Thanks Chris. I will look in to the Isoblue rack.
Praggers do you have a picture with your boxes on it and anything I should know about the build, if I decide to go with a similar route?
I designed and built my own Hi Fi rack which I still use. Tobyjug is absolutely correct when he says you need to do lots of research into what you are trying to achieve and more importantly how you are going to achieve it. I am fortunate in having access to a lot of equipment and tools to enable me to manufacture what I had designed. I posted some photos of my rack on the old forum and there are some photos on Troels Gravesen’s website. I built a pair of his Illumina loudspeakers which I modified a bit.
Materials I used included Maple for the legs (3). Rectangular section Aluminum Tube. Stainless steel for the housings and adjustable points for the platforms and to couple it the floor. Constrained layer dampening on the platforms which comprised of layers of MDF, Birch Plywood, Hardboard and plastic sheet. I used Evostick to attach the plastic sheet to the hardboard and MDF and PVA glue for attaching the Birch Plywood to the Hardboard and MDF. I also used Mastik to attach various parts together also.
I probably over thought it/designed it but I enjoyed the exercise and the making of it. I have not been in a position to compare it against other racks so it could be a monumental waste of time and effort on my part. All I can say is that I enjoy listening to my set up as is. It also looks better than the Mana Acoustic Rack alongside of it!
Steve2
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sorry, error of destination. I was thinking of Praggers…
Hey Woody, here’s a couple of pics. I’m ashamed to say there’s no Naim on there yet. I’m planning to change it all to Naim soon, (building the rack was part of that plan).
Yes I took the idea from Hi-fi Racks. This was my first foray into making something from wood and I needed a simple design that I could replicate. Also the workshop was at a friends house, so I was only able to go there 1 morning a week. It took 3 months to finish.
The hardest part was making sure the legs are perfectly straight and the same length, and that the spikes sat in the feet dead centre. My friend who has been making things for years said it was the most technically difficult project he’d done. Don’t be put off though, it was really enjoyable working it out.
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Own audio rack here as well.
As good as the Fraim sounds, I do not like it´s look - too technical for my taste.
So I decided to have a rack custom built, the sides are made of massive maple, the top is birch multiplex.
Initially, the sides were just pinned to the top, then I found that a more stable connection with pins and glue has a positive effect on the sound.
With the Naim-spec glass and ball bearing the sound equals that of a Fraim, yet a bit of a different flavor, a bit more body if I remember correctly.
As alternative to the glass shelves I’ve tried granite and corian, glass won by a fair margin: granite too shrill, corian too dull.
Trying out the different alternatives was quite fun - would not have expected to hear such big differences.
The picture shows the granite shelve under the DAC, corian under the TT and Naim-spec glass and ball bearing under the SuperLine.
I recently added Naim-spec glass and ball bearing to every section of the rack and the difference is huge.
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Mmm, wouldn’t mind an explanation into the science behind that. How would the shelf that the box sits on effect the sound? As long as it doesn’t rattle and there’s good airflow what else would make the sound change?
In fact I believe that if your hi-fi was sitting on a rack you’d spent months making yourself it would probably sound better!
It’s all about the way it handles vibrations, whether it tries to stifle them or transmit them elsewhere. Or so I believe. Everything sounds different. Naim spent countless hours designing the Fraim. Quadraspire SVT in bamboo sounds better than the MDF. Overtighten the legs and it sounds wrong. Solid oak racks sound dull to me. It’s not simple.
Does that mean HH that at some point you’ve had your set up at home on a solid oak shelving unit and you’ve been able to compare to your current Fraim.
What are exactly naim specs for glass shelves?
Thanks
Whereas makes of professional speaker caninets invariably use birch ply…
And both are available online in a variety of thicknesses cut to order. I recently bought some aluminium shelves and found then relatively inexpensive.
Yes, though not at the same time. The HiFi Racks stand I tried sounded really poor, as if the life had been sapped from the music. It was also impossible to tighten the square legs and line them up shelf itself.
Hi Woody, I hope all the views make sense. One point so many seem to overlook is that it is about the aesthetics of what goes in your home as well as the satisfaction of making a high end product yourself.
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Your description of a DIY rack - is basically the Atacama Evoque SE - like what I use sir… I suspect by the time you get all your elements together … it maybe more cost effective to go the Atacama route…this uses 40mm thick bamboo shelving on rather nice tubular pillars on spikes and receivers. Seriously I am delighted with mine- and it made a real sonic improvement.
This is what I found in the old forum some time ago:
343mm x 454mm 10mm grey toughened safety glass with 45% chamfered edges, BS EN 12150 Class 1
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Naim on the Fraim page don’t give a thickness, but say it’s 452mmx340mm (look on the Product Specification link on the page below) I believe they use Pilkington glass. I got Pilkington glass at 10mm depth based on the forum information and other sites.
Thanks for the info.
@anon4489532 I still have my Hi-fi Racks racks and I think they do a superb job of supporting my system, as well as looking great.
I tightened the legs using a “Boa Constrictor” strap wrench two years ago and I haven’t needed to tighten them since.
I have no doubt that they do a superb job of supporting your equipment, and if you like the looks, that’s great. My point was rather that I don’t think they sound that good and that there are better alternatives.