Great! The Adona people seem pretty knowledgeable, and they were very easy to talk to. I think you did the right thing. The odds of getting a rack to hold your equipment(with no claims of audible improvement)and tweaking it out weren't very good. Now you have a nice place to start. BTW, the Eaglesound myrtle that I mentioned above was actually myrtle from Maprik(on Audiogon). He sells them 3 for $10(shipping is $5). |
Hello fellow agoners.I just received an email from someone that read this post regarding a rack he had for sale so I figured I better get over here & update my post.Finally decided to go with the base Adona rack which shot the whole budget but I think it will be worth it.I'll post a review after I get the rack & get it set up.Thanks again everybody. |
I forgot to mention Steve Blinn Designs racks, which have had a favorable review, and are sold here on Audiogon. I use various tweeks-Adona small brass cones(bottom of rack, and upside down with inserts[for stability]on my Lehmann Black Cube), Isorock Reference 3 prototype(Apl Denon 3910 cd player), Mapleshade rubber/cork/rubber footers, 2-inch maple, and Edensound's big brass footers(under Oritek pre/dac), Mapleshade's 4-inch amp stands with brass feet, and many others. The 4-inch maple and big brass feet give a solidity that may be hard to come by any other way. I am so satisfied with the Eaglesound mytle($3 each)and isonodes(around $15 for 4) that I won't be looking at the approved brass cones for my amps for awhile, and will turn my attention to speaker supports. I think Drubin has it right. If you concentrate on the rack, you can add accessories later. You can look at cheap accessories(or be talked into Edensound's big brass footers)until you understand them better. What would happen if you got the cheap rack, and with good accessories, it still sounded bad? |
I just went through a similiar process at a lower price range. I ended up with a Cambre Timber 4-shelf rack for $310 shipped. I missed out on used Samson racks($400+ and a beautiful one at $800). Actually, I purposely skipped the lower priced one due to finances. I did see a couple of Cambre Core racks(solid versus hollow aluminum rods)for sale around $400, but pickup only. I reviewed the Timber rack on Audiogon. For that kind of money, I would want something that claimed some effect on sound quality. Mapleshade's Samson is interesting, or you could build up something from Audiav or Adona(or others). Edensound has a 4-shelf myrtle rack(with solid rods, I believe)for around $380(plus shipping, I would think). You can find their phone number on Audiogon, as they sell their brass footers on Accessories. I have since bought 4-inch Mapleshade amp stands and big brass footers from Edensound. Both of these items added a solidity to the sound. For a cheap tweak, try Eaglesound myrtle feet(which I assume, and they imply, are sized in the Golden ratio) with isonodes underneath(I used the small[32 pounds]ones). |
Get a Solidsteel which will come with isolation(cones in the "5" series and rubber grommets with ball bearings in the "3" series). From there you can add Symposium Sveltes new/"B" stock or used and you'll be ahead of the game(which is what this is). |
I've used an Audiav Crystal rack to good effect for around a year. Not cheap, but great nonetheless.
http://www.audiav.com/ |
I have multiple Adona racks with very good baseline results and have also augmented/tested with Stillpoints, BDR pucks, cones, and other tweaks. The best I've found without spending thousands on things like Critical Mass platforms are from Composite Audio (CF-2010 model). The combination of the Composite platforms and my Adona racks works exceptionally well, is extremely solid and sounds great. Composite also now makes and entire line of stands that you can assemble to fit your needs that are based upon subsequent refinements to their platform design...All this stated, there are many different options that I've seen used by members here with great systems. Take your time, shop around and pick what works best for you aesthetically, sonically and within your budget. |
Freediver,
Where are you located? I have a 3 shelf TAOC AS-1 rack that I might let go in the near future when my new table is finished.
There is a good write up in PFO from a little over a year ago.
It is "as new" and I just don't want to ship it even though I have all the packing. |
I would highly recommend the Sanus Natural Foundations stuff. Looks good, easy to put together, open shelving, easy access to cables, etc., and definitely within your budget. |
Freediver: It would be impossible to advice and steer you towards the perfect rack,and have it extract all you want from it. We all on Audiogon can only advice you to purchase the most sturdy and to your eyes the most attractive looking rack. It could be built of maple or other hard woods of your choice. Many racks are built using steel with solid materials such marble,granite,Corrine and such. But in the end its not only the materials but how well it's built and the ease of placement of gear with accessibility with your use of interconnects. Their are also some camp's that believe light and ridged structures work better. So at this time with your new home I would say to use common sense and no pun intended but don't "rack your brain" over this and just buy or build something of good sturdy quality. |
I would go with the performance-designed rack. You can add cones and feet later if you like. |
Guys I appreciate your responses but I think you've missed the intention of my question.Which method is going to extract the most performance from my gear,spending the entire amount on a performance designed audio rack OR getting a combination of something like the inexpensive VTI,StudioTech etc..rack & a complete set of isolation/vibration reduction devices like the BDR cones or Myrtlefeet etc...?Thanks again. |
Using solid steel 5.3 with bdrs on my sim amp and am content,there are a ton of products out there,goodluck. |
Good luck with the home. Why not just look around for someone in your area to build one for you with woodworking skill's. You could lower your budget to around half that, and with the money saved buy more software such as Lps or what ever.It's just a thought because of your budget, and hey might find that carpenter in the area you might need for other duties since you just bought your first home. Again the best of luck with it. |
Look at Quadraspire out of the UK. Well-made and modular. |
