Neo High End Racks

[tdir]

any forum members using any of the Neo high end racks? if you’ve spent say £25k on a amp, cd and streamer how much would you allocate towards a rack?

 

[Lurch]

any forum members using any of the Neo high end racks? if you’ve spent say £25k on a amp, cd and streamer how much would you allocate towards a rack?

As little as I could get away with for something that did the job and pleased my eye. My current kit probably had an rrp of circa £60k (all bought used/ex dem) what it sits on, (5 shelf rack, tt shelf granite/marble slabs) owes me less than £200.
Hunting out used on eBay or forum classifieds can save you an absolute fortune.

 

[garn63]

Putting it on a piece of furniture you like..then spending a few quid on isolation for the kit can be another option. It's the one I choose anyway.

 

[2010*zuma]

As little as I could get away with for something that did the job and pleased my eye. My current kit probably had an rrp of circa £60k (all bought used/ex dem) what it sits on, (5 shelf rack, tt shelf granite/marble slabs) owes me less than £200.
Hunting out used on eBay or forum classifieds can save you an absolute fortune.

Your 60k circa just tops my 3 sets of cables and equipment racks

 

[Warszawa]

I have a Hi-fi Racks-rack. It makes sod all difference to the sound. I bought it for its modular nature. I've acquired quite a collection of legs over the years.

Turntables (and perhaps valve amps at a stretch) aside, you don't need to worry about isolation with any well built component as the manufacturer will have factored any necessity for that into the design.

Can't be faffed putting a bunch of Oreo's under my gear and convincing myself it sounds better.

 

[rdale]

I use a Finite Elemente Pagode Master Reference in my main system which was very expensive over 20 years ago when I bought it, but I think it looks a lovely piece of furniture and anything put on it sounds at its best.

I’ve just ordered a Solidsteel S2-3 for under 400 euros as I’m thinking of adding a turntable to my second system, and I need something to put it on. It looks pretty good value, and I can add an IsoAcoustics zaZen platform under the TT if I think that will improve things further.

 

[StingRay]

There are quite a few racks going cheap on the used market. A few come up on the WAM, some are even free. I would not spend anything like on HiFi. I would be looking out for something cheap.

 

[Bogart]

A lot of these racks with wooden shelfs make me laugh. Pay a fortune for a bit of oak kitchen worktop and a bit of tubular metal.

 

[bigrod]

What your system sits on is extremely important IMHO. Crap isolation means crap SQ . Admittedly TT ‘s have inbuilt isolation for sure but it can’t compensate for wonky acoustically lively floors , and room dynamics .. A lot are also badly thought out in terms of ergonomics..
I designed and commissioned my own piece of furniture to take into account a lot of parameters .. from isolation to , it’s height for a someone over 6ft to use easily. , heat dissipation. , wiring loom, and even to be able to put the next record down to be played when one is finishing ..
And also the aesthetics we wanted to achieve,, We we’re going to have to live with it for a long time ..
In essence to achieve what we wanted it was at least 30% of the cost of the total system set up .. and without a doubt it was worth the effort and cost ..

 

[rabski]

I get the aesthetics thing for sure, though apart from turntables, less so the isolation thing. Wherever possible or practical, a turntable is best on a wall shelf anyway, but only if there's a solid wall in a suitable place.

Apart from making it all look acceptable, the main point of racks here is that I couldn't fit it all on the floor and I'd end up treading on it or tripping over it. Anything that's prone to interference from vibration needs 'sinking' not isolating, because if it's in the listening room, there will be airborne vibration. IME, most things are actually unaffected by vibration, and if they're notably affected, they may need looking at.

Nevertheless, I'm sure high-quality racks make some small difference to some equipment. In the system here, however, I need around ten shelves, so cost becomes a major factor. I'm certainly not going to spend the equivalent of a couple of Koetsus on a handful of planks and sticks.

 

[Bogart]

What your system sits on is extremely important IMHO. Crap isolation means crap SQ . Admittedly TT ‘s have inbuilt isolation for sure but it can’t compensate for wonky acoustically lively floors , and room dynamics .. A lot are also badly thought out in terms of ergonomics..
I designed and commissioned my own piece of furniture to take into account a lot of parameters .. from isolation to , it’s height for a someone over 6ft to use easily. , heat dissipation. , wiring loom, and even to be able to put the next record down to be played when one is finishing ..
And also the aesthetics we wanted to achieve,, We we’re going to have to live with it for a long time ..
In essence to achieve what we wanted it was at least 30% of the cost of the total system set up .. and without a doubt it was worth the effort and cost ..

I like a turntable on a wall shelf as off the floor isolation wise and I can stand up to change a record and not on my hands and knees.

 

[Jules_S]

Despite having a "wonky" floor in my lounge (well, more of a trampoline actually) I don't think I'd spend a huge amount on an equipment rack. For me it has to be functional (i.e. hold as many items of kit as I have), practical (be accessible for plugging / unplugging stuff, and for managing heat output) and not aesthetically-challenging. Beyond that, not too bothered as all but one item is solid state.

My valve phono stage is on the top rack shelf (FWIW it's a Hi-Fi Racks jobbie so each shelf is individual and coupled to the ones below by spikes) and isolated by sprung feet. I do intend to fit some damper rings to the tubes but probably won't go much beyond that. The TT is on a wall shelf although may benefit from additional isolation at some point.

Unless there's some sort of radical attempt at isolation or it's made of unobtanium, I don't really see what else a "standard" rack could bring to the party so can't see more than a few hundred quid in value at most

 

[2010*zuma]

some screen shots of a previous post of yours trucking truly…

 

[Psilonaught]

Christ is it a full moon tonight or something....

 

[Rayymondo]

I was lucky that I found a piece that was perfect for my needs in Homesense for £99
It's nice and chunky wood and looks great, only issue is I can only accommodate one full size component (on the top) the rest need to be "midi" or half size. This adds to the challenge but with my digital only system there's plenty of choice of DACs, tuners, servers etc that will fit just fine

 

[antonio66]

I much rather rather see my hifi perched on something like this, (there are plenty more if this style doesn't suit),extra isolation can be added to individual components as required. Unfortunately I am using a fairly cheap glass shelved hifi rack due to space limitations.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134486281186?hash=item1f5001cbe2:g:XAYAAOSwhwpkBzo8&amdata=

 

[Ceko]

Word has it that Ikea has some terrific cutting boards that will blow the SQ out of the water if you put your gear on them.

 

[Bogart]

Was in my local hifi shop only yesterday, just passing so popped in for a natter and to have a second look at the PMC Fenestria speakers they have on display. Around £50k worth of the most ugly speakers I have seen. Had to keep my dog on a short lead did not want him cocking his leg
on them. So got nattering and they have an ex display set of Quadraspire X reference shelves.
Reduced from £1300 to £800, per bloody shelf Not a clue how Quadraspire justify the price
a real p**s take

 

[bigrod]

Was in my local hifi shop only yesterday, just passing so popped in for a natter and to have a second look at the PMC Fenestria speakers they have on display. Around £50k worth of the most ugly speakers I have seen. Had to keep my dog on a short lead did not want him cocking his leg
on them. So got nattering and they have an ex display set of Quadraspire X reference shelves.
Reduced from £1300 to £800, per bloody shelf Not a clue how Quadraspire justify the price
a real p**s take

In that case my bespoke hand built unit was a bargain ..and mine lights up too .

 

[rabski]

Was in my local hifi shop only yesterday, just passing so popped in for a natter and to have a second look at the PMC Fenestria speakers they have on display. Around £50k worth of the most ugly speakers I have seen. Had to keep my dog on a short lead did not want him cocking his leg
on them. So got nattering and they have an ex display set of Quadraspire X reference shelves.
Reduced from £1300 to £800, per bloody shelf Not a clue how Quadraspire justify the price
a real p**s take

I've got three Quadraspire cherry finish racks here. One 'large' size with three shelves, and two medium size, one with five shelves and the other with two shelves. I've also got a few spare columns, feet and an acrylic shelf. All that lot together didn't cost me £800, so the prices seem a touch mad.