Best Componet rack for large Tube Amps


I just took delivery of my new VAC 140's......and they are heavy...95lbs ea. These amps have me reconfiguring my listening area....so i need a new amp rack that will hold 4 amps. Total weight will be about 350lbs and the shelf size must be at least 18x18. The one concern I have is heat and space for adequate ventilation as well as build quality and sonic performance. I have looked at several racks and right now I'm leaning to a Mapleshade Samson V2 with 4" shelves. I'm sure there are others and my budget is a 1800+ or minus. I need recomendations as this is the only thing from me and some great sound.
wavetrader
I second ADONA, Paul made me two custom amp stands for a Pair of Canary reference Monoblocks(20x30 inches. Nice! No bullshit
just a superior finished product customised to you needs at a fair price.
Hi Richard,

Your system has the WayWow factor big time.....yes they did arrive safely and in mint condition. I changed the voltage cards to 120v so i'm really chompin at the bit here.
The amps are not the signatures but 140's with the sentry circut built in 1995....they measure 18x18x9....Kevin was excited for me as he thought they were a great buy.
I purchased a 2 octet matched set of Sophia carbon plates...they sound great on my 70/70.
I called Paul at Adona (took your advise)great guy and he spec'd a 4 tier rack with a 6,15,15,15 configuration in black and gold (sorry to copy)that should look great...I added the cherry wood trim. The bad news is it is a 2 week lead time. Gladly it was in my budget....I looked at the mapleshaded and the Finite Elemente but was a budget buster. I will send you pics of the amps.
Richard and everybody thanks for the info and advice.

Best,
Roger
Hi Roger,
So they finally arrived!
I suggest that you call Paul Lemanski @ Adona Corp (Agon member) & discuss the dimensions with him.
I have the 140 Mk. III's & they are longer & heavier than the dimensions you posted above.
I had him make me 2 racks for my equipment with plenty of room for the VAC's to ventilate & each level can support 350 lbs.
I also asked Paul to make me 2 seperate amp stands 24" X 24" for the times I need to move the amps out of the racks to add new equipment.
Finally I ordered 2 24" X 24" slabs of the granite/mdf from Paul to place the Strad's on & positioning is now a snap.
Mine are in black & gold & make my VAC amps & pre shine.
The granite with MDF platforms will support just about anything & look great.
Do a little homework first & try to come up with your own gameplan as to where you want to place your equipment & the size of the granite platforms.
I ordered larger granite platforms for the bottem shelfs (amps) & the top shelfs (turntables) & standard granite platforms for the 2 middles on each side.
You can see the VAC equipment in the Adona housing on my system.
Hope this helps.
BTW - Which 300B tubes did you get?
All the best
Richard
Stick with Finite Elemente.

Depending on your budget,you could either trey the Spider or Pagode Master reference.The difference in performance is not much ,but clearly audible.

Expect to be startled by the improvements...
Boltz sells modular component racks that are built like a tank. I think they are rated for at least 350 lbs. Just get the 14" spacing between shelves to provided adequate breathing room for your tube amps.

Another option is Michael Green Justarack. It's built with 1.5" MDF and 3/4" metal allthreads.

Michael
Contact Valleyplastic (Audiogon member) and have him build you a custom acrylic rack. He use to have some advertised on this site however I don’t know if the ads expired.
If your worry is ventilation, have you considered open designs such as "Spider" by Finite Elemente or "Rack Of Silence" by Solid Tech?

Whereas I don't know the Rack Of Silence from my own experience, I have come to appreciate greatly the Spider's incredible versatility with regard to height and depth, not to mention the ease to work with cables in these racks. You'll find a configurator tool on their website. 95 lb per platform is not remotely an issue. If your gear does not allow to position it on the resonance dampers or Ceraballs directly, shelves are offered in all measures (or you can use another brand or custom made shelves, of course; as a matter of fact, I'm even using an SRA Ohio platform in combination with the Spider). Sonically, the basic equipment performs impeccably, airy and neutral, very much the way it looks actually. The Ceraballs offer more subtle detail, quietness and a better overall image, but lighter gear may show a tendency of shifting around on their small, smoother surface (not an issue at lb 95 I'd think)
http://www.finite-elemente.de/en/products/spider

One caveat, whereas you'd be alright with your budget in Europe, I don't know how much these racks cost in the USA, sorry about that.

Good luck!