DIY Audio Rack [*fail*]

Hi Chilehed

I design a lot of audio platforms and racks out of different types of pine and it can be one of the best sounding materials to use, but if done incorrectly can sound horrible.

It's too late to go back and reclaim the pine if you have already finished the surface, but there are some things you can back step that will help.

(1) get rid of the dampening

By now you know there is no such thing as isolating in the audio range. Your products are going to sound like your rack. Once you get rid of the dampening material, your going to hear some of the equipment range come back. You will also hear your room sound better.

(2) how is the wood finished

What type of finish have you used and how many coats, and how was the surface sanded? Pine takes a very long time to cure (especially that thick). If you live in a humid area you could set a dehumidifier in the room and set it at 30-35%.

If you would like you can get ahold of me from my website and I could walk you through some things. http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/

Your probably a lot closer to good sound than you think, it's just that pine is such a wide range wood type it's easy to get lost in the voicing of it.

Michael Green

Hi Chilehed

Yep after the dampening is gone you should give another report. And from there I'd be happy to help.

220 is going to close the pores so the poly isn't going to soak in as much but with pine you still might be ok (will just take longer to cure). A dehumidifier will help.

I do my pine in the desert so I start off super dry, and then cure it a long time before I start my sanding and coating. After I cure the wood it is about 1/3 the weight of when it was at the lumberyard.

But, that's not where you are at, so your going to need to be patient as the 3 coats is going to take a long time cure for you.

After the dampening is gone (be sure to sand and refinish where the dampening was) your still going to hear a cloudy sound. In time that will clean up. Your also going to want to look at what type of feet your going to want to use under your components.

What components are you using and I can make some recommendations for you when tuning in the transfer.

I had homes in Ohio and NY NY, so I'm pretty up on your curing area.

have a good weekend

mg

Hi David, nice to see you. Hope all is well!

Brass is one of my favorite materials used sparingly, as you know. Systems can OD on brass pretty easy, that’s why I do a blend of materials under components. The MTD was designed to get rid of the upward shift caused by other cones and provide a better transfer. My MTD’s (mechanical transfer device) come in different shapes, designs and sizes to work with both old and modern component designs. I’m not saying cones have run their course, but the more detail folks are designing in their products the more squeezed the upper harmonics become causing clustering at certain ranges. Most cones amplify this. However there’s a new kid on the Block. The LTR Blocks are the latest greatest hit makers. The LTR Block is bringing music back into the game.

After moving to the desert in 2004, I found I could make an amazing tuning device that I was not privy to before. The voiced Low Tone Redwood Blocks changed my view of cones. Not just brass cones but any cone. Now I use one or two cones for flavoring when wanted but most of my system (systems) have become more in-tune. And a big plus is the voicing adjustability.

coupling vs decoupling

HEA sometimes steps on it’s own tongue and for years has been using the term "decoupling". After doing tests after tests by myself and many others I never found a case, in the audio range, where the components became decoupled from the surface below or above. In fact the opposite is true. When you set something on something else you are coupling not decoupling. Decoupling would be when you defeat gravity.

I don’t know if NASA still gives the tour but they use to have an anti-gravity chamber where you could go in and "decouple" yourself from the ground. This was done with air pressure pushing up. They also had other cool tricks using magnetic fields. But, in our hobby we don’t use those devices, and bladders, springs (including my Harmonic Spring), cones, rubber or any device subject to gravity and weight are in reality "coupling". Of course audiophile home brew experts will argue this, but it doesn’t change the fact that when you touch something with something else there is an interaction.

Anyway, I’m sure that’s more than you asked for, but you know how these threads are "say too little say too much" LOL.

again great to see you

Michael Green

Hi Uberwaltz & Geoff

That would be fun to try. I don’t know what audiophiles would call it, but a low mass floating amp would be pretty cool.

MG

Hi Robert you said

"All brass cones sound incredibly different. After thirty years of manufacturing brass cones even we have changed the chemistry and damping factor of the brass currently used in our products as this was a key to our technology continuing to evolve all these years."

I'm glad to hear you say this. The original Audiopoint was dated technology. I always wondered why you chose the original Audiopoint to distribute instead of designing your own.

Michael Green

Starsound said

"What about the people who use wood blocks… where are all the wood cones? I only see a couple of wood cone designs so do the blocks have something more to do with performance?"

Voicing accessories under components are just getting started. I bring in tons of different types of devices as well as obviously designing my own, and what I find is, as many different chassis that are out there so should there be tuning choices.

This will always be changing as the direction of components evolve.

Michael Green