Design your own Audio Rack?

Nice work on the self designed rack and Very nice setup in both cases. Thanks for the photos.

Very clean looking bit of kit to my eye :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

There are some members who swear they detect an improvement in SQ when using a ‘designed for purpose’ rack, with most endorsing Fraim as the best. Then there are others, including me, who have trialled racks (Naim and Isoblue in my case) and detected no discernible improvement. I would suggest you borrow one of the better known racks and trial it. If it makes little difference to the sound you can then decide whether or not to make your own for aesthetic and practical purposes (and probably saving a bunch of cash into the bargain).

My boxes live on tailor made recess pine shelving. The only thing I would never do is stack boxes on top of each other, although I have never actually done a comparison to see if it negatively affects SQ!

You pays your money…etc. Just remember to try before you buy😀

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:rofl: LOL

You bitter, bitter man!

Yes, I’m sure it would perform better than plywood, which is very ‘springy’. Solid wood of good quality, well seasoned, is getting harder to find and more expensive, and will always be less consistent, as well as likely having worse acoustic properties.
The problem with MDF for DIY use is that unless you happen to have a veneer press, it’s not going to look very pretty.

I made quite a rudimentary rack once using some nice Ash wood shelving I rescued from the skip at work I then used four lengths of threaded bar sliding the four shelves over the bars and securing them top and bottom with washers and nuts.
I later added MDF isolation shelves resting on sorbothane domes. It worked well with the level of electronics I had but I wouldn’t use it with Naim level electronics.

I’m intrigued as to why you aren’t using the Rega directly on the shelf, as intended. I thought the idea was to keep everything as light as possible.

The best option for the Rega is probably their own wall shelf. They only cost £125 and attach to the wall with two screws. Do bear in mind that you can get pukka racks second hand for a very good price. My five level Fraim cost me £1,250. The Quadraspire SVT and Isoblue are both very good and a bit cheaper. Not everyone likes the Fraim but it really is very good.

When I got my first Naim in 1983 it sat on breeze blocks liberated from a building site. Times have certainly changed.

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If you are really going to design your own Audio Rack, I would suggest a long research. What does a rack do ? What doesn’t it do ? Look into varied examples with the logic behind the construction.
Most want to separate the supported box from air born vibrations, and others go further with helping the micro vibrations within the box some route to exit drain - giving as much neutral environment.
Some designs act as tone controls.
Some designs act as the tone defeat controls.
Some designs act as no tone circuits in the straight wire.
The more you look into it the more complicated it becomes, for sure.

:small_blue_diamond:@TOBYJUG,…Agree,.and then it was time for Camphuws picture again :grin::joy::grin:.

/Peder🙂

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Great looking home made shelf YetiZone I remember your first picture from the old forum.

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That’s the diy design TiberioMagadino that I roughly followed and described earlier in the thread.

Interesting! My current speakers are in aluminum cabinets. They don’t sound “metallic” :slight_smile:

The aesthetics of the Fraim’s design certainly are fair game for discussion. It happens to work well in our home (and my wife is rather picky when it comes to interior design), but of course it’s neither everyone’s cup, and/or it just doesn’t work in all rooms, aesthetically.

I understand the mentality of ‘why does a $25,000 hi fi require more than plywood?’ ‘If it were any good, it could sit on tree stumps and sound fantastic.’ I thought Fraim was ridiculously priced at first, and started with Quadraspire Evo. Fraim really does sound better and again we like the look in all black. And opportunities to pay less than retail can be found, including used from time to time.

If you don’t want Fraim - no argument from me. And if you want to build something yourself, do research the factors that work to isolate hi fi equipment to the benefit of the sound. One local gent has a pneumatic system whereby the hi fi boxes sit on air-filled bladders. You can find those online. Whether those “require” much function out of the rack they sit on – I don’t know. But that’s another approach to isolation.

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I wish manufacturers would show as much ingenuity making audio equipment supporting feets as they do making audio racks… Would be too simple!

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very nice rack! congrats!

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China makes audio racks, for not a big money. from 200 to 500 dollars ( the wood one)

image image

Recently finished my rack. Made from New Guinea Rosewood.

I agree that it may not be as acoustically perfect as the professional ones but the pleasure I get from looking at it and showing it off to friends more than compensates.

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Good on ya. I’ve gone for a made to order cabinet and added glass shelves and rubber domes. Don’t see the logic in having to pony up $7K for a Fraim to get a $26K system to “sound right”.

Thinking about hiding some power supplies in those drawers as a future upgrade.

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Looks great Mike, although for me it wasn’t about the money but the challenge of making it and the enjoyment of looking at it.

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