I think @anon17458420 has made it quite clear what kind of guy he is from last two posts. Definitely a funny guy!
A good guy though.
Get a 500DR! 
But seriously,
Donât change how you are ! Not for anyone.
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âWHADDYA MEAN, IâM FUNNY? - FUNNY HOW?"- The reason wise guys always meet face to face.
image: Martin Scorseseâs Goodfellas - 1990
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I remember that well.
I have read that a few manufacturers actually advise against using specialist racks and advocate instead the use of normal domestic furniture. Their reasoning being that specialist hi-fi racks manipulate the sound unnaturally.
The usual reason given for using specialist racks is that they isolate the equipment from external vibrations. A look at many (most?) of the racks on the market quickly shows that they have no means at all of doing this. In fact they appear to do the opposite - by using spikes they rigidly couple equipment to its environment. I could go on and on about this but itâs not the right place.
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Nothing new just playing Ummagumma on its 54th anniversary today. Havenât put a record on in a while, forgot how good vinyl can sound.
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I donât think you can generalise about specialist HiFi racks, as their design varies considerably. Some are designed to have low mass like the coffee tables Linn used to recommend. Others are made from chopped up bits of hardwood kitchen worktop that weigh a ton.
While most racks have spikes that couple them to the floor, spike protectors reduce this effect to various degrees depending on their design. Coupling between individual shelves also varies between different designs. Some are rigidly attached, some are spiked, and some, such as Isoblue or Naim Fraim, have various degrees of decoupling in one or two dimensions.
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Hi,
I wasnât by no means referring to myself, but to HH. Anyway, no drama! Letâs move on⌠
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Charles Eames beats Le Corbusier 2-0âŚ
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The only rack I can think of that includes decoupling is the Townsend Audio rack. This has compliant springs so that the whole rack actually wobbles!
Iâve owned Fraim many years ago and Iâm not aware of any decoupling features in its design. Itâs things supported on spikes/cones and ball -bearings which will all increase coupling rather than decrease it due to vastly increased pressure at the interfaces. Iâm not saying it doesnât work - Fraim sounds fantastic with Naim kit and personally I wouldnât even consider anything else.
My point really was that the view of specialist racks as being âisolationâ devices is clearly wrong in most cases. They have nothing in their design to allow for isolation of any kind. What they actually are is resonance tuning devices. This is why they all sound different. If they all isolated then one would expect them to all sound pretty much the same as they would be doing the same thing.
All just my own view of course. But given that, the view of some manufacturers that âordinaryâ furniture can provide more natural results starts to make a lot of sense. Racks can sometimes provide enhanced dynamics and detail etc. But is it natural or is it just hyping up? I donât know and itâs a complex area for thought that raises many questions.
In the end I guess itâs all irrelevant. The only thing that matters is what you think sounds best.
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Iâm not sure youâve got that right. Energy transfer is more efficient with larger contact area. Spikes do not absorb or dampen vibration true. But they do massively reduce the energy transferred. Similarly, springs and absorbers do not totally isolate anything. They are not levitating (some exotic isolated actually do use strong opposing magnets I know but they are not common), and similarly reduce energy transfer without eliminating it.
As for Fraim, I donât believe their cup and ball mechanism is intended to isolate so much as aid in dissipating energy.
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From the Fraim webpage on Naimâs own website:
âThe Fraim principle is that successive minimal contact interfaces progressively decouple the transmission of mechanical energy. This includes the micro-vibrations created when products are immersed in a sound field and those generated by all products while operating, including power supplies. At the same time the interfaces provide a fixed reference plane on which the internal isolation systems of each item of electronics can perform optimally. Additionally, the shelf height options are configured to ensure that magnetic field interaction between electronic products is minimised.â
This is the usual argument with spikes. I have yet to read or hear a credible explanation as to how a spike or other fixed minimal contact area achieves the decoupling of mechanical energy. As far as I can see it vastly increases coupling and allows efficient energy transfer due to vastly increased pressure at the contact points which rigidly holds the two items together.
Interestingly some manufacturers argue that spiking racks or speaker stands to the floor provides an efficient grounding pathway for mechanical energy to be transferred from the rack or stand to ground.
So there you have it. Spikes are both decoupling devices and coupling devices - depending on what suits you! Amazing!
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Youâre asking a retired mental health carer. I simply quoted Naim from their website for clarity of Naimâs own take on the subject, so take it up with them.
Personally I donât care how it works. I heard a clear improvement when putting my system on Fraim. Thatâll do for me.
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I agree. I thought my Naim system when I had it took a significant step forwards with Fraim. I wouldnât disagree for a minute that it works - but I do seriously question the reasoning behind it.
In point of fact though I wasnât asking you anything. I simply responded to your quotation from Naim. Why would I want to take anything up with Naim? Just discussing it here on the forum like anyone else.
I thought the point of the Fraim spikes was that any vibration is channeled to the ground.
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Iâm not sure youâve got that right either.
However I donât wish to divert this thread any further. If there are any mechanical engineers out there who would care to start a thread on this then it would make for fascinating and potentially very informative reading.
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Before equipment stand design discussions get too far out of hand, perhaps a dedicated thread? (Apologies @anon55098131 - I see you just posted the same request)
Hereâs a rubbish photo of my far from rubbish SL1200. Graham Slee Accession is a great phono stage @Dan_M - you should try one out 
Was all sounding great last night after a very very long day!
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Perhaps I should have said you are talking to a retired mental health carer.
Because they designed it, and one has to believe therefore that they are the experts, and best placed to answer any questions anyone may have about how it works.
Anyway, I fear we are going off topic here.
Have you compared the Graham Slee Accession to the internal XS3 boards at all?
Someone on here reckoned they sounded better than my Reflex M phono stage.
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My LP12 is at Audio T Brighton from now, having Karousel fitted and a full service. Will be interesting to hear how it sounds when I pick it up, which will probably be on saturday.
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