How much difference does an anti-vibration audio rack make


Hi,

I have just put together a Hi-Fi system. It's a two channel system consisting of B&W 800D3 speakers, McIntosh C1100 C+T Pre-Amp and two McIntosh MC1.25KW mono blocks. I considered buying a carbon fibre anti-vibration audio rack from Bassocontinuo (Aeon 2.0) but did not finally end up buying it due to the fact that there were two many racks in my living room which houses my Hi-Fi system. I am currently using a lovely solid wood TV cabinet to house the above equipment.

Question is whether the system gives me a sub-par performance due to the absence of a specialist audio rack or the difference is immaterial. I could not try it to determine as the carbon fibre racks are not stocked by the dealer due to the costs.

Thanks
128x128sudhirgoel

Showing 1 response by audiotroy

Hello OP,

to answer your question vibration isolation racks make a very noticable improvement in a good system and can take a good system into a great system.

We have never tested this rack but it does seem very well engineered.

Per the gentleman that said these racks improve only turntables completely false all components both solid state and tubes improve sometimes radically so with the use of the right kinds of products.

To site an example, at Innovative Audio in NYC I devised a demo of a $1,000 Rega CD player on top of a solid steel rack and compared that $1,000 player vs a $3,000 Classe CD player and of course the better CD player did sound better. The hot isolation product at the time was Black Diamond Racing who made isolation footers and a carbon fiber composite shelf. 

The demo would begin with adding footers to the Rega and comparing to the Classe, which was sitting on top of the other Solid Steel rack, and with the set of footers the Rega sounded sharper and more dynamic, then put a carbon fiber shelf on top of the footers and boom improvement then anothe set of cones under the player, once the Rega was fully isolated it blew the doors off the much more expensive Classe player and at the end of the demo took the Rega player off of the vibration platform and put the Classe on top and again boom the now isolated Classe player sounded far better.

Draining away vibration induced distortions improves audio gear it is really that simple.

We have over the years tested many of these types of devices, from Stillpoints, Finite Elemente, Black Diamond Racing, Symposium, and now Critical Mass systems. They all work and in a good system the end results are very large improvements in dynamics, image focus, overall clarity and a sense of image floating with improved solidity of the image.

How much is this Basso rack?

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ