Rack stabilization alternative to lally columns and beam?
I have my system rack on a bouncing floor, and it’s out into the room from the front wall. I’m looking for alternative suggestions to stabilizing my rack without using beams and lally columns below the floor. I also want to keep my rack out from the front wall, because I can finally get to my cables this way. My rack, in my old house was up against the front wall with a foundation wall under it, and it was ridged and unshakeable. My new front wall is a bearing wall with double foundation walls under it, so I’m thinking about tying my rack to the wall, but also realize I will probably need some dampening due to vibrations from the wall.
What I was thinking –
Tie the top rear corners (under the top shelf) of my rack to the wall. I can do this with maple hardwood (1x2”s) that match the rack, and run a maple 2x4” rail across the wall to connect the two together. In-between, where the new maple 1x2”s fasten to the rack and to the rail, I sandwich damping material to limit vibrations from the wall. So, the goal is to add mechanical stability to the rack without adding vibrations from the wall.
One of the damping materials that I’m considering is similar to Mapleshade’s Iso Blocks. So, rubber, cork, rubber. However, this stuff is only ¾” thick a can be made into 2x2” squares. It comes from Acoustical Solutions. Here’s the link: https://acousticalsolutions.com/product-category/vibration-control/pads/
I’m trying to find out if my idea is sound to begin with, and what may be the best and least expensive dampening material to use if it is.
Kenny
Well, that's what I was thinking, but the rack will still be sitting on the floor, if I was not clear about that. I'm just fixing it to the wall as well, so it can't move, even if I jump up and down or push against it. I also have subs left and right of the rack that vibrate the wall as well as my rear ported speakers for bass. A lot of energy in the area. Kenny |
Can't you raise the rack a bit so that it will not be affected by the floor? Your subs should be on isolating points, and therefore not contributing to any floor vibration. As far as wall vibration, then I would be concerned that the speakers would influence the amps as well. If you still need isolation, why not add some Stillpoints under the amps? I am using a pair of Sound Anchor Wall mounts for my amps. http://soundanchors.com/products/2051/wall-mount. You can contact Bob directly with your specifications and he will design the proper wall mount. HTH Bob |
Bob - those are some good suggestions, so thanks. What I don't want to do is move anything around, so I was thinking about putting Herbie's Giant Fat Grounding Bases under the feet of my rack, but I'm looking for other recommendations. Afterwards, I would tie the rack to the wall, so it will not move, and use some dampening material between the wood members. The subs are on Symposium platforms that dissipate the mechanical energy out of the speakers and subs in the form of heat. I have Stillpoints under my turntable, but I'm replacing them with upgraded feet that incorporate a spring system. So, I'm really trying to attack this situation at different levels. At some point, I'll address my amps, but for right now, I have to stabilize my rack, so it's rigid sitting on the floor as is. Kenny |
I was following another thread and the OP mentioned Townsend Audio- http://www.townshendaudio.com/hi-fi-home-cinema-equipment-vibration-isolation/seismic-isolation-pods... They make a lot of products, but these pods look interesting, but are unfortunately not inexpensive. Though, if you have Stillpoints, you may not find them too pricey. (You can buy them on Ebay from a dealer in the UK. Let me know if you need the name). Herbie's makes some great stuff for not much money. But, I think you might need something more substantial for your situation. I also wouldn't use damping materials between the rack and subs, but bolt directly to the wood and use isolation directly underneath the equipment instead. You want to bolt everything tightly to the rigid members so that your isolation devices can do their work. Just my 2 cents... Bob |
Bob - Yeah, I too have seen and contributed to that other thread. I started to check out the Townsend products, so thanks. I'm not sure I understand one of your comments, so I may not have explained what I'm trying to do clearly enough. You mention that I should not use dampening between my rack and the subs. The small bits of dampening material would be between my rack and the wall. When I connect the rack to the wall, I'm trying to minimize the vibrations from the wall feeding into the rack. Let me know if I'm missing something from your comment. Kenny |
Kenny, yes I do understand what you were going for. In my opinion, I would bolt the rack directly to the studs, rather than introduce dampening. If you were to do what you are intending, I think it would add to the instability of the rack, not reduce it. In my mind, you want everything bolted in place, even if it means there will be some transmission of vibration. By adding dampening under each component, you will be eliminating whatever vibrations that are introduced to the rack. If you add dampening between the rack and studs, you are adding yet another path of instability (in my opinion), since the rack isn't completely coupled with the wall. I know it seems abstruse, but isolation is a bit complex. B |
Bob - Okay, now I get what you were saying! There seems to be two different trends of thought here. One (Geoff) from another active post says, the rack should not be made too rigid, and you're saying to make it as rigid as possible. I can always try it both ways and keep the solution that sounds best. Kenny |
kavakat1, Thanks, and you are correct, but I was looking for an alternative because the access to my crawl space is from the ground floor down and the crawl space is shallow. So, I simply don't have enough room to get a beam down there. I would have to open up a hole in my foundation wall from the outside to do it. Kenny |
