HenryHonda
Established Member
Firstly, I do not want to get into heated discussions re 'snake oil' when it comes to different designs of HiFi racks
I'm about to augment my existing system with a high quality streaming transport which incorporates dual 'Femto Clocks' - which are said to be rather sensitive to vibration. It got me thinking about improving my current rack - an old steel and glass Soundstyle rack of some vintage:
I've read enough recently to know that glass and steel are perhaps not the best materials of construction - due to the frequency bands in which they can resonate, and their ability to transmit energy.
My current rack sits on the concrete floor via carpet-piercing spikes.
I've been looking at two ranges of products - the HiFi Racks 'Podium Reference' range, and the Atacama 'Evoque Eco SE2' range. The former uses bonded staves of Oak for the shelves, solid oak legs, and spikes which connect to the shelf below. The latter uses bonded staves of bamboo for the shelves, supported by a somewhat complex leg arrangement - tubular aluminium legs, 'tuneable' interior torsion bars, isolating grommets and spikes.
Reading the Atacama technical blurb had me thinking that the complex leg structure was trying to overcome the problems caused by tubular metal legs in the first place! They also rout a pattern of channels on the underside of each shelf to dissipate unwanted resonances. They also claim that the open cell structure of bamboo causes less resonances in the critical frequency bands...
HiFi Racks appear to be more aesthetics oriented (they do look good) and also claim that the natural resonances of hardwood (I would go for oak) also offer good control/dissipation.
In both cases. the spiked legs of each shelf are intended to dissipate energy down to the floor.
Now, although I'm a retired scientist, I am not a physicist - and all these claims made by the manufacturers could be just marketing hype... Also, racks are not the type of thing typically available for home audition
You can read any number of glowing reports from owners of both types of rack on how they have positively improved imaging and sound quality in general but, then... I also read a really damning report on the Naim owners' forum on how a HiFi Racks Podium Slimline had resulted in an awful deterioration in sound quality
What are your experiences of these products? They are a significant investment, and I certainly don't want to downgrade the SQ of my system...
I'm about to augment my existing system with a high quality streaming transport which incorporates dual 'Femto Clocks' - which are said to be rather sensitive to vibration. It got me thinking about improving my current rack - an old steel and glass Soundstyle rack of some vintage:
I've read enough recently to know that glass and steel are perhaps not the best materials of construction - due to the frequency bands in which they can resonate, and their ability to transmit energy.
My current rack sits on the concrete floor via carpet-piercing spikes.
I've been looking at two ranges of products - the HiFi Racks 'Podium Reference' range, and the Atacama 'Evoque Eco SE2' range. The former uses bonded staves of Oak for the shelves, solid oak legs, and spikes which connect to the shelf below. The latter uses bonded staves of bamboo for the shelves, supported by a somewhat complex leg arrangement - tubular aluminium legs, 'tuneable' interior torsion bars, isolating grommets and spikes.
Reading the Atacama technical blurb had me thinking that the complex leg structure was trying to overcome the problems caused by tubular metal legs in the first place! They also rout a pattern of channels on the underside of each shelf to dissipate unwanted resonances. They also claim that the open cell structure of bamboo causes less resonances in the critical frequency bands...
HiFi Racks appear to be more aesthetics oriented (they do look good) and also claim that the natural resonances of hardwood (I would go for oak) also offer good control/dissipation.
In both cases. the spiked legs of each shelf are intended to dissipate energy down to the floor.
Now, although I'm a retired scientist, I am not a physicist - and all these claims made by the manufacturers could be just marketing hype... Also, racks are not the type of thing typically available for home audition
You can read any number of glowing reports from owners of both types of rack on how they have positively improved imaging and sound quality in general but, then... I also read a really damning report on the Naim owners' forum on how a HiFi Racks Podium Slimline had resulted in an awful deterioration in sound quality
What are your experiences of these products? They are a significant investment, and I certainly don't want to downgrade the SQ of my system...
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