A Question About Audio Racks


I have a question about audio racks that I hope some folks here might be able to help me with. I am currently thinking about an upgrade and wondering if I might get even better sonic results from using a mostly wood rack over the glass/steel combination that I am currently using. I live in South Korea, and we don't have access to some of the more interesting racks that can be purchased easily in North America. That coupled with the currently weak currency discourage me from trying to import. I'm currently using this rack: http://audiodeco.com/product/goodsdetail.asp?no=50&cate1=&cate2=

It's served me well for about four years. I'm considering changing to this one:

http://www.carnivalmall.co.kr/mall/m_mall_detail.php?ps_ctid=01000000&ps_goid=51

Obviously this is all in Korean but the Carnival rack uses walnut with a bed of marble in the shelves. Does anyone think this would be much of an upgrade if at all? The glass in the Audio Deco is very thick with little if any vibration. The shelves are adjustable in the steel frame. The Carnival rack is not adjustable. I would like to have a bit more shelving for components, so I was thinking of buying two of these. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
washline

Showing 2 responses by washline

Thank you gentlemen for your replies. And I particularly appreciate knowing about the problems of marble as shelf material. Thank you.
Thanks for all the advice. We do have MDF in Korea. In fact one company, Bauhaus, produces entire racks from them at a very inexpensive price. In fact, I've bought several LP racks from them already, all made from MDF. Those look quite good in their walnut veneer, but I'm not as fond of the appearance of their racks, which have enclosed sides and look more like traditional, boxy furniture.

Carnival, on the other hand, does produce shelving made from real walnut without the beds of marble glued in, and this might be a better solution. The prices of this shelving is even less than the imbedded marble.

Unfortunately, we don't have normal hardware stores over here in Seoul, so DIY projects are probably unlikely. Plus, I don't have the equipment or even a place to really store it if I were to purchase it. Getting wood and so forth is also a hassle, so I'll likely skip that kind of project. Some of your other suggestions are very good though. I'll be in the US over the winter so I'll try to purchase some brass footers from Mapleshade. Thanks again for the suggestions.