Arrangement of components on rack

For myself, it’s turntable on top followed by preamp, music server, SACD player, tuner and amp.  No hum, no issues. 

Make sure your amp, or anything tube, has adequate ventilation. Keep your main source close to preamp (for shortest ICs). And be aware that phono preamps may be sensitive to adjacent components. I had a problem with hum in my phono pre from other components too close. 

You mention dusting, but not cleaning contacts. That is the reason things sound better, simply unplugging and plugging in again swipes and cleans things a bit. Cleaning with any contact enhancer, or even plain alcohol, will be even better. Use something like NPS1260, take it to a whole new level.

The act of disconnecting and wiggling wires around upsets their equilibrium resulting in a sound that is etched and grainy. Depending on your ears and system this might combine with your meager cleaning to produce a feeling of improved detail. Clean and give the system a while to settle in, then you will hear improved detail.

Where components go, and where wires go, definitely does make a difference but this is a judgment call you just have to experiment to find what works with your particular components and setup. In general it is good to keep sensitive components like a turntable or phono stage away from great big transformers. All the wires, not just power cords and interconnects but all the wires, should be kept as far away from others as possible. When they cannot be kept away it is better they cross at 90 degrees than run parallel.

But what matters even more is vibration control. Biggest bang is if you can put all components on Townshend Pods. Except speakers, where Podiums are even better. As for wires, they should all be suspended and isolated from vibration. The improvement compared to wires in a tangle laying on the floor is not subtle! Do all these things and it will be like you got a whole new system.

Since you will be doing this right now, and since Townshend cost big bucks, here’s what you can do right now for next to nothing. Use Q-tips and 100% cotton cloths to clean all contacts with alcohol. Do not try to go inside the IEC or RCA but do clean all the outer exposed bits, including the little prongs inside the IEC receptacle on the component. Put everything back trying your best to keep big transformers away from sensitive components. Do not stack one component on top of another. Do your best to route all the wires so they are at least a couple inches apart from each other, as well as being a couple inches from other components. Electromagnetic field strength declines as an inverse square function. So if you move from 1" to 2" that doubling of distance reduces the field strength to 1 over 2 squared or 1/4. So big improvement from even a small change.

Now the big one, elevators. For this time anything will do. The cardboard tube inside paper towel or toilet paper rolls is great, or paper cups- anything that can be fashioned to hold cables up and apart. Bonus points if you are able to incorporate rubber bands into this. If the cable rests on a rubber band so it bounces then it is isolated and that is what you want.

If you have a turntable pay special attention to where the phono leads come out. Route this cable so it has a stress-relief bend near the arm and is suspended on rubber bands. Because if this cable touches anything, anything at all, vibrations will travel right up the cable to the tone arm. Same thing happens at the phono stage end, but not nearly so critical here for obvious reasons.   

A lot of this probably sounds pretty goofy. I got a PM a week ago from a guy saying he read one of my posts like this and it was a lot of work but he tried it expecting maybe a tiny little improvement but he was writing to say Holy Cow this is amazing! So, like Nike used to say, Just Do It!

@millercarbon and @stereo5  That is some great advise. New here and learned something right away cool.

My stacks are typically amps on top, to dissipate as much heat as possible, then my pre-amp in the middle, then my disc player on the bottom. That keeps my inter-connect cables as short as possible.
If I have a set-up with an amp on the bottom, I'll invert that stack. Over the years I'm sure I've had every conceivable combination, not sure it makes any difference if your rack is solid. 

If you have a turntable pay special attention to where the phono leads come out. [...] Because if this cable touches anything, anything at all, vibrations will travel right up the cable to the tone arm.

+1 Good idea. I'm going to try this. Thanks.

I brought some of this up on the Facebook Tekton Owners Group. One guy, he took three pieces of scrap wood each about 3x5x1/4" and put them together in a triangle, like the way you would build a house of cards. He put a rubber band around the two upright sides, so it looked like an "A" with the speaker cable going through the hole at the top of the "A". Looked really dumb until you realized he just made a perfect cable elevator with rubber band isolation. The cable floated perfectly on the rubber band. Said it worked great.  

This is what I mean about being creative and making do with whatever is readily available and on hand. That way if it doesn’t work you are out nothing but a little time. But if it does work then you got something for nothing, and all you have to do now is figure out how to make it look better. Along the way you get to hear and learn what does what. Repeat this process a hundred times or so, you too will know your stuff. ;)

The arrangement of my components is the consequence of my thinking in terms of the signal path and it’s inter-connect terminations.

I’m a firm believer in the notion of tonearms being wired in the single-shot fashion: single uninterrupted runs of wire from the cartridge clips to the RCA jacks that plug into the RIAA phono stage. The phono cartridge/pick-up (the British term for cartridges) output is of the lowest level in the entire hi-fi chain, low output cartridges producing only 0.2mV or less!. The last place you want avoidable breaks in the signal path is in that of a cartridge on it’s way to being amplified by the phono amp.

The most common way tonearms are designed and built is with their internal wires terminated on RCA jacks (NOT plugs), with a required interconnect plugged into those jacks, the other end into the phono amp. That’s great in terms of ergonomics, but less than optimal in terms of signal degradation.

However, not terminating the arm’s internal wiring into RCA jacks requires the arm’s external wires be long enough to reach the phono amp, yet also as short as possible. Designers who make their arms with single-shot wiring like to keep the external wiring to no longer than 1/2 meter, 1 meter tops. They often then add shielding to the wire, which is a whole ’nother discussion!

With an arm having a very short length of external wire, the phono amp must then be placed very close to the turntable. I actually place my phono amp directly behind my table, with that amp’s rear side facing the back side of the table (and therefore the listener). Not pretty, but which do you prioritize: Looks, or sound quality?

The output of the phono stage is much more robust, fully the equal of most other sources. How long can be the inter-connect between line stage and power amp(s) is a function of: 1- the output impedance of the line stage; 2- the input impedance of the power amp; 3-the electrical characteristics of the inter-connects; and 4- how much you want to spend. ;-)

I try to separate the source components from the amplifier as far as possible so turntable on the top and amplifier on the bottom with the sources and preamplifier in the middle of the rack making sure to keep a good distance between components and keep the wiring neat and tidy away from the wall with air to breathe around the connections and other wires to avoid noise and ground loops.

Amps like ventilation so should be on top? That sounds good, except amps are heavy so I put them on the bottom of the rack for stability and to make sure the rack isn’t top heavy. And the speaker cables go directly to the speakers without having to pass through the rack.

On top of the amps I then have an Audioquest Niagara and the preamp above that along with various components. 

I try to keep the power cords on one side of the rack and everything else on the other.

YMMV - Good Luck

MC

You may at times provide knowledgeable information, but really, you are verbose.
If you’re going to contribute, do so concisely. And lose the advertising and criticism too.

This forum is not really Facebook, it’s a forum for people with HiFi equipment to share their knowledge of their equipment to help them with problems or advice.

Sorry, you are you are just blow-harding. Average equipment, average opinions.

AG 🇦🇺

amg56
  Facebook seems to have gotten the best of MC. Like most tRumptards, he can't help himself! On the other hand (when he's not schilling for Tekton) he definitely knows his audio and offers mostly very sound advice.

Furman 20a Power top because it has downward firing Rack lighting for entire rack, under that is my AC infinity cooler Fan ( upward firing not front ) below this my receiver that generates heat under that CD/Node streamer/modem/Cable box  everything that does not generate heat . I tried to put as much thought as possible and thats what I came up with or you can lay your stuff all over the floor 

Appreciate the knowledge here. One thing which I did not look ahead to when I was buying cables was how to arrange things. It turns out to be a very tricky balancing act -- one wants separation between this or that, and one also wants to have good cables, cords, etc. Well, to get separation, one may need distance and distance can mean a lot more money! For example, I have a power cord which sounds good to me -- but I wish it was twice as long. Mucho dinero.


Since everyone is operating in a different room, it's hard to have a rule of thumb, but I'm definitely seeing how tricky it is to keep things separate while having good quality cables and cords.

I am a simple man: Turntable on top, preamp in the middle, amp on bottom.  

Cable length and cable management are good problems for where to place components.

Turntable, SUT, Phono Preamp, and preamp, side of the room, 18 feet away from all other components.  TT and SUT on upper shelf, Phono pre and pre on shelf below, power stuff on lowest shelf.

TV, AVR, Node 2I, power amps on front wall.  TV above center channel speaker, AVR and node below that, power amps below that, power stuff on floor below.

No racks, all components on custom shelves mounted to studs.  Wires where possible run in walls and ceiling, dedicated 20A power circuit covers 2 channel system.  Another circuit covers the HT and digital stuff.

If you can afford lengthy, high quality interconnects, get the amp(s) on an isolated amp stand on the floor between and behind the speakers.

Keeps the heat and big transformers away from more sensitive components.  Also keeps your biggest power cords away from everything else, provided you put your component rack on a side wall, which I would recommend.

 I also would be concerned about putting a heavy turntable on top with amp(s) right below.  Very top-heavy with big transformers close to that weak phono signal.

If you have the real estate NOT to stack that's your best option. Remember heat rises and is a major contributor to failure. Hottest on top. I have 50lb amps on top of my CD player. Turntable is by itself on a heavy base.

Is it bad form to ask your own question in a thread? Seems reasonable when the topic is related vs starting a new thread. 
My given apartment situation creates a very long constraints list. The current solution is longer XLR interconnects between pre and amps. Reading this thread suggests another approach. Longer USB cable between source (iMac to pre) and set pre closer to amps and minimize interconnect distance. 
Is the current configuration with longer interconnects the better approach?

The better approach is an integrated amp to eliminate altogether a whole slew of interconnects, power cords, and Pods- or whatever vibration control devices you are using. Then locate the amp as central and close to speakers as possible to keep your speaker cable cost down. Then run your USB or whatever however far it needs to go. This will be a massive improvement, save a ton of space, and you will be very pleasantly surprised how much better the same amount of money will sound when allocated this way. 

In the 80's I bought an antique buffet that perches on four 14" ball&claw legs, stripped out the guts, built square bar racks, and installed a quiet vent fan in the upper left-hand, back corner. 
Where to put my CJ MV75 tube amp & PV2ar tube preamp?
A wise friend correctly advised that the hottest running component goes closest to the heat exit point.....so the amp got placed on top of the pre. I drilled a series of holes at the opposite end of the cabinet floor so ventilation air migrates from coolest to hottest areas.
I don't recommend enclosing components but, say it's a spousal issue, that's one way to think about it.

A picture's worth a thousand words. Does that make it verbose?  
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367

First I will explain the system layout.  I am fortunate that my electronics are in a separate room, just behind the front wall for my speakers.  I route the speaker cables through nicely finished port holes in the baseboards.  There are ABS tubes running through the wall so the speaker cables do not touch wood studs or plasterboard.  The amp is on an amp stand and is roughly between the speakers (with the wall separating the two rooms).  The amp stand is made of constrained layers and the feet are solid 6061 aluminum cones with tularium copper spikes.  My equipment is on an equipment rack alongside the amp stand and the rack is made of constrained layers and with solid 6061 aluminum legs, cone feet, and tularium copper spikes.  Each component is resting on rollerblocks for internal vibration control.  I have a dedicated 20 amp line for this system.  Power cords and interconnect cables are kept as separate as possible and where necessary are placed at 90 degree angles from one another (not running parallel). 

So, that's the system and now for the placement to address the OP question.  The power conditioner is on the bottom level of the rack, next up is the line stage preamp, next up is the phono stage, and on top is the turntable.  There is plenty of space for each component in order to be properly ventilated.  I measured the distance between all component connections for all interconnects and power cords and ordered the cables to meet my needs.  Everything has been very carefully thought out for ventilation, keeping large power supplies at a distance from source, and minimizing cable length.  I think it has turned out nicely but have to admit, during the process of over 2 years I made a few changes of equipment and of their locations, all for the better, and that necessitated a change of cable length for a couple of components.  That was a bit costly but it was the right thing to do.
I am quite pleased with the overall results.

Four things that I try to be mindful off in arranging components.

1. Turntable on top and away from transformers or any component that can contribute EMF or noise, such as power supplies or power conditioners, to very low level components such as cartridge.  
2.  Phono pre-amp as far away as possible from any transformers or noise inducing components.
3.  enough space in the rack for adequate heat dissipation.
4.  arrangements such that the interconnect cables are as short as possible.  

enjoy

@millercarbon Thanks for the great advice!

Wow-a! So many fascinating responses. And here I'd thought I'd asked a simple question. Never on Audiogon! Thanks so much to all.
-- Howard

Arrange  them so they look really cool.

@mc
Pandemic purchasing. There is no other explanation. I didn’t ever see myself becoming an impulse buyer and in that first six months of staying trapped at home I went nuts. 
Started with replacing a 25 year old set of unimpressive floor standers to all new components, speakers, stands, wall treatment; you get the idea. Only after, once I emerged from under a pile of cardboard, did I become acutely aware of my new addiction. I made mistakes. 
Your response makes perfect sense for minimizing the pile of cords and interconnects I now own. If only AG forum was discovered before the rabbit hole. 
The music has never sounded better though. 

@millercarbon Thanks for the great advice!

You're welcome. A lot of it was stuff I read once upon a time long long ago, and at the time thought probably it would make little to no difference. To tell the truth, some of this stuff I was doing for years without ever really being sure it was worth doing at all.    

The last few years though as my system has improved it has become increasingly obvious all these things really do matter. Not matter like theoretically, matter like it is easy to hear. Some of this stuff I was as shocked as anyone to find it really does make a difference.  

Even now though no one thing is night and day, make or break. None of it is for everyone, or every situation. It is more like having tools in the tool belt. The more you have and know how to use, the better prepared you are for when the situation arises.

@mc 

I recall reading a post where you suggested a minimalist setup that included an integrated amp. Do you have that handy? I am unable to find it. 

manogolf, I have always recommend a minimalist setup built around an integrated amp, with speakers in the mid-90dB sensitivity range. There’s probably at least a hundred posts on system building, how to budget and plan, etc. Sounds like you just bought a lot of stuff, and now are looking to optimize or maybe even upgrade what you have?

Yes MC I have read your advocacy for mid to high sensitivity ratings and understand the rationale. Several key mistake were made in my binge and admittedly one is speaker sensitivity.
Bargain minded was my plight instead of reason applying sensibility and I impulsed bought a speaker pair sensitive rated at 86 db. I would take a 50% loss on resale and am willing to take the beating. I hope for a 70% loss on other components but it could turn out worse. Setting a true north is the present plan.

Ouch! I feel your pain. Well that is all spilt milk under the bridge. What matters now is you are setting a new course. Maybe this can be like a case study or something in how to execute a turnaround save? 

I notice you don't have a system page. Neither did I for a long time. Until one day someone asked, and I took some pictures. Even though I am old school enough, never was on FB even, the whole thing felt sort of neurotically narcissistic. But hey, turns out to be one of the best things I ever did. Even though it is my own system I look at it a lot differently now, literally looking at those pictures helps me understand what is going on. 

So think of it as self-help. Don't have to be National Geographic quality, or even Architectural Digest, any old snapshots will do. Just so they show all the components, where they are, how they are connected. It really helps to make sense of things. People can write and write, when one photo can tell the story. 

Also you get the comments on your system page, and it can become sort of a log of what progress you are making. That anyway is my idea for now. And now the system is warmed up, my steak is digesting, time to go spin some vinyl. Cheers!

Howard, I think you have it exactly right. If anything is going to cause trouble it would be the amps electromagnetic field interfering with low level equipment particularly phono stages. Putting the amps as far away from everything else is the way to go. Between the speakers keeping the speaker cables as short as possible is best and that is what you are doing. If you can run balanced cables to the amp that is even better. But, for years I ran single ended cables without any difficulty but never longer than 25 feet. Some people might argue that with toroidal transformers distance does not matter but speaker cable length remains an issue and like you it makes my brain happier. 
Turntable on top is standard for obvious reasons. The rest I do not think matters at all. I always try to keep power lines away from signal lines and always crossing at 90 degrees. 

@mc
I posted a system page. Not that I wanted to stand next to giants but alas here we go. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9507

I'm residing in a 120 year old SF apartment and by some kind of luck the building owner installed a dedicated 20amp circuit on the east wall some time ago. Not ideal for powering the system but it's dedicated! I'm working on having his electrician install a new 20A circuit on the wall next to my speakers. I told him I will foot the bill but he was unimpressed. Wish me luck.

I lost a 2000 LP collection in a house fire and the ex sold off ~500 CD's in a garage sale while in Palm Springs playing in a golf tournament. Water under the bridge.

Against the residing purists I find myself listening via Qobuz and Roon core on the iMac. The 200 LP's that survived are in superior condition but a shallow collection. 

Thanks. I spy Nobsound. The good news, lots of low hanging fruit. Turntable on top of stack, top of the list. But, there is like one mini monitor, two big floor standers, and where do you listen? 

The mini monitors are a pair. I sit between the coffee table and desk centered on floor standers. About 7’ away and 5’ from back wall. A small sweet spot and at times it does tingle the senses. The mini’s are also centered in my LP and sing well with the front speakers. When I’m in that mood for four speakers. My friend had a quadraphonic hifi and we spent our teenage years spinning vinyl on that set. I have a soft spot for four speakers in play

Consider ventilation & weight and place them accordingly.  The only exception may be the turntable since it needs access and most likely have to be on top.

Since, even the longest distance between different components is not likely to be much, it is not even worth thinking about too much.

I use DeOxIt 2 to clean all contacts electrical.  It will clean up volume controls, interconnects and speaker wire ends.  Do it about once a year.  

Tube amp farthest away on the top (for cooling) on one side...turntable furthest away on the top at the opposite side.

Preamp as low as possible below amp (for microphony),  phono preamp and CD player below turntable.

In my case, when turning on from turntable to amp, the motion creates a smiley face right to left. Another smiley face from left to right to turn off. Easy for the wife and select guests to remember.

I have two dedicated audio lines and use one outlet for amp only and the other for all low level 
components. The turntable and CD player go to a Furman 2 component conditioner placed on the floor below the outlet. Preamps go to a 2nd Furman 2 component conditioner. Both conditioners sit in a low profile hardwood base off the floor and are always in the 'powered on' position. This fits in the 3-4" gap between the rack and wall.

This allows me to run signal and power cables in a manner where they cross at 90 degrees. I had some low level hum issues and the cross arrangement eliminated it.

I try and keep digital with digital and analogue with analogue and separate digital from analogue with copper sheets (Micheal's Craft Stores).  It's drops in the bucket but if you put enough in eventually you have something.

It is a rare component that is really critical as to location.  Onesuch is the Counterpoint SA-2 tube headamp, which must be as far away from the turntable motor to avoid hum.  And its detached power supply as far away from all the components as possible.  Other than that, I've never experienced a reason (other than ergonomics) to not stack them any-which-way.

Sounds like you have already covered the main step. Richard Vandersteen has always recommended the shortest speaker wire connection you can. If you have to run a long length it is better to have long interconnects. I run mono blocks so have pre in middle and each amp close to the speakers they power. My system is full balanced except phono. DAC and cassette are both balanced connections.