Please tell me the wait will be work it......my rack

Not sure what rack you are comparing to.  Big fan of Butcher Block acoustics though.

the Criticalmass racks are worth the wait

I'm sorry but when I see companies like Critical Mass asking somone to pay $20,000+  for a rack to set their equipment on, I have to ask what flavor Kool Aid they are serving with that.  Don't want to hear the debate.  I'm just expressing an opinion.  

@bigtwin 

+2

 I agree wholeheartedly, some of these prices are just highway robbery, but it’s the 

hitheadssay morons who actually pay that much thinking a rack will once again make unicorns crap rainbows and vomit skittles. 
best ones I bought for my amp was a massive solid cutting board, which I lightly sanded and stained cherry. It looks nice with the wood.

was 45$ on sale at bed, bath & beyond 20+ years ago

other audio on the 4 ft wide tv stand.

some people are too dumb and spend that much 

All I can say is I use a Core Audio PkyKraft 3L rack for the components and a special isolation shelf for the TT. This kit is amazingly well built, looks stunning and gives complete isolation from feedback. Here is what the system looked like before I purchased the TT shelf:

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/7324?_gl=1*8zqiuw*_ga*NTQyNTQxNjI2LjE2NzE3MzM0ODE.*_ga_SR0PMVVEN1*MTY3MjQyNDI5Ni45LjEuMTY3MjQyNDg5MC4xOS4wLjA.

Yes.  These rack prices are complete nonsense.

Be thankful there is a delivery hold up and try to use this to cancel your order and get your $$$$$$ back.

I put all my gear longitudinally on very heavy marble and stone. In all must weigh a ton.  Yes.  This is far more solid than wooden shelves, however many butchers handed in their blocks for big buxx.

Need to get this into perspective.  Big $$$$$ on racks is even sillier than big $$$$$ on cables.

+++ @arcticdeth ​​​​​@bigtwin 

@erik_squires   shouldn't burn money on ButcherBlox

Plus one on Core Audio racks. I have both the 3 level and an isolation stand for my power amp. Arnold is a true artist and fabulous to work with. Photos are in my profile. 

Over the course of my career I’ve designed many isolation stands for equipment that is generally heavier and much more sensitive than audio gear and I have to say that other than aesthetics there’s really no need for rocket science when deciding what to place your audio components on. I personally chose to use a 300 lb mahogany cabinet for my stuff. 
But- given the cost of design, welding/machining and post production finishes the example shown above at $1,800 looks like a pretty good deal. 

Arnold at Core is not only a true artisan but also a fellow audiophile and music lover ;-) i don’t believe there is a harder and smarter honest individual in audio. I have two of his quadratic diffusers….. effective works of art ;-)

Folks are entitled to spend their hard-earned on whatever they want. My "rack" cost a few bucks and sounds fantastic. I met the Stillpoints guy at a show and was stunned when he told me the rack I was looking at was priced at $38,000. Takes all sorts!

I just got a new Adona rack and am super happy with the quality.  it only took two weeks to get.  I will now sell all of my isolation pods because I do not need them anymore.

You guys are making me feel pretty good.

I just bought some SolidSteel racks yesterday

through US AudioMart. Used. $350 for two 

identical units. Now the freight was hefty-

Added another $200. The website for this

Italian company is designed to part people

from their money. Got me!

How did I do?

VTI Racks... beautiful solid and customizable. My system took 2 of their bigger racks and was still under a grand.

Interesting enough, we use a piece of junk in our listening room with brick walls, we have no complaints from reviewers, or people who come to hear equipment in our Listening Room.  Go Figure.

For a few hundred bucks you can get a Pangea wood rack with 4 or 5 shelves.  If you think you have vibration issues, use footers or an isolation pad.  It is ridiculous to spend megabucks on a rack.

For me the rack for my gear is at the back of the line for upgrade dollars. I’m using a VTI rack (inexpensive, not very well made, passable) and picked up a few Symposium Svelte Shelves used to place under each component to enhance isolation. Works great and leaves me with funds to spend where a real difference can be heard.

you guys dont understand critical mass racks are a huge upgrade to a system when you remove noise and resonance from components it is an upgrade as significant as upgrading an amp or preamp from a very good component to a reference level

we havebeen playing with these kinds of racks for years we started eith hrs went to stillpoints then  to critical mass

we demoed a 20k stillpoints rack it transformed our reference system from good to something approaching a live event

unless you have experienced this kind of device and what it dies sonically

you have no idea to the magnitude of the improvement

honestly I could never have imagined ever spending 20k on a rack tillI personally heard how transformenal a real energy absorbing rack can be

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect nj

critical mass dealer

Whatever pleases everyone, but I tend to agree that a well made rack should minimize tweaking as the improvement they bring is more uniform.

Some of them look nice too.

What a surprise.   A Critical Mass dealer giving a positive review of the product!   I wonder how the folks down below are enjoying the freeze. 🤣

@boxcarman

For a few hundred bucks you can get a Pangea wood rack with 4 or 5 shelves. If you think you have vibration issues, use footers or an isolation pad. It is ridiculous to spend megabucks on a rack.

+1

Better to spend the money on nice custom book/LP/CD racks and other room treatments.

Sorbothane, points and VPI bricks in a Pangea create an absolutely dead support. ZERO tube amp microphonics.

IMO, anyone with the TT the same room as speakers capable of realistic levels is asking for trouble. [My last TT set up was in another room with the ARC SP6 with support anchored to the concrete floor... in the last century 😉]

None believers can digitize the preamp output with the power amps on and off, then compare. Any delta and you gots a problem

I have some older Solid Steel racks. Each shelve has threaded points.

But I do have a set of Critical Mass footers under each component.

ozzy

The power amplifier you previously mentioned is too large (deep) to properly fit on many racks.

It would hang out 4" (in the back) on my Studiotech rack.

DeKay

I have an original Core Audio MOD 3 rack and an Adona amp stand. I'm going to sell the MOD 3 this summer after ordering an Adona Zero GXT rack. Both Core & Adona make great racks so I don't think you could go wrong with either brand.

I use 3 Solid Steel racks between my 2 set ups.  They were expensive to me but worth it.  They are solid as a rock and I believe my outlay was around $2500.00 for the 3 racks, purchased at Music Direct and delivered within 3 days.

The Pangea racks are garbage.  I owned one but found the curved front to the shelves would not allow my equipment to fit without overhanging the shelves.  I know the Mac equipment is bigger than most other brands and the rack was straining under the 80-pound weight of my Mac integrated.  Compare the Pangea rack to the SS and you will see for yourself how flimsy the Pangea is.  I have found most Pangea items to be low quality.

@audiotroy Sorry guys, expensive racks are for suckers or folks with more money than sense who want added bling factor to impress their buddies. Can they improve performance, particularly in poorly constructed rooms with full range systems that generate lots of energy? Sure, maybe a little but at what cost and where could those dollars be spent more effectively? 

Extreme racks for extreme systems money no object.

With the advent of all the good isolation footers currently going around, all one really needs is a decent looking and well made stand tailored to the taste of the buyer.

All the best,
Nonoise

The Pangea racks are garbage.

Mine haven’t rotted and holds about 200 pounds of amplifiers and VPI bricks.

Mac equipment

that ’splains it! 🙄

Equipment Rack with adjustable TT top - $850

Sand Filled Floating Top Amp Platforms - $85 each 

Custom Speaker Stands - $700 each. ($650 per set of Gaia 1 feet)

Iso Acoustic Gaia under TT - $200

OK, so I'm not counting my labour but the point being, you don't need to spend a wack of money.  IMHO

I am very pleased with the Solidsteel racks, they seem like a good value.  I can’t say it transformed the sound of my system, but high quality and solid feel/look.  My system does sound extremely good though, so maybe it IS the rack!

@bigtwin nice rig! 

@jerryg123 Thanks Jerry.  It's an ever evolving process.  Lucky for me I enjoy having a hands on project on the go at all times.  

I have Mapleshade equipment rack and amp stands: https://shop.mapleshadestore.com/SAMSON-Equipment-Racks_c_24.html

Based In Baltimore (MD) and using aged (natural sun) maple wood sourced from the Amish in PA. Some people find them ugly. I love them aesthetically. Subjective. Performance wise, I think they have no peers at the price range (then some)

@dodgealum :

Sorry guys, expensive racks are for suckers or folks with more money than sense who want added bling factor to impress their buddies.

🙄🙄🙄. You naysayers never disappoint. Isolation, resonance control, are real, and very objective (meaning: measurable). If you group yourself as a an objective dude, even if you measured nothing in your life (other than reading ASR), you should read more

@bigtwin nice rig! 

@thyname those folks are clueless. I have F&R rack and it is awesome.

For those interested in the VTI racks, I owned one briefly. It rang like a bell and contributed a bright sheen to the overall sound. I tried filling the frame and legs with sand and that didn’t help. And the design doesn’t allow for this easily. They look nice, but I wouldn’t recommend for a serious system.

I will give another shout out for Butcher Block Acoustics. Great product at a fair price.

I have an oldie but moldie arcici reference suspense rack on my side wall which was expensive in its day at around 6 k.  Long out of business.  

@pops,    I had an Arcci Superstructure rack from 1990-2002. Too bad I outgrew it. 

Yes @stereo5 i am close to outgrowing mine as it only has 5 shelves.  

This site is becoming more and more like North Korea with the actions of the Moderator’s. (Let’s see how long this comment stays up -- posted at 5:16 p.m).

I see Forum Members joking back and forth with others on this site all the time, especially on threads involving extremely expensive ticket items. I made the following post yesterday on this thread, and found out today it had been removed due to being abusive:

"My system was TOTALLY transformed with my stereo equipment "rack" setup. Four cinderblocks and multiple 2 x 4’s. The most wooden sound you ever heard..."

If ANYONE was offended or abused my my apparent bad attempt at humor, I am truly and deeply sorry. No harm to humans or animals was meant. Happy New Years, fellow music lovers, and may 2023 bring certain individuals just a smidgen of a funny bone.

Allen

@allenf1963  The post was removed because it contained profanity. That's all. 

I don’t about profanity. I wish the moderators would remove all the threads that contain insanity. 🤣

@meadski So you have recieved a lot of feedback.  What's your takeaway?  

Admin, 

Can you private message me and tell me what profanity was used?  I have no recollection of using any profanity in the post.  I'd seriously like to know what was removed.  If I slipped up and indeed used profanity, I am truly sorry and regretful.  But again, I am at a lose to remember ANY profane language used.  Thank you.

Allen

@bigtwin I most certainly did not think there would be so much interest in this. My ask was for other racks to consider as my Basso Continuo racks have been delayed almost 4 months! My brother uses Critical Mass but they are a bit out of my budget. I appreciate all of the comments about racks i had never heard of....and am reading up on them all. I have large McIntosh gear so not all racks will work (Basso builds with Mc in mind). My dealer reopens tomorrow (the 3rd) and will be consulting with him on some of these options. i like the concept of a less-expensive rack coupled with newer dampening technology(s). Appreciate all the banter here...new to Audiogon, Should have made this investment years ago!!

@meadski  I'm in the process of a major re working of my system.  Picture of older version is posted above.  I'm having to move some of the heavy peices.  Here's where I am to date.  I've mounted a 2x4 to the wall, supporting the back side of a Butcher Block piece 24 x 60.  Three 2.5" dowels for front leg supports.  320 pounds of amps & power conditioner on top.  Won't be finished unitl May when my SoundLab 745's arrive.  My point here would be don't limit yourself to spending a lot of money when a little hands on can work if you set your mind to it?  

I'm disappointed in the audiogon community. All these posts and no one has made the obvious/obligatory comment about how nice a good rack looks in a listening room. 

Good point simao.   Aesthetics are as important as sound improvement to most IMO.  

Buy sound, not jewelry.

Jewelry has enabled so many charlatans and is destroying the HiFi space.