HiFi Rack

[selby]

I need to get a hifi rack, will fit in the corner of the room and will need to look good to get past the missus.

Looking for something that's got a really solid top to take a Sony PS6750, then will just need a few shelves for the standard equipment.

If anyone has bought a nice one, seen a nice design please let me know.

[chris@panteg]

Are you looking to go 2nd hand or new?

Budget?

[MikeMusic]

I'd go with Mana. Black or sometimes silver, rather industrial so the missus may or may not like it.
Sounds good though !

[Yomanze]

Mana looks fantastic IMO, very clean, functional without messing around with multiple phases. ;)

[selby]

Used or new just looking for companies that are producing good quality racks that actually are good for TT. I'm not sure I believe a rack can alter the sound that an amp/pre amp deliver.

[losenotaminute]

Used or new just looking for companies that are producing good quality racks that actually are good for TT. I'm not sure I believe a rack can alter the sound that an amp/pre amp deliver.

I tend to agree. I have my TT on a Target wall shelf (due to sprung floors) and the rest of my equipment on a relatively cheap AV/hifi rack. This is mine (no complaints):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009LTWRXY/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Others will disagree and tell you that isolation of amps and other equipment is important and it's worth seeking out a rack made specifically for hifi.

Some say that for a TT with suspension it's often best to have quite a light rack, and for a non-suspended deck you should go for something heavier, not sure if that's true. What kind of flooring do you have?

[selby]

Solid concrete floor, plasterboard hollow walls so def need to avoid mounting anything to the wall. I've got a Sony PS6750 TT.

[Macca]

Don't know if it is me but racks seem to be stupidly priced for a bit of angle iron and mdf.

I bought a 5 tier rack a couple of years back as I needed more rack space than my 3 tier Apollo effort could provide. Searched the entire web. Crazy prices and a lot of the racks have glass shelves so not good for a TT. I ended up ordering a 5 tier job with mdf shelves, almost £200 delivered. What a piece of crap it is, stupid design with cantilevered shelves, wobbles like a tree in gale. I use it for the home theatre system as that is all it is good for. On top of that the courier lost the first one after their delivery driver did the old trick of knocking on the door, shoving a card through and pegging it back to his van. I chased the van down the street but it sped off like it was an ambulance attending an emergency. When I called to arrange re-delivery they couldn't find it in their warehouse so another was dispatched and of course that and the 'lost' one were both delivered. I called the dealer and advised them and they told me I would have to send the spare one back at my expense or pay for both.

Once I had got over my astonishment I advised them it was their problem with their courier and they would have to sort it out. They put 3 different blokes on the phone to me to try to convince me otherwise, ending up with the manager. I explained my background in logistics to him and told him who I worked for and what a nonsense this was to expect the customer to sort out an issue that was clearly between them and their courier at which point (this is after 20 odd minutes of arguing) he finally gave in and agreed to have the spare collected at their expense.

I'd just buy something from Ikea, personally :)

[losenotaminute]

Solid concrete floor, plasterboard hollow walls so def need to avoid mounting anything to the wall. I've got a Sony PS6750 TT.

With solid concrete floors you can get away without a shelf I suspect. I also have hollow plasterboard walls, so asked a kitchen fitter to sort out the shelf. He cut out a square of plasterboard and screwed a brace to the stud partitions and then replaced the plasterboard and screwed the shelf into the brace. When he had finished I re-painted the wall. Total cost was very low as I had it done along with another couple of jobs and it only took him a couple of hours at most. I can literally jump up and down next to the shelf and there isn't any movement at all. Well worth the effort.

[selby]

I was thinking about getting something made from composite stone, really thick, heavy and solid but not sure if isolation spikes are needed or just more snake oil.

I was expecting to find some nice looking racks online but they all just look like handy angle tubing with either glass or metal tops.

[chris@panteg]

Well I have 2 old soundfactory tripod stands, 4 tier and 5 tier, they are very solid and ideal for corner placement.

The 5 tier I picked up for 10 quid in a local charity shop, what a find!! It replaced an argos glass and metal rack, to say it changed things for the better would be an understatement!!

Racks can make a difference sometimes and great if it only cost a Chinese meal lol.

One thing about the soundfactory is you need to lose the top board if you want a TT on top, replace it with a nice solid bit of bamboo or try glass, but glass didn't do it for me.

[Ali Tait]

Make your own-

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html

[simon e]

Make your own-

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html

I built one using oak veneer mdf and it looks great. Put spikes on the bottom of the legs and spike the top shelf to the top of the legs and it makes a great turntable support

[Ali Tait]

Aye, thinking about making one myself using birch ply.

[simon e]

Or plyboo would be good. But it's expensive

[wee tee cee]

MMM....green slate would be nice. might have a wee look to see if the local stonemason can help!

[selby]

I've got a stonemason mate and we are looking at a number of hifi related products. I'm looking for nice designs that we can reproduce in composite stone.

[Ali Tait]

MMM....green slate would be nice. might have a wee look to see if the local stonemason can help!


Aye it would. Gimme a shout if you find a supplier Tony.

[Macca]

I've got a stonemason mate and we are looking at a number of hifi related products. I'm looking for nice designs that we can reproduce in composite stone.

Not going to be cheap to ship anywhere. That's the problem you will face. How much will a 3 tier composite stone rack weigh?

[selby]

A lot! Which for me is part of the attraction. Thinking about using Isonoe isolation on the top level for the TT.