Hi Fi rack with doors anyone?

When I had young children I put a rack inside a cupboard. It was quite a compact rack. The cupboard base shelf was an integral part of the cupboard, so I used a hole saw to make slightly oversized holes for the legs to go through and not be touching the shelf. (It took quite a bit of fiddling to set the spikes because I could only do by lifting up out of the holes.). I also used the hole saw to make the plenty of ventilation holes and cable holes in the back panel. I stuck sound deadening pads to the internal surfaces of the cupboard to prevent panel resonances causing problems, though when playing music loud I ended up leaving the doors open to improve ventilation. Later changed to louvre doors.

I don’t know if that helps, but maybe food for thought...

I'm thinking of ways to adapt what I have. I might be able to tidy it up and add a level as the basic structure I think is the same as current models. Not going to match the wood colours though.

Bruce,have you contacted Quadraspire as I believe they still do custom items might be worth a phone call.

Pcd posted:

Bruce,have you contacted Quadraspire as I believe they still do custom items might be worth a phone call.

I did try them. They make a 'cube' but it has a solid back. None of the proper racks come with a door even as a custom option.

Might be a DIY option with the old doors on a new rack if they are compatible with the columns on current designs

Bruce

Hello Bruce,

A have a Charisma Audio from Schroers & Schroers to which I added a nice glass door.

It lets you see your black boxes, it's "remote friendly" and prevents small hands to touch your equipment.

The shelves are 2cm thick glass, which is good. Each shelve is place on 4 small rubber dots.

With its 7 shelves, the rack weights around 75 Kg.

Check my profile page for some photos.

 

As @INNOCENT BYSTANDER says, better to have a rack uncompromised by moving hinged doors (which pick up more vibrations) and instead keep a rack simple but put it behind something else that has doors if possible.

If forced to put the hifi in something with doors, I'd go as far as saying that I'd give up the notion of a compromised rack and just hunt for the nicest non hifi cabinet I could find instead. A rack with doors just compromises both the rack and the furniture so I'd rather go all in with one or the other.

I had a similar need when we moved to our current home. My solution was to install my existing pair of Sound Factory Tripod racks and have a custom cabinet built in situ around them. The cabinet doesn’t touch the racks at any point, and the top and side panels are removable, for access.

The two photos are from 10 years ago (the fig tree is now about three times the size, and is big enough to support my indoor antenna), but the fundamental setup is unchanged. Some minor refinements include adding Dedshete to the inside of the right side panel and the underside of the top, to absorb and dampen vibration, and replacing the 80s style floor screws with upside down Fraimchips.

If you look closely you can see sheets of glass on most of the shelves. These are 10mm toughened glass on tiny ceramic “ball nutters” (vertical space is very restricted), with the existing fibreboard shelves separated from the frame members by more ceramic balls, which sit snugly in existing pre-drilled holes. This has been one of the most cost-effective upgrades I’ve ever made.

I occasionally hanker after a Fraim. I’ve never heard one, or even seen one in the flesh, so I know it only by reputation. Aside from the expense, getting one would mean demolishing the cabinet and taking up an appreciably bigger chunk of the floor, which would be problematic, as I’m already constrained by an open stairwell, which is just out of the shot on the right.

Aside from all that, this has been a good solution, and I’d recommend it, although the custom cabinetry (solid walnut) isn’t cheap. If I was doing it again the only change I’d make is to add a few inches of clearance at the back. I had it built long before I knew the value of cable dressing, and getting at the back of the lower boxes is challenging. The only way for me to get anything close to optimal cable dressing is to rebuild the stacks from scratch, and carefully dress the cables as each stack rises. I’ve done this a couple of times, and it takes at least six hours, and is exhausting.

Thanks for suggestions everyone. I am working out ways to refresh my existing system I think. This may involve a paintbrush and adding some new levels.

The Quadraspire doors are cleverly mounted on a sleeve around the columns and I doubt effect the isolating effects. It is all rather neat. I will post a pic later 

Bruce

Salamader Designs Ltd makes them.  Good quality.  I use their TV cart for my AV2 etc.

Nick

Hi Bruce,

the Lowboard from Tabula Rasa is available with doors for the lower level ( there are only two of them). Even if you like its appearance, which I do, shipping might be prohibitively expensive though.