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  3. 190076-12990

Racks, equipment and footers

I would like to get a new rack and isolation footers for the rack and/or equipment. The high-end stuff like HRS, might be best, but it's out of my budget. There are so many choices, especially of footers. I'm thinking of going with a nice enough wood rack for aesthetic reasons and footers under each of the components to maximize performance. The system is upstairs with a wooden floor.  No turntable. Questions:

  • should I put footers under the rack and/or just the components?
  •  What about spikes - to drain rather than springs, so I avoid springs interacting with springs
  • if I'm going to put footers under each component, does the material,  construction, weight, etc. of the rack still matter much?
  •  It would be cheaper to just put footers under the rack and leave the components with the rubber feet -  is this less effective?
  • Should I put the same footers under all the components, or is it mix-and-match?

Any thoughts welcome along with specific recommendations on footers.

paullb
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
498 posts
 

For many years a homemade butcher block and 5/8" brass threaded rods on Herbies did the trick for me. No footers. Now Symposium with Rollerballs or the like,(there are others with similar function), serves me a bit better. Come to think about it the TT has zero footfall problems and it alone sits on AV Room Service largepads with one of the Symposium racks. Pretty big upgrade. Very stable.

Essentially spiked with footers, absolutely no complaints. Peter at Symposium is a straight shooter and when assembling one feels the quality and stability. 

There is a thread on Whats Best Forum that is very informative as to racks, theories and the like. 

Good luck, how you support your equipment is another important factor in SQ.

j-wall's avatar
j-wall
369 posts
 

@ditusa thanks for linking that Mike that was very educational!

mitch2
4,007 posts
 

I don’t disagree with the posted article but keep in mind Norm Varney has a company that sells decoupling type footers (AV RoomService Ltd.). Their footers are made from Owens Corning type acoustical boards (703/705 Acousticmac or sandwiched between metal plates and then felt or Selectsound Black Acoustic Board). These are moderately priced compared to some of the other footer products sold to audio enthusiasts but still offer good opportunities for DIY since the Owens Corning products are sold to consumers.

You don’t mention what type of floor your rack will be supported on - concrete, or suspended wood, or something else. That could make a difference. In general, I like decoupling after years of using spikes. Herbies makes a wide range of products that would work well for both the rack and components. I also like damped springs (i.e. Townshend), and especially under speakers. At a lower price point, there are platinum silicone footers available on Amazon (Hudson HiFi) that can be sized by the weight of what they support. I like Sound Anchors stands/racks based on stability but there are many other well-made racks available. Good luck.

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,887 posts
 

@j-wall,

You're welcome!

Mike

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