Equipment Rack Between Speakers

@lovehifi22  Tall equipment racks and TV screens between the speakers is generally considered a no-no from a sonics perspective.  The early reflections off of these surfaces can produce L vs R asymmetry which can affect imaging and soundstage quality.  Try placing your equipment on amp stands that are but a few inches off the ground while still positioned between the speakers and as close or far from the front wall as your cable lengths provide.  Speakers with rear firing tweeters/midrange drivers or open baffle or dipole speakers may be even more susceptible to reflections off the rack(s) and TV screens.  I wouldn't position the rack on the sidewall assuming you don't have a mirror image rack on the other sidewall so behind the plane of the listening position is ideal but then requires long interconnects (or speaker wires), which makes a few low height amp stands even more appealing in my opinion.

Agree with Kevin, if there is enough room for the equipment to basically be on the floor. I have my turntable and integrated tube amp on the maple blocks and on the floor with brass cones under the blocks.

Having the gear between the speakers tends to be more photogenic, but our living space (and chief decorator) pretty much dictates that the gear goes on a side wall.

Dealing with the same issue. Large sound anchor rack with multiple sources.  Either side wall....long speaker cables. Or rack to be positioned close to back wall with speakers 2-3 feet in front and to the side of the rack.

Rack is approximately 4.5 feet tall and 5 foot wide. 

I could balance side placement with bookshelf but long speaker cables are pricey. 

Advice?

I have my equipment on a side wall, but that’s because I have a fireplace in between my speakers that juts out from the wall about 20”.  On the fireplace I have an 85” TV.  While completely independent from my two channel audio, I also have home theater speakers on the same wall.  Playing my two channel audio system, I’ve had two friends who had been in the high end audio business, ask me if my center channel speaker was playing, because of the lack of a L/R speaker localization.  My point is, just because you don’t follow all of the audiophile “rules” doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a great 3D sound stage.