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HiFi Rack for non-turntable system

Biggsy

pfm Member
Hi all,
A multi-part question if I may.

Firstly, I have an old metal-framed “hifi” rack (in quotes ‘cos they pre-date when racks were a special ‘thing’). The racks are an X-shape supporting glass shelves which sit on rubber bumpers at each corner. Each tier is clamped between threaded rods through the spacer ‘legs’. Very rigid and heavy when assembled. The whole lot then sits on spikes resting on metal discs with a dimple for the spike. The floor is Victorian parquet over a solid base (stone or concrete, whatever was popular in the 1830’s).

My speakers are spiked, but this time directly into the floor (don’t tell the missus)

Q1: for a rig that is streaming only, does the weight of the rack, the glass shelves, or the rubber shelf supports impact the overall sound, and if so for good or not?
Q2: If the rack setup is bad, what can I do to improve?
Q3: Do I need a better rack setup?
Q4: Are vibration damping feet (eg IsoAcoutics Gias) worth it, and if so, under what bit (eg speakers only, rack only, both)?

Not keen on spending stacks so am looking for best return for spend.

Any suggestions anyone?
 
I have tried Gaias on a wooden floor and collated the opinions of others. Most of us agree that they make a big difference with most speakers.

If you have no moving parts (e.g. turntable), and nothing rattles, wobbles or overheats, I reckon the benefit of a dedicated rack should be small or zero. Microphony is real, so moving transformers in particular back and forth could have an audible effect. However I doubt that any effect will be large or that theories from any of us here will be as useful as (say) trying a couple of options and seeing what your ears say.

However, Naim seem to sell a lot of Fraims to people with no turntable, so this may just show that I am deafer/ dafter than I thought.
 
It probably depends mostly on how loud you listen and whether the stand is in the line of fire of one or both speakers.

Recent experience helping a friend get her modest cast-offs system up and running would suggest there are other things to get right before worrying too much about the stand so long as it is level and stable.
 
Thanks all, sounds like you’ve just saved me a wodge of cash.
I’m quite happy with how the rack looks so it’s staying.

The gaias sound interesting (no pun intended), so that’s an avenue to explore at some point soon.

Edit: oooh, they’re a bit pricey ☹️. Maybe have to forget that idea….
 
Thanks all, sounds like you’ve just saved me a wodge of cash.
I’m quite happy with how the rack looks so it’s staying.

The gaias sound interesting (no pun intended), so that’s an avenue to explore at some point soon.

Edit: oooh, they’re a bit pricey ☹️. Maybe have to forget that idea….
A cheap way to sometimes improve your system is to place your kit on squash balls. Being made of rubber they damp vibrations fairly well so maybe give that a go. If there's no difference you haven't spent much and can rest easy knowing the stand you're using is fine.
EDIT: Forgot to say most of my kit rest on them.
 
Those little puppies are what my shelves are resting on (not quite so hemispherical under the XPS or 250 however)

looks like I can keep the rack I have which is good news
 
@Biggsy - From what you describe of what your rack is, I think it is fine.

My personal experience, Isoacoustic Gaias help quite a bit with speakers, but if your speakers are cheaper/heavier, it may not be worth the price of admission. There are also other speaker supports from other brands which may be cheaper. You could also try rigging something up.

For solid state, the rack does matter, but it's only as you go higher up. I've got Naim, where the rack support does matter, but I don't use Fraim. I'm not a believer in spending a lot of money on anything other than the parts of a HiFi system that are actually doing the real work. I use a rack which has new prices a quarter of the cost of Fraim, and as far as I'm concerned, it sounds great. This particular rack actually has a configuration somewhat like what you describe of yours. I don't have glass shelves on it though, I use bamboo chopping boards and the Naim seems to like it!

So it's all a matter of perspective. Support helps, but don't spend silly amounts of money on it.
 
@Biggsy - From what you describe of what your rack is, I think it is fine.

My personal experience, Isoacoustic Gaias help quite a bit with speakers, but if your speakers are cheaper/heavier, it may not be worth the price of admission. There are also other speaker supports from other brands which may be cheaper. You could also try rigging something up.

For solid state, the rack does matter, but it's only as you go higher up. I've got Naim, where the rack support does matter, but I don't use Fraim. I'm not a believer in spending a lot of money on anything other than the parts of a HiFi system that are actually doing the real work. I use a rack which has new prices a quarter of the cost of Fraim, and as far as I'm concerned, it sounds great. This particular rack actually has a configuration somewhat like what you describe of yours. I don't have glass shelves on it though, I use bamboo chopping boards and the Naim seems to like it!

So it's all a matter of perspective. Support helps, but don't spend silly amounts of money on it.

I can't agree with most of this. IME getting the supports right can provide improvements that are equal to upgrading components and are cheaper.
 
I can't agree with most of this. IME getting the supports right can provide improvements that are equal to upgrading components and are cheaper.
You might have misinterpreted me. I don't disagree that supports can help quite a bit, but what I mainly meant was you don't necessarily need to spend a lot on it. And it's about perspective. If you end up spending a large proportion (however you define that) of your system on your supports, then I don't think that necessarily makes sense.
 


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