Yet another rack order question

Posted by: Rotifer217 on 25 October 2017

I know this issues been thrashed, but I'm trying to clarify things for my system.  Rack is double width (1200 mm) and  has 4 shelves.

I plan to put brains on the left and brawn on the right.

Order of brains from top to bottom: Turntable; NAC202; Phonostage; CD player.  Not sure about the order of the NAC, phonostage, CD player?

Order of the brawn from top to bottom: Turntable PSU; NAPSC; IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius Power Conditioner; NAP200DR.  Not sure about this order either?  Also, should IsoTek be in brawn side?

Any suggestions would be great.

Posted on: 25 October 2017 by Darke Bear

I'd swap NAC202 and Phonostage to keep it farther from CD Player.

Unless CD is your main source, in which the order you have may work better.

Generally sources work best at the top of the rack - so if the TT can be hived-off to its own wall shelf and CD player on top then you will probably get better results. Just do a test rig-up to confirm - CD Player may sound a little dead on lower shelf.

In any case you should get good results with the two racks.

DB.

Posted on: 25 October 2017 by rjstaines

There are times when the 'brains / brawn' rule of thumb has to be compromised and this looks like one of them, especially as this is not a two-rack setup (just a wide-rack one).  Go for TT on top of brains (left) and CD on top of brawn (right).

So left half would be:  TT, NAC202, phono, ISOTEC Aquarius, and right half would be:  CD, TT PSU, NAPSC, NAP200.

As I say, it's a compromise.  Longer term, as DB says above, move the TT onto a wall shelf if you can,  then I'd lift the NAC02 & phono up one shelf leaving a space between phono and Isotec. 

And longer, longer term, swap the wide shelf for two separate ones (Fraim.lite?) and possiby ditch the ISOTEC, unless you have some drastic mains problems that this sorts out.

Others, of course will have differing views about what goes where, but you're lucky in that you don't have too much kit to move around trying different configurations.