Equipment Rack Between Speakers...Good or Bad

@mijostyn 

I meant to say the M6 are Magico's M series flagship. I'm aware that the Q7 Mkii are step up from the M6 and cost more too. I'm thinking to upgrade to the Q7 Mkii at some point possibly next year. For now I'm just enjoying the M6. 

For closure to my previous post here is Luxman’s feedback on AES48 support.

The M900u / C900u do not support AES48 standard.

The engineering team does not recommend using only pins 2 and 3 to conduct signal... without pin 1 in use, the units would be unstable.

The engineer did ask a question: What cables are you trying to use? If he has this information, he may be able to research further.

Also, the Luxman M900u and C900u are Class II devices. As such, they do not employ an earth ground. My understanding is that for AES48 standard, an earth ground is required. I may be wrong about this, but this is what I have been told. I don’t know if this changes your approach or not, but just wanted to pass that along.

On well, I may have to spend a little more on long XLR’s since I am getting the m900u.

Roxy, you have tried the rack off to the side and didn't notice much difference. I suggest you go with that as every system and room combo is different. FWIW, in my case, relocating my rack from between my speakers to the side wall made a noticeable improvement in soundstaging. Even though I had to replace my speaker cables with another pair (same brand) that were twice the length, the sound of my system was definitely better. Hearing is believing.

The short answer is - it depends. Racks center of 2 channel setups are more of a detriment the higher they are IME and even more so if a monitor / TV is on top. Also, keep in mind that front wall center treatment plays a more critical role the shallower and smaller a room is since the direct sound from speakers bounces off the rear wall and then again off the front wall to the sweet spot. However, the side wall location can also be problematic especially if the rack is placed at one of the first reflection points and further exacerbates sonic issues with less speaker toe - in. The only way to know for sure as to what best meets your sonic needs in your room is to experiment and pick the best compromise.

On well, I may have to spend a little more on long XLR’s since I am getting the m900u.

@yyzsantabarbara You should be alright. It makes far more difference that the preamp supports the standard than the amp. To that end you can probably run Mogami Neglex and totally get away with it. If in doubt you can always audition another cable beside it. The main thing the amp has to do is have both the inverted and noninverted signal pins processed in the same manner. To bad they didn't support the standard- in an amplifier its easy to do. Its a lot harder for a preamp!