Talking about cabinets and equipment racks.......

[mart.stokes]

I use a Target equipment rack because, reading audiophile magazines, I should use something of that kind to keep everything stable and isolated from vibration etc.

When you look at some of the very expensive installs featured in HCC (and other magazines) you hardly EVER see an equipment rack or "named" A/V cabinet. All of the equipment is normally standing on (very nice looking) normal or custom made furniture and quite often the DVD player is stacked on top of the amp! Sometimes the featured cabinet clearances are so small I wonder how the equipment doesn't melt. It wouldn't be so bad if a few isolation platforms could be seen, or even a bit of granite, but.......nothing!

Also there never seems to be much mention of how the power is suppled to the equipment (I have read a few reviews where it has been mentioned, but not many). No mention of the sort of stuff that is incorporated into a lot of "budget" systems (Russ Andrews' Silencers, Powerkords etc.).

Has anybody else noticed this? Are we being duped into buying specialist A/V racks/cabinets etc.?

If a £20k+ system doesn't require this sort of equipment then am I wasting my time buying it?

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

Hi Mart:

We're sad anal hi-fi guys up here. Quite a few of our systems go on OIL RIG type hi-fi stands and we even get dedicated power supplies routed to the equipment....so it's not just you!

Gordon

This has to be the funniest piece of equipment I have seen for HiFi enthusiast. Check out the K500 here <a href="http://www.intek.si/A_CambridgeAudio/cambridge5.htm" target="_blank">http://www.intek.si/A_CambridgeAudio/cambridge5.htm</a><br />A stand, to go in your stand, that actively reduces vibrations in your CD player... I wonder if you stack two of them up it sounds better than having just one. Where does the improvement trail off??? I think you could have about 7 or 8 before you stopped noticing the difference <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

BC

[mart.stokes]

Blindcopuk, it's not as funny as the item below it, which is an isolation platform with a DAC built in! However, I CAN see this sort of stuff being of use IF you intend to use any old piece of furniture to put you equipment on. The only problem is that it these things do tend to cost a lot of money (the carefully researched "puds" MUST be squash balls!). And this comes back to my point, how come we never see any of this stuff on these custom built installs. I can't be the only one to notice it! It must be even more noticeable to Gordon because, as he states, his company do ensure a rigid platform and worry about mains.

I can imagine Gordon reading the latest copy of HCC checking out the latest install from Whimsical Images or Damsons or Ounces or Thebra; "Mmh, nice Stewart screen they have used, solid mounting of the projector, nice, thick and dark wallcoverings, cables very well hidden and, oh, what's this? They have stacked seven pieces of equipment on top of each other on an upturned orange box!".

[Noel]

LOL Martin! You're not the only one. Almost every time they're just piled on. It does make you wonder....

[Ars longa, vita brevis]

[quote]Originally posted by Gordon, Convergent-AV:<br /><strong>Hi Mart:

We're sad anal hi-fi guys up here. Quite a few of our systems go on OIL RIG type hi-fi stands and we even get dedicated power supplies routed to the equipment....so it's not just you!

Gordon</strong><hr></blockquote>

do you mean russ andrews power supplies or computer UPS, i have to confess as to never having used either, but some laserdisc friends swear buy using a UPS to prevent noise. Dont know what is done about the voltage though.