I have a Sony 7700 and am getting a Jolida 1501. Is it OK to stack the Jolida on top of the Sony? Both will be going in a heavy wire 18"x18"x74" tower/shelve unit. The tower will have good contact with the floor and I was going to put a slab of granite, wood, etc. underneath the Sony as well. Also, I was going to use something like Vibrapods underneath both the Sony and Jolida to help with vibration even more. I've heard/read that a small bag of sand or other weight on top of the CDP will help some. Can I combine this effect by having the Jolida on top of the Sony or will heat be an issue? Any other ideas for cost effective isolation in this type of setup? I realize the wire tower isn't perfect for this but it fits where I want it in my den perfectly and it is well made and solid. Here's a link to it(bottom/middle of the page): http://www.125west.com/InterMetro_Home_Office_Furniture_Metro_Dorm_Sale_wire_shelving.html
I'll also have a small 5 gallon mini/nano reef on the bottom shelf and a 14" Toshiba television above the components. I'd like to try and get it to work well with the components in there if I can.
That rack looks really shakey. I wouldn't trust my components sitting on something like that. I think almost any other rack would be better than that one, even the cheapo MDF things you can find at Walmart.
And it's never a good idea to stack components, the Vibrapods will help, if you must, but I'd try to give each component its own shelf; some degree of physical separation is preferred. I mean, how close will the Jolida's power transformer be to sensitive circuitry in the Sony?
Given the rack system, I wouldn't worry too much about stacking since the rack is probably not built for isolation damping in the first place. Vibrapods work well. Something like the Stillpoints Isolation Cones work better. Get a little distance between the two units to help with heat dissipation (use two Vibrapods?). In terms of whether weight will work to help the sound of the CDP, give it a quick listen with some coins or other material in a double layer of socks. As with almost anything, you never really know until you try. Happy listening.
The Inter Metro stuff is very robust, but not particuarly rigid so it's not ideal as an equipment rack. Your idea of using Vibrapods is good, but you might want to supplement them with a maple butcher block style board. If you use cones, use them on the bottom component to couple them to the maple block.
I agree with the other posts. This flimsy stand would be great for a dorm room, with a low-end, light weight system. With your plan, I fear that the stand would be 'top-heavy', a recipe for disaster!
The rack is actually pretty solid. Each shelf holds about 300lbs. I'm not worried about the integrity just any vibrations, etc. that may effect my sound. I bought an extra shelf as well so I will have a total of four shelves. The nano reef on the bottom shelf should weigh things down pretty well. It will weigh about 100lbs. I think what I'll do is skip stacking them and give each one it's own dedicated shelf. I have enough shelves to do that. I'm definitely putting some wood and something like Vibrapods under each component between the component and the wire shelf. Also, what if I go to Home Depot and buy some sort of 20"x20" cement slab. I could paint it black and sit the whole tower on top of that. Maybe that would help give it a firmer base. You guys have me wondering though that maybe I should look for another alternative. Regardless of how well I isolate the components, I'll most likely be fighting an uphill battle with vibration because of the wire design. I could put them on my desk/table(60") but will they effect my flat screen monitor any?
Asahitoro, I've used the Metro as an equipment rack in an HT setup and it will work, but it's not a high quality stand by audiophile standards. The cement slab won't do much, you need to focus on isolating your equipment as much as possible from the rack itself. A combination of maple shelves and vibrapods will be very effective in that regard, but it's an open question as to whether this combo will bring out the best sound from your components. You will have to decide how serious you want to be in this area. A good quality audiophile rack can easily cost more than $500. I would recommend that you experiment with low cost mods (maple shelves and vibrapods) to your existing setup before making any decisions about changing your equipment rack.
Thanks for your experienced input. I'm eventually going to buy a dedicated audio rack but for now I'm on a tight budget. An expensive audio rack is something that will have to wait for now. I realize how important things like room acoustics, isolating components/good rack, etc. are so I'm trying to do most of that the DIY route. At some point I'm going to hit a point of diminishing returns cost wise relative to how much improvement I can get out of my modest system. I actually thought that stacking my components may help some in making things more solid/vibration free. I'm going to give it a shot with the wire tower/maple shelves/Vibrapods. I just hope I can train my ears well enough to hear the subtle differences while I experiment to make things more effective.
Here is what Ken of Neutronics platforms said: "If you're not into DIY, check out the IKEA Corras- Replace the casters with spikes and you've got a fine performing, attractive 3-4 tier rack."
By DIY, he was referring to the IKEA Lack table, on which there are several threads here at gon.
Thanks for your input. That IKEA stuff looks like it could be a good alternative. I wish I had a local store to see some of it in person. I'm only dealing with two components here so I'm trying to make the most efficient use of space in my den by keeping everything in one rack. Since I haven't got my amp yet, I'm not sure about how much heat I'm dealing with. I think I'm still going to give each component it's own shelf and Vibrapods/etc.. I'm more concerned about vibrations with my CDP than my amp. In my setup, with the modifications that I am suggesting, shouldn't that be enough for the amp? Will it really make that much of a difference sound wise in my modest midfi setup? Should I just opt to put the components on my desk beside my monitor? My desk is more of a table(60"Wx24"D), my monitor is about 22" wide and my speakers will be on stands beside both sides of the desk. Maybe by coupling my desk via spikes, etc. to the floor and stacking my components on there with some Vibrapods will be a better alternative?
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