VTI audio rack, any good?

I just purchased a 4 leg VTI rack and I am very happy with it.

But I did not think the little "dent" in the top of the leg, where the spike of the rack above "locks into", was deep enough - one good nudge might dislodge it, sending the whole system crashing to the floor. I also did not like a "Steel to steel" interface between racks

• So I simply added installed 1" diameter plated copper Spike protector disks
• held in place with double sided tape.

I previously had a 3 leg metal rack by Lovan, which performed extremely well over the years, but I had to tweak that somewhat, but in different ways

I definitely prefer the VTI 4-leg rack because it has better shelf support

Comparing the two racks.

• The VTI is a little larger than the Lovan, which i like
• both use steel construction, but the VTI comes with small foam pads for the shelf to rest on to reduce vibration - it works!
• The shelf on the Lovan is thinner than the shelf of the VTI and the VTI shelf was veneered, where the Lovan was only painted
• Lovan has three legs, which is good for leveling, but My Brston amp has the power IEC located dead center and when using a good power cable I had to locate the amp to one side because the leg at the back was in the center - hence the reason for purchasing the VTI 4 leg stand
• I had to make thicker shelves for the Lovan rack to support my amp and heavy turntable, but the VTI shelves were more than adequate thickness and the support of a 4 leg stand is better
• the legs of both racks can be filled with sand/shot, but I did not use this feature in either rack
• 3 legs vs. 4 legs is generally viewed as an advantage from a leveling perspective, but the VTI was easy to adjust, so not an issue 
• The Lovan was around $550 CDN (several years ago) and the VTI was $1000CDN for a rack of the same height and number of shelves

I prefer the look of the VTI - it is a little more elegant, with the wood veneer shelves and the access to the rear of the components to change cables is easier.

Unfortunately, if you live outside the US, getting the VTI can prove to be a bit of a challenge, but this may improve in future.

There are more "elegant" racks out there for a lot more $$$, but the VTI does what it is designed to - and look/sound pretty good while doing it

My VTI Tweaks

• between the shelf and the component is a granite tile with drawer liner between them - on each shelf
• added plated copper spike protectors between each individual rack to reduce vibration/rattles
• added Carpet protectors in place of spikes for the base of the rack

Hope you find the info useful - Steve

SolidSteel will be the direction I go when the time comes. I’ve only heard good things. 

I am the OP and I switched to Solid Steel audio racks 2 years ago.  Very satisfied.

Has anyone tried the Monoprice Monolith XL racks?  They are less expensive but appear to be fairly stout with 1" thick shelves and a 350 pound weight capacity.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=39165&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn5Cy8Ib07wIVaiitBh1qpwDYEAQYAyABE...

Have the BL (wood) series.  It's a very good cost effective stand.  Stabilized the sound, giving greater clarity and dimensional.  Five Iso-clean TT-007 discs under the rack improved sound a little bit as well.  HRS footers between shelves and equipment match well.  I would stay away from glass.  IME, thin glass introduces glare 

Anything with glass will kill your sound look at Symposium Foundation rack.This rack will give you much better sound and it looks great as well.Good luck enjoy!!

Just assembled my VTi pro series racks, two of em. Love em!

VTi A/V Racks: The BL-Series 300/400 series are great sounding/ isolation racks. In fact, any design that uses a similar stacked/de-coupled design is highly desirable. VTi appears reasonably priced.Such equipment racks of similar/identical design include the 3-post Lovan (discontinued) I've been using for +15 years. A great 'sounding' stand.What's really exciting/upgadeable about VTi 300/400 series is its rectangular shelving; enabling user/audiophile to use/cut additional shelve material (in place of stock mdf) to improve performance further; acrylic/plexiglass, plywood, exotic wood, stone, composites -or whatever may be thought of or recommended.
You need not consider a more elaborate or expensive rack system -it simply isn't necessary beyond what these modular/stacked/ Isolated designs provide.
pj 

I have this rack and I would rate it good. The paint scratches on a 500K Lambo too...Be careful. If you own McIntosh gear or other similar tank sized equipment, this will probably hold them all in terms of weight and dimensions. I don't see how filling the legs with sand will make any difference after placing 110 pound amp on it... but I admit I haven't tried that. 

Jazzman, if you read through the comments in this forum you'll see a pretty clear picture of what people think.

Hey, I am considering purchasing the VTI speaker stands. Does anyone have an opinion regarding their quality?
Thanks, Maurice.

I bought a Salamander Synergy S40 s shelf audio rack with a 7th shelf that pulls out for my laptop. I also added the perforated metal sides and the rack looks stunning in my living room. It is extremely well made and very sturdy. The shelf spacing is fully adjustable for every shelf.

I have a VTI rack that my wife uses for her tv and sound system. Regardless of the cost, I'd definitely rate the one we own as low-end of the high-end. A more than nice rack for the non-audiophile, with very strong (speaking from personal experience) WAF. An OK product for a midline high-end audio devotee.

For the money they're a good deal, easy to level and clean looking. I had 75# amps on them and the shelves never warped. They're strong and sturdy but do need to be filled for best results, if you flick a crossbar with your finger nail you'll hear them ring if they're unfilled.

You just unscrew the top of each leg, pour in sand or shot, and screw the top back on. Simple as that.

In my 6/10/10 post, I should have mentioned that the custom made spikes cost more than the rack. I recently added Sorbothane pads under the feet of the turntable and disc player -- maybe just more mysticism. As with the spikes, the cost of those eight pads doesn't fit the cost-effective nature of VTI stands.

db

The legs have a hole where the spikes are screwed in. This is how you fill them.

How did you fill the legs with sand?

I have a couple of four-shelf VTI racks and a two-shelf rack filled with sand and with rather expensive custom made spikes separating each layer of shelves. The racks have served well and represent good value. The spikes can be unscrewed and used on another rack should I decide to change; I have the VTI spikes somewhere.

db

For the price of VTI rack, I think they are more than decent. They are both functional and great looking in black. They are also very deep (19") and high (9") enough to fit my 110 lb tube amp. If you are looking for the best in class in quality and performance, look somewhere. As mentioned, the tubing paint are easily scratched, and the MDF shelves are not very thick.

I sand filled the tubing and legs. To further reduce vibration from the rack, I use Herbie's iso-cups and tenderfeet under my components. I think I achieve the maximum performance at a relatively low cost.

I've got a modular 4-shelf VTI rack that is perfectly decent. Sure when I dragged my 88 pound amp the paint scratched, but that's not the fault of the rack. The spike points will also scratch the pole tops if you're not careful.

I bought one of the Cambre Entre 4 shelf racks for $89.00.Well,all I can say is,you get what you pay for!!This rack is not very sturdy and cheaply made.I guess for $89.00 it's okay but I sure feel sorry for the folks that had to pay $350.00 for one.I gave it to my daughter,she thinks it makes a nice make-up stand!!I would look at something else for audio equipment.

I like mine and for the money they are great. They look great and I had no problems at all.

Look at the Cambre racks on the Gon. 5 shelves for $89! Or 2 3-shelf racks side by side, $99 each. Not too shabby WAF. I had one of their amp stands, very sturdy, well built, and nice looking.

Bob

about a year ago I had the same situation you are in. I had a Solid Steel 5.4 and needed more space. I got a VTI.

It is hard to comment about sound differences, but the design and construction are clearly a compromise. The shelves are very thin, and as someone said before, easy to scratch. I am pretty surprised it holds the weight it does without breaking.

on the plus side, the legs and tubing can be filled with sand, granted, not a lot of it, but enough to help.

Problem is I need a 6 shelf rack, so a 3 shelf target won't do

Bob

I would actually try to find an older 3 shelf Target rack..They are built to last a lifetime and work very well.....

You get what you pay for when it comes to VTI. They look decent, but they aren't built for durability. The paint is super easy to scratch. Hopefully you won't go through the horror story I went through. One of the metal pieces was bent during shipping. So they sent a new piece, but it was also bent (or just didn't fit). They ended up sending a whole new unit that turned out to be in tact. With all the shipping, it took a month to get a rack that worked. After that experience I swore I'd never buy anything else from them.