Hello, I recently found out that the solidsteel rack or stand I ordered has yet to be built, 7 months after ordering. I am looking for a double-wide rack or stand that will hold my system including two heavy monoblocks. I am looking for a double wide unit that has 3 or 4 shelves not including the top. I am wanting something that can be ordered now and can be made and provided quickly. Any suggestions would be much appreciated and very helpful.
I have 4x Timbernation solid maple platforms (2" thick). I then had solid brass rod legs machined to a spike by a CNC shop and cut to various lengths so each shelf is stackable on top of each other. It all weights a ton.
Had a few extra sets of brass rod legs done so if a taller amplifier is ever purchased I can put them in to raise one of the shelves.
Also purchased 2 extra Timbernation platforms to sit behind each speaker to hold the various tweaks, grounding boxes, network switches e.t.c
All up it cost me about $800 USD to get made, which was cheap when you consider how spectacular it looks. But this was 10 years ago and it will probably cost twice that amount now.
I was really surprised at the pricing of those Mapleshade racks. Considering that they are just wood and threaded steel stock and bolts, they are very expensive!
@pindacI checked the pitch at Lowe’s, and versus 5/16”-18 and it matched neither. I think I recall the pitch on the 8mm thread as being 1mm, where I figure you would need to special order a coarser thread at 8x1.5mm. A 5/16”-18 would start to thread into one of the 8mm locknuts, but could not be threaded completely through: it would jam just as it got flush with the back side.
However, it was another story with the 1/8” thick disk welded inside the leg tubes, there weren’t really enough threads on the disk to interfere, it wasn’t hard at all to force it through the first time, and then it pretty much spun free. The assembly only calls for hand tightening, and I applied all the torque of which I am capable without incident.
@oldrooney There certainly looks to be room to tweak this system to meet a few bespoke requirements.
The 8mm Thread referred to might be a common Metric Thread Pitch for a 8mm Thread, so not Whitworth / UNC.
Speedy Supply and simplicity to put together are seemingly what the OP has requested as a recommendation, as they are quite delayed in their earlier made plans.
@pindac@muaythai The fastening is done via short sections of 8mm threaded rod. Each vertical tube has 1/8” thick metal disk welded about a 1/2” from the end of each tube threaded to receive the threaded rod. The rods are prepared so they can screw in only so far. The assembly starts from the top with 8mm through bolts that feature a broad mushroom head that rises 1/8” above the surface of the top shelf and terminates upper portion of the assembly. The bottom terminates in “points” that can couple the stand to the floor through carpet; or, by use of dimpled disks about the size of a U.S. $0.05 ‘nickel,’ prevent it from damaging wood or vinyl flooring. Each leg’s length can be adjusted up to an inch or so, and a locking nut is provided. I recommend starting with each leg at its shortest and adjusting by extension, monitor what is happening while you turn the screw so as not to ‘adjust’ the height of the shelf above, not the leg beneath (don’t ask how I know this).
For the curious Do-It-Youselfers: The thread pitch of the rod is not standard, but it closely approximates 5/16”-18. I exploited this fact to add two shelves from a standard audio rack to my previously purchased amp stands. By drilling one hole and employing a single 5/16”-18 bolt I was able to secure the two shelves to the amp stand and thus terminate the lower assembly near, but not on, a leg ‘footer’ (the amp stand is about two inches deeper than a standard rack).
Employing the same trick with 3” sections of 5/16”-18 all-thread, and standard 3/4” PVC pipe couplings (which fit snugly inside the tube sections) I managed to extend 10” leg sections to 13 inches. Spray painted flat black before assembly, the couplings are virtually indistinguishable from a few feet away, and quite unobjectionable up close. I also used 5/16” x 1-1/4” boat washers to provide one of the benefits of the X-braces: the washers keep the tubes from eating into the particle board shelves. By this means I got the clearance I needed for my tallish 95 lb. McIntosh amplifiers. I wish I had painted the edges of the washers before assembly, but it’s likely a detail that only I will notice. I’m not putting anything on the upper shelves that weighs over thirty lbs., so I think I’ll be OK. I only purchased the two amp stands and one standard 4-shelf audio rack, and (4) 10” ‘legs’ (plus the 5/16”-18 rod and 3/4” PVC pipe couplings), and I have parts left over after creating two, one-of-a-kind three-shelf racks. Again, not heirloom quality, but gets the job done, and looks nice. And everything was done in a day after receiving the shipment which only took about two days —a week all in.
I have had a look at the link offered by @oldrooney
The offer of the individual posts is a option that allows for creativity.
The Cross Brace Legs, can be found at 13" Shelve spacings, @ 80lb capacity per shelve, if the Vinyl LP storage option is looked at.
The description given suggests this is a stackable system, with a guidance up to 42" in shelve height @ 240lb capacity per rack. I have not been able to see how these racks use fastenings to couple together, maybe it is not a fastened together assembly when modules are added.
Additionally, the Amp Stand has an 'X' Brace option, if this was the Base wanted for the Rack, it would need to be made known if this is compatible with the add on system, as no images show this base as the base on a assembled rack.
As for the creativity, the Width Spacings between support posts, can be bespoke chosen, if ones own board material is chosen. As there will be potentially 4 x posts required to be purchased, this opens up the option to extend the rack to a Three x Cell per tier system. If one wants the Shelve/Sub Plinth to be produced from the most attractive material (performance wise only), the suggestion of a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood Board to be used, has real merit. This as a material will not be bettered at the price it can be found.
Do bear in mind their are businesses now set up around offering Panzerholz as a Sub Plinth material and some are asking approx' £1000 for a board with a dimension 500mm x 400mm x 25mm.
Linn are now following Clear Audio and are using a similar type material on their £50K+ New Model TT.
There are also TOTR Speaker Manufacturers using this material to produce their cabinets.
@muaythai I found myself in a similar situation recently. I just got online with Audio Advisor and ordered one of their Pangea racks. Arrived in a flat-pack two days later — honestly. I recommend calling them first. https://www.audioadvisor.com/furniture/audio-racks (not guaranteeing link will work). The racks are made of composite wrapped in some tough vinyl. Look great, and seem strong. Legs are made of steel tubing, powder-coated. Well engineered for what they are. Some assembly required, if you’ve had to put a bicycle together for your child, you should be OK. I think my son and I used a pair of pliers and an adjustable wrench. They have at least three sizes and two types; one type has steel cross-bracing, the other type lacks it. Turntable stand is the most shallow, standard audio rack should accommodate most gear. Their amp stands are absolutely massive and includes the cross-bracing. Problem is, I don’t think you can officially extend the amp stand’s height with additional shelves (but I made a way). And you can order legs of different heights to accommodate equipment of different heights on the shelves of the turntable or standard stands, but not for the ones with cross-bracing. Again, they’re serviceable, quick, cheap (<$500 each), and relatively easy if you’re mechanically inclined. They are not heirloom grade, and I wouldn’t recommend them for damp locations, but I hope you’re not using your equipment in a damp location in the first place.
Sounds like you’ve found a good vendor, this is an alternative.
@muaythaiThe Second Rack System in the Links shown, has a selection of spacings that can be created between the Platforms/Shelves. A 25mm Board with the span between the Props as seen,are looking like they will not deflect with the Monoblocks seated upon them.
If you were interested in using this rack type, with a isolation footer under the equipment as well, like the footer seen in the link. Having made a allowance for extra space to incorporate the dimension of the equipment height and footer between platforms will create a improved set up for these types of implements when utilised. More head height within the spacing enables a broader range of choices for footer types to be considered. Hopefully there is a Post height that allows for the option to have the Monoblocks placed lower in the Rack.
@rsf507Over your head it will remain, no need to make any changes.
The OP has been supplied suggestions prior to my post, that are with a potential cost, that will extend into the multi thousands of $’s as a purchase.
The alternatives proposed for a product that has potential to be equivalent at a lesser cost, or the description of a design with a potential for a much improved function with added costs are now made known.
I am not the first to suggest a Build Your Own approach, and am also aware the OP is looking for something readily available, my links should be able to fulfill this request.
Has not the OP offered their regards for the info made known.
Photo and Sales Site Evidence is supplied for a Tandem Rack, the OP has a alternative to consider.
My Take is that the best materials can be bought into at not too much monies when compared to some Brands products. The method will enable the creation of a Support, that most, if any, at any cost on offer will be able to surpass.
Is it not up to the OP to decide which is the most attractive option for themselves.
For the future, another forum member/visitor has access to the info from the suggestions offered to be considered, it is all a valuable info in relation to the OP's request.
The following can show how a Double Platform can be acquired at a quite affordable cost.
My take would be to purchase the Plinth Support Legs only, and have the Plinths produced from a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood (possibly the ultimate material choice for managing transferred energy). This is a material slowly being adopted by the Industry, especially those producing uber expensive Audio Equipment.
The Plinth Support Legs can be seated upon an additional device that is specifically designed to manage Transferred energy, ( there are a large variety of options, I showed one with a large weight load capacity).
Such a design will bring a lot to the equipment support front, I feel more that many are willing to offer, due to the costing for the materials being suggested will create.
It's pretty well known that well designed supports allow amps, preamps and DACs to sound their best. As someone who owns a high value system, I'm pretty surprised that you wouldn't be aware of that. Casters are no better for amps than they are for speakers.
Higher audio rack Quality makes sense for turntables, and other things with moving parts. Amplifiers which seem to be a bit more sturdily built and if they had casters I don't think that would impair the sound of a 150 pound amplifier.
Although if it does, it would sure be interesting to know why that's the case.
I use an Anchor sound rack with casters for Mono blocks and it's solid as a rock.
Why do people buy amplifier stands without casters??
This has perplexed me for so long. There are limited places that sell amplifier racks with casters. Sound anchor, is a wonderful source for an amp rack. Solid steel and customized to your dimensions and the cost is unbelievably reasonable.
Salamander racks are good but they do a very poor job providing good amplifier stands. They are not big enough. On their website they have a picture with an amp on one of their stands and it extends over the rack by a few inches. Terrible design for amplifiers, you would think they would do better. Also their website is horrifying, put the pricing isn't so bad so you gonna put up with it.
I found a very nice looking and solid wood and steel unit (no veneer) labeled Nautica brand my gear is now on at Home Sense for less than $350. A steal! I’d check out places like that. You never know. Furniture marketed to audiophiles may be of very good quality but almost always carry a premium price for what you get.
Pretty happy with my butcher block acoustics rack. They can be expensive for a custom setup. They do blocks for mono amps too. I sent them an email and they called to walk though my build. You can see my rack in my virtual system.
For 3 decades I used a Solid Steel Vertical rack, but over time I replaced the supplied shelves with various exotic shelving. About a year ago I decide to explore horizontal rack. I found a guy on Nextdoor selling a DIY solid maple table 2' x 6' x 2" . I only used the top and picked up a pair of matching iron frame book ends, which I put on Harbor Freight dollys: AWESOME. See my Virtual system pics
I have reached out to Paul at Adona and am waiting for a price. The carrying capacity of their systems is impressive. Although I prefer the look of wood the shelves are made of granite and MDF for a product that appears to be sonically superior. We will see what he comes back with to see if it is affordable.
Mapleshade can provide you exactly what you need, and I’ve never waited longer than 2-3 weeks even with customization. You can view my racks by looking at my system pictures on my profile here. Eldon, the owner, was excellent to deal with and I’m very happy. I guess that’s clear because I purchased from them on three separate occasions, finally replacing all my previous racks and tables. I felt they were a step up from Timbernation at comparable price point.
I don't think that wood is the best way to go sonically from all that I've read, but if that is what a person wants to do, there aren't too many of us that know a competent woodworker. I would recommend Timbernation as others have. He does a good job and is reasonable.
I'm going to go an entirely different way.... Find a woodworking friend, draw a picture of exactly what it is you want and have him build it out of the materials you would like to use.
@roxy54, @willgolf+1 on the Adona racks. Reasonable prices and fully adjustable shelves. The shelves can be upgraded in the future for even better performance, Wooden shelves tend to dull the sound more than I like, although they're pretty to look at. Jeff
I’d rather just use a piece of furniture that will accommodate what I have or at least most of it. Much cheaper, and the benefit in sound is pretty slight if not negligible to justify an expensive audio rack. I’m just using a sideboard typically used to store dishes and glassware. Its pretty sturdy, attractive, has sliding wood doors, and it’s 18 inches deep 40 inches wide, and maybe 33 inches high. It Even has an open lower shelf for my class A Amp. Its worked for me for years now. You can somewhat see it in my profile picture. It cost me 500 bucks.
@onhwy61 “…Wouldn't they be better placed right next to your loudspeakers?…”
+1 They will sound better next to the speakers with a very short speaker cable. Also, not sure of the rest of your component locations… but for most (although not all) speakers they sound better without component stands in between them.
I’d make sure your placements are good before committing to high quality stands. In case you haven’t. I got some inexpensive heavy steel audio stands and experimented before committing to good quality ones.
Suggest you look at 2 Core Audio plyKraft 4L racks. Spacing on the racks can be customized to accommodate different component sizes. Performance and quality of these racks is second to none IMHO and they look beautiful. I have a custom Core Audio plyKraft 3L rack, initially used with a TT on the top (Michell Engineering GyroDec, SME IV and Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony MM cartridge). Acoustic isolation is so good, whilst playing a record, you could jump up and down in front of the rack and nothing would happen. Don’t try this at home, even tried kicking the rack one day, same result! See my previous post on this subject:
Timber Nation is a great choice. You can view my rack on my virtual system. The rack addressed my issue with energy transferred to my turntable. They were good at communicating with me and delivered on time.
@muaythai Are you at all handy with a skill saw and drill? If so, build your own. I have found pre build racks are $$$$ and often the shelves are limited to +/- 60 pounds. Not enough to support many mono blocks. If you are interested, I'd be happy to share some tips and suggestions on a DIY. PM me if you want to talk about it. Cheers.
I'll also add that it's nice to have configuration flexibility. When I first bought the SolidTech rack, I configured it as a single wide four shelf rack. By purchasing a few additional pieces, I was able to reconfigure it as shown in my previous post.
The columns are available in different lengths so you can create more space between shelves if desired. The shelf position on the columns is also adjustable.
These racks are generally available from stock. I was able to get mine in less than two weeks from ordering.
Below is what my rack looked like when I first put it together.
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