Not familiar with Timber Nation. Instinctively I would most likely take all wood. But it is hard to be sure without direct comparison.
I have a Salamander with rods, MDF shelves not hard wood, and I can tell that it rings. When I put the equipment on good cones on hardwood floor instead of the rack it sounds better. My turntable in on a 3" maple block on cones on the floor. I don't have much of a floor vibration. |
I have two of his racks, both solid wood. No more need for fancy feet. The shelves are so stout either the all wood or threaded rod will give you isolation! |
I have an all wood Timbernation rack made from Walnut. I am very happy with the rack. I don't have a threaded rack so I can't comment on the difference. |
I have an all wood Timbernation rack as well but cannot comment on the threaded columns performance. The all wood is so solid that if an earthquake were to hit, I'd huddled up against it and keep my head low.
All the best,
Nonoise |
Hard to take seriously a company that advertises a block of wood as isolation. A metal rod is going to resonate at higher frequencies than a wood one, so transmissability is going to be higher for more lower frequencies for metal than wood. But I can not see any real isolation method in this device at all, which may or may not have anything to do with any of the OP’s goals. Its just going to be a difference in resonance profiles that may add up to something or not. Maybe just get the one that looks best.
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Having just built my own custom rack made of solid maple, I would go for all wood. "ohlala" are you kidding? Hard to take you seriously, maple is one of the best woods for isolation. My rack is solid as can be and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
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Have a pair of twin Timber Nation racks for a couple of years now, five wooden shelves each with the threaded steel rods. Been very happy with them, both looks and function.
And here’s the thing: the threaded rod structure allows you, of course, to change the height of each shelf. Not something you want to do every month, say, but possible.
Think you won’t need that adjustability? Perhaps not, but a lot of us audio junkies switch various components in and out over time. And sometimes that can mean a full overhaul of space.
Dave, who finds the timing of this thread fascinating because he’s planning for tomorrow to take every gizmo and wire off both of his Timber Nation units and change the heights of their shelves and this adjustment will be the first time in the two-plus years he’s owned the racks and he’s real happy to have this capability |
Thanks to you all for your input-- especially you current Timber Nation owners! Dave; the capacity to change shelf height is, no doubt, a nice feature but in the end, I've decided I prefer the look of wood (higher WAF, too). I'm going with a 4 shelf Maple rack with one larger bay for my tubed integrated to provide extra ventilation. I figure if I move to SS, a little extra room on top for airflow can't hurt. I don't have the budget for massive gear changes. ohlala: I'm surprised if this is, in fact, the first time you've heard about the advantages of Maple, which seem to be pretty widely accepted at this point. But perhaps you've tried it in your system and found it wanting. I can respect that; certainly, not everything works in every system to everyone's taste.
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stuartk,
Please share your thoughts once you have put your rack to use!
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My post has nothing to do with maple, but I do have a Finite Elemente rack.
Vibration isolation is preventing vibration transmission from one source to another, which wood itself does not do. There are different methods, but the one used in all racking systems I know employ a low pass filter. These can be made different ways, but they all resonate at a low frequency, above which vibration transmission becomes progressively inefficient. Examples include vibraplane, minusk and thorlabs. You can look at a transmissibility curves yourself. This not to say isolation is always the goal. I don't know your goals.
The wood rack, like all racks is going to resonate at particular frequencies depending on mass, "stiffness", damping and dimensions. You may like it the way it sounds; I don't know. What I know is that is does not isolate, although may be you or falconquest can counter with physics-type reason if I am wrong. Actually I think if it is placed on wood flooring, the acoustic impedance is going to be small vibration will efficiently transfer both ways with little reflection. I hope you enjoy the sound of your rack. They make a big difference.
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ohlala;I looked up Finite Elemente and was surprised to discover they offer. among other things, Maple racks, but at prices I can't come close to affording.
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Yes, please tell us how it all works when you get it, I might be interested in getiing one too. Keeping the equipment on the floor works for me from the audiophile perspective but I almost fell over my amp couple of times. |
I'm glad I built mine with threaded rod, because l've been moving things around, and changing gear. My rods are brass and they take on a nice patina over time. I have system pics, if you want to check out the wife factor.
Kenny |
All wood, especially, Maple is outstanding. There are other brands that use steel, aluminum and suspension-type designs. So, there is something to be said for those niche' products as well. |
Personally, I use a Bell 'O design that is steel and glass shelving.
It is dead quiet. Happy Listening |
I'm using two 1" thick shelves of granite suspended on 4x4 posts tapered at their bottoms. It's the equivalent of a concrete sofa...and you wouldn't want to stub a toe on it. Concrete floor.
Vibration isn't an issue here. |
Wood, Home Depot, but basically 'scraps'.
The stone shelves are 'drops' from the countertop/slab shop next door. Y'all might inquire at a local shop. You'd be surprised by what they toss. |
