I currently have an audio rack with maple shelves by Salamander. Seeking to make a change. I saw a VTI 6 glass shelf rack with chrome poll legs. Is having glass shelves going to be a problem with resonances and other sound issues? I have the Triton 5's speakers with 2 stereo SVS subs, Rogue Audio Magnum 2 tube power amp and Rogue Audio pre amp. & a Cary CD player. In short, the VTI rack looks the best, as the system is in my living room, like the glass shelves, but don't want to sacrifice performance for looks. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
So some audiophiles make up their minds after extensive listening and ruthless self-examination, but they then get on the internet and state their preferences which are then repeated by those with much less experience. We then end up with audiophile wisdom such as: 1) belt or idler drive is better than direct drive, 2) silver makes cables sound tipped up in the treble, 3) NOS tubes are better than new tubes, 4) discrete is better than ICs, 5) the less feedback, the better, 6) mono amps over stereo amps...
The wisdom goes on and on. And I'm not saying that there isn't some truth in these observations, but I contend that in any specific application the group think can be wrong. Which in this specific case means it is absolutely possible to make a good sounding rack using glass.
OK, I guess someone has to ask, since you brought it up, what is your own personal experience or research with glass shelves? Or glass windows. Or glass anything? Fair enough? 😛
Agree with geoffkait. On any number of subjects, audiophiles have a built-in mind think that limits products from the marketplace. Glass shelves are one, powered loudspeakers are another. There was a time when integrated amps fell into this category. So group mind think can change.
melbguyone Be cautious with racks using glass shelves, as glass will notoriously ’ring’. The only high end manufacturer I know of who has managed to engineer around those issues is Artesania, though they use bonded glass shelves with complex bracing and supports - and not cheap!
>>>>>Mana iso stands use glass shelves, and the more glass shelves the better. Glass actually doesn’t ring under load and has some low frequency flexibility under load so it acts like a spring. Also, any shelf that rings can be easily dealt with by damping. So it’s not the end of the world.
I purchased a Core Audio Designs rack in 2017 for my new TT based system and could not be happier with the results. Beautifully built, great to look at and superb acoustic isolation for the TT. Here is a link to the manufacturers site (I have no affiliation with the manufacturer):
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