![]() Having been down the DIY route with previous racks I decided to do so again.įriday 24 February saw me visiting the yearly hi-fi trade show in Bristol (an event I don’t frequent). Anywhere from £700-1700, the price of a new component or a huge pile of records. With all this in mind, I began looking at my options but it soon became clear that if I wanted a rack to meet all of my requirements, I was going to have to shell out for it. I wanted to avoid a high mass design as the rack is placed on a suspended floor, and the components themselves add more than enough mass to the overall structure. My preference to avoid glass has more to do with the chore of daily cleaning than anything else glass is a magnet for dirt. I personally believe that any strong, sturdy hi-fi rack will be ‘good enough’. ![]() Some believe that the materials used can have an impact on the performance of a system and thus there are racks made of glass, soft and hard woods, composite materials and even stone, both real and artificial. Some say that rigidity is important, while some will de-couple each shelf for maximum isolation. Some believe that high mass designs are preferred, while some are firmly in the opposite camp. There are also many philosophies governing hi-fi rack design. Never underestimate the weight of your system, and treat safety as a primary consideration. A collapsing rack will destroy a system in a matter of seconds, and could cause serious injury to anyone standing near by. Pushing a rack to its limits is a bad idea. A good rack should be strong enough to support more than the weight of your system. Secondly, the rack should isolate the components from one another as well as from airborne vibrations and vibrations transferred through the floor. This is particularly true for large amplifiers, especially if you frequently push them hard as I do. Stuffing your components into an enclosed cabinet will trap the heat, possibly resulting in premature component failure. Good airflow between components is a must. ![]() It also needed to look nice, ideally matching the Ikea Kallax vinyl shelving.Ī good rack should achieve a few things. I wanted something with 6 shelves, neat cable management and the ability to easily add another shelf if required. ![]() The rack should be rigid and strong with the ability to hold deep components. I was recently in a position where I needed to replace my existing rack. Higher end racks can set you back anywhere from £300-£700, while a bespoke rack can run into the thousands. This Norstone Bergen rack is a great option, though the three-legged design can interfere with the connections on deep components. Cheap racks such as this or This offer a good basic support, though they won’t safely support a significant amount of weight, nor will they support large components. Plenty of dedicated furniture exists to house systems of all shapes and sizes, though they vary widely in price, features, style and quality. Even with a small system comprised of one or two units, correct storage of your hi-fi is a must to get the best from your equipment and even to prolong its life. This entry was posted in Tutorials and tagged hi-fi Hi-Fi Rack Ikea Tutorials on Maby AshleyĪs your hi-fi system grows, proper storage of your components becomes increasingly important. ![]()
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