Ferrous supports and mains powered kit

Posted by: Martin Payne on 15 January 2001

Several of the good-sounding systems I've heard recently have been on non-ferrous supports, so I'm planning to try some experiments in this direction myself. I am thinking of putting shelving in a cupboard off the lounge.

Has anyone tried mixing ferrous & non-ferrous supports? Specifically, do non-mains powered boxes such as 52 & CDS-II benefit as much as power supplies & power amps?

I am thinking of all-MDF shelving for power amps, etc, but leaving the CDS-II & 52 on reasonable steel racks.

Also, has anyone compared the MDF available from different DIY stores in the UK - which sounds best?

cheers, Martin

P.S. there is a small steel radiator on the other side of the wall of the cupboard - is it likely to invalidate the non-ferrous test?

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Martin M
Anyone tried aluminium supports or tried a de-gausser on their steel stands? Now there's a tweak!
Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Tony L
quote:
P.S. there is a small steel radiator on the other side of the wall of the cupboard - is it likely to invalidate the non-ferrous test?

Probably. Expect Dave Cattlin to run in to your house proudly stating he has removed said radiator (and all metal piping) and raving about the improvement.

I have witnessed the legendary music vs music with big metal saucepan in the room dem at Dave's, and in a true non-ferrous environment the effect is pretty obvious and beneficial. Regrettably I still remain unconvinced by the non-ferrous stands I have heard.

Tony.

Waiting for non-ferrous Mana.

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Mick P
Martin

This talk of ferretic interference is utter twaddle.

I have a mid grade system CDX/82/supercap/250/SBL
which is housed in a large wooden cabinet. There is no metal at all anywhere near it. I chose the cabinet because of its appearance.

I have played the system with a bloody great Lecruset frying pan plonked on top of each of the black boxes and it made absolutely no difference to the sound. This frying pan is manufactured from cast iron and is dammed heavy. There is more ferretic substance in that pan than what there is in half a mile of angle iron.

My wife witnessed this experiment with detached amusement and confirmed the same conclusion as mine.

Do not worry about the ferrous argument...its balderdash and bunkum.

Regards

Mick....whose wife cooks with Lecruset

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Martin M
I must admit I'd buy the hutters because I like the way they look not because they may or may not sound a bit better. However, overall I can't ne bothered as I'd get more enjoyment out of £1000 of more music than a nice table for the kit.
Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Arye_Gur
Martin,

Once upon a time I had my cd on a Target metal frame that was connected to the wall.
This frame had a mdf shelf 1/2 c"m thick that was sited on spikes connected to the frame.
I replaced the mdf shelf with one 2 c"m thick and the improvement in sound surprised me.

Very cheap to test it.

Arie

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Martin Payne
Mick,

even though my system is already on steel racks I reckon that placing my steel-bodied Nakamichi tape deck near the 52 subtly degrades the performance. Note that it's not plugged into either the mains or the 52, so it's presumably a proximity effect of the extra metal.

Perhaps I'm deluding myself - I will obviously need to try the experiment again.

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Martin Payne
Martin,

how many layers of Hutter do you get for £1,000? How much would 14 layers cost me?

I'm thinking of starting off cheaply - building some spiked racking directly onto the walls of the cupboard I mentioned.

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by BrianD
quote:
Also, has anyone compared the MDF available from different DIY stores in the UK - which sounds best?

Martin

I've built 3 homebrew supports in the last 2 years, all from wood. The first was 18mm MDF bought from the local builders merchant where it was cut to size. I finished this in American Walnut wood veneer bought from a place not too far from you. The veneer was required because it had to go in the lounge and my wife didn't want bare MDF. wink This one made my system sound the same as the Soundstyle rack it replaced. The veneer was difficult and eventually I decided it was a pretty crappy job so I scrapped it. I then made one to a different design, a sort of prototype, from finished chipboard to test the plan. The system sounded quite dull and rounded on this but I didn't care, I'd found a local merchant selling finished plywood and built the finished product from this stuff. This is quite good and I think is better than MDF. The system sounds better than before and the finish isn't bad. It's a kind of light oak finish. I'll probably get more plywood and build it again because I think I'll do a better job next time.

BTW What are you doing posting in the day? Your posts are usually around 2-3am! big grin

Brian

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by Dev B
Have you tried Projekt? it's quite a bit cheaper than Hutter and for me is the unsung hero of the rack world. Email me if you want more info.

Happy New Year

Dev

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by BrianD
Dev

I'm glad someone else likes Projekt. I'm always checking for any being sold off on Loot. As much as I like my latest effort it is far from perfect, I'm not a carpenter. The Projekt racks are excellent, and are by far the most able to blend into our living room. If I find a Projekt at a decent price soon, I won't bother trying to build another one myself.

Brian

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by ken c
my power amp, and supercap and casette deck are on my projekt. i also have the QS for the other bits, and in terms of visual appeal, the projekt is much much better (mine is cherry), and blends in very nicely with everything else in the room. i am a bit surprised projekt dont have spikes, but maybe they do???

enjoy...

ken

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by John C
Unfortunately, I recently tried to buy projekt stands as I also liked them. I was told they have ceased trading (along with Target). I appear to be Mr Bad timing as I also bought the last pair of Royd Doublets before the launch of entire new range and a Cd3.5 (this was through financial expediency however).

John
Always the bridemaid never the bride frown

Posted on: 15 January 2001 by ken c
john c: i didnt know that projekt were no longer trading. if thats the case, great pity.

are you the guy who bought a whole lot of hot hutters?

enjoy...

ken