System Upgrade for Christmas

I have a 42" panasonic plasma on a wall bracket. If you've a good solid wall a wall bracket is the way to go, you're not limited to choice of rackes then. Do you know how your wall is constructed?

Steve GTX posted:

...........  So I one thought was that I would build my own - I am  asking for tips on how/why a rack performs best.    ...............  Almost impossible to re mount the TV but could isolate. 

Not easy to answer Steve, what you are able to do in DIY is the limiting factor.  I had good success with my inert non-resonant design,  but it was only possible because I had use of & the help of the owner of a wood furniture manufacturing facility,  this allowed me to get into tricky laminating & panel damping stuff that the average home workshop could never do.    But inert is one way,  light weight & isolation tuning is another,  what works best is debatatable.  

My initial thoughts for your set up is that it might not be most effective to isolate the TV, are you sure you can't wall mount it ??  But I am tempted to add some isolation to the audio - if you have the space in the existing rack shelving.   Vibrapod isolators under toughen glass shelves come to mind,  but 15mm for the Vibrapod & 8mm for the glass needs to be considered in the available rack space.  That said the gains in SQ for solid state equipment such as your 272 will be less than with CD players & their laser mechanisms.   My guess is if you can add a Vibrapod & glass support to concentrate on your 272 & see how that works out,  then the rest with XPS & 250 is probably more esthetic than sonic. 

Thanks Yeti42, not possible - believe me when I say, I would if I could.

Thanks Mike

I have access to a joiners workshop  and my skills better than DIY. 

Might it be an option to have the TV on an AV rack, and the stereo on a proper rack somewhere else in the room, more out of view? Of the wider racks, the Hutter is very attractive. You mentioned that Quadraspire has been dismissed - does that include the SVT, which is more substantial, and looks less like a 70s tea trolley?

Hi HH

Only choice at the moment is to have it on the same rack - Your description of the Quadraspire SVT is spot on...... have you been talking to my wife?

FWIW I had a lightweight rack installed that combines the TV, Sky box and hi fi. It may not be perfect in terms of the hi fi, but it's a very good compromise for the family as a whole.

I used bamboo as it's very light, very stiff and (people tell me) relatively inert. It's also very attractive and a bit different from standard oak/beech/cherry/etc. And finally, it's much better for sustainability, as bamboo is a grass and grows much more quickly than hard woods. I haven't done a comparison, so I can't say it sounds better or worse than something else, but if I had my time again, I'd do exactly the same.

Steve GTX posted:

Hi HH

Only choice at the moment is to have it on the same rack - Your description of the Quadraspire SVT is spot on...... have you been talking to my wife?

 

Steve - have a look at an image in my profile - the rack there is a bit of a monster, but works very well

Actually, I was saying that it looked less like a tea trolley - my dad had one with spindly silver legs and Formica shelves - but I rather like it. Especially the bamboo version with the bronze spike upgrade. It does work extremely well.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Actually, I was saying that it looked less like a tea trolley - my dad had one with spindly silver legs and Formica shelves - but I rather like it. Especially the bamboo version with the bronze spike upgrade. It does work extremely well.

 

 

Function over form, eh HH?! Sorry, but this could have sprung straight from the set of Abigail's Party!

Well, 70s fashion is all the rage, so let's hear it for the tea trolley. Though they were more 60s I suppose. 

Anyone tried Hi-Fi Racks Ltd racks?

Oh HH.........I'll take tea please with a little milk but no sugar.

Remember that to get a square leg tight it might not end up square....

?

Sorry, I meant parallel. I tried one of their racks once and to get the legs tight, none of them ended up parallel to the edges of the shelves. Maybe I got a duff one but I quickly sold it. The system sounded a lot better on the Q4 that followed.

Thanks HH,

What rack did you try?

It was the Podium Slimline. 

I would suggest Atacama,  I've seen them in the flesh!!!!!! 

How about some good headphones and a decent headphone amp?

SWIMBO says that I look like a Teddy Bear when I don my headphones!

Something like this? The ugly bit hides dehind the telly or under the rack(s). bdi arena I think but costs about the same as a FFFraim shelf.

Steve GTX posted:

SWIMBO says that I look like a Teddy Bear when I don my headphones!

Is that a problem...... I thought teddy bears were supposed to be cute....

What style of furniture do you like? Most AV and HiFi furniture looks pretty modern, at least those available here in Germany. I am thinking about Finite Elementes Tragwerk or Tabula Rasa. For AV, the old Levelplus from FE would be my suggestion, but it is hard to get. Do you remember the racks Knipester built for himself? He posted about their design a few months ago.

Steve GTX posted:

SWIMBO says that I look like a Teddy Bear when I don my headphones!

Good! Women love cuddling teddy bears 

Steve GTX posted:

Anyone tried Hi-Fi Racks Ltd racks?

Oh HH.........I'll take tea please with a little milk but no sugar.

 

Steve, I use Hi-Fi Racks Ltd Podium Reference racks. They look great and have a very high WAF.

Hi-Fi Racks Ltd also make AV racks and they can be made to custom sizes, which was the only way I could get a decent hi-fi rack in the available space.

HH is right about not being able to get the legs square to the shelves, however I'm fortunate that this only occured on a few of the legs so I just make sure these legs are at the back.