Do I think there's anyone who tried steel first and switched to brass? If so, probably like two people in the world.
I just figured that there are so many proponents of brass that it MUST come from somewhere, whether it's from experience in testing different materials or scientific theory.
I particularly love when people claim that brass is better for building various stereo components because instruments are made out of it. Seriously?
Thanks for the down to earth response. |
One thing which may make a difference is using rod with the Acme Thread. |
I have used both steel rods and brass rods in one of my isolation stand products, both with good results. At least One high end amp, the Berning EA2-150, has a brass chassis. |
I have compared steel all thread rods with brass all thread rods with the same components and the same shelving. One left and one stayed. Oh before that I compared brass lock nuts with the steel lock nuts on steel rods.. again one left and one stayed. That was about fifteen years ago. Tom |
Which one stayed, Tom? I asked myself the OPs question when I built mine. I went with brass, but I'd be seriously surprised if I could tell a difference, sonically, in the event I A/Bed, which I didn't. People who build footers and the like, including people I think well of, like Steve at Herbie's Audio Lab, would likely say otherwise. The factors driving my decision were the visuals: brass develops a nice patina over time, which looks right in my older home. Also, the footers I decided to use came in brass, and I wanted a match. I believe the difference in cost was 200-300 bucks then (the materials make it a pretty expensive rack), and I felt like that wasn't too much to pay for the visuals. With a different decor, of course, the steel might go better (say, if you're a chrome and leather person). Below is a link to a thread where I got lots of help building mine. For me, the upshot was that although I'm very happy with my rack, with patience I could have gotten better value in a used rack. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?htech&1158841915John |
If the dollars are there then brass all the way...especially at the ground plane..the floor and shelf. The termination is not all about the material but also the mass and geometry..trilogy as it were. Tom |
Cryoing the rods, whether brass or steel, will improve their physical characteristics and performance. Just thought I'd throw that out there. |
I need to try that with my endpin designs for cello and bass. Hear the difference right at the original source. No recording or mechanical or optical playback in the way. Geoff who in the Midwest would be a reputable source as a cryo service? Tom |
Theaudiotweak,
I bet Geoffkait can help you as I'm sure he probably cryos many of the products that he sells (the Super Intelligent Chip, the Signature Version of the Clever Little Cock, the Brilliant Pebbles, the Tru-Tone Duplex Covers, and the Special Helical Springs, to name a few). I bet every cryo lab in the country knows his name due to the sheer volume of items that he cryos. Mention him and you may even get a discount! |
Tom6897: Refreshingly stated reality. (I like this guy already!)
Geoffkait: As expected! |
Tom, Cryo Pro is located in MO. Cryopro.com
Cheers |
Thanks Geoff. Lean forward not stuck in the same old muck. Tom |
I agree with Tom6897. I have done the Flexy. Its simple design encourages upgrades and tweeking. Unfortunately it is not a good design and is ironically beyond improving with "upgrades" like brass rods. Ikea's lack table is much better, although I am not completely sure they are made the same way. They are cheap enough to buy one for experimentation. If you flexy, don't use MDF. It sounds bad, period. |
Sorry, I meant made the same way as they were a few years ago. |
