For that price, I don't think you can get anything that would be considered audiophile grade.
Need some suggestions for a new audio rack
This is not the most exciting of threads, Nevertheless, I am getting rid of my 19 year old vertical audio rack because I don't want to pay for shipping it back to mainland from Hawaii It weighs 80lbs!!! I think the manufacturer was "Just a Rack" sold by Audio Adviser. It is black and has several scratches on almost every shelf of the 5 shelves.
All I need is a simple 3 shelf rack made of wood with either a cherry, maple or mahogany finish ( No steel or corrugated metal that looks like old office furniture of the 1960's) I have an integrated amp, CD player and "possibly" a turntable. Can I purchase something decent looking and acoustically dead for about $200.00??? Thank you
All I need is a simple 3 shelf rack made of wood with either a cherry, maple or mahogany finish ( No steel or corrugated metal that looks like old office furniture of the 1960's) I have an integrated amp, CD player and "possibly" a turntable. Can I purchase something decent looking and acoustically dead for about $200.00??? Thank you
14 responses Add your response
If you can only afford conventional wood or composite bookcase style furniture which is not audiophile approved, try the simple expedient of VibraBlock Constrained Layer Damper on each equipment shelf. Available from Machina Dynamica, this sometimes is needed on only one or two different horizontal portions of an equipment support structure. You can usually hear the improvement increase in increments, and with damping devices in the unlikely event you pile too many onto a structure your music may begin to sound less wonderful, or over damped. The horizontal surface supporting each loudspeaker is equally important to be damped. If you use speaker stands which do not provide horizontal space for a damper next to the speaker, then apply onto the base of the stand, or the floor. I find it's more natural sounding to me when the support surface is damped rather than putting any damping on top of a component. Just a matter of personal perception. By the way, this extra step can even be used to upgrade some audiophile approved racks. |
You won't be able to get something for $200, but Timbernation builds excellent quality stands out of solid woods to order. He sells here on Audiogon but check out his website, you won't be able to get the best but you might find something that works for you at a reasonable price. $200 doesn't buy a lot of audio rack these days. |
Another potentially economical option would be to construct your own "flexy" three shelf rack using the DIY recommendations that can be found on-line. Stability can be improved by using larger sized rods and thicker shelves, as desired. This can be as plain or as fancy as you desire, as shown in the pictures linked below. Flexy Rack Images |