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Shelf Material

I have tried so many different shelf materials, and some are better than others, but I feel like I am just spraying bullets that always miss the bulls-eye. So far, I cannot live with the brightness of glass, the ringing of marble or granite, the sluggishness of acrylic, the muddiness of mdf etc. Light and rigid seems better than heavy and dense - in that I can live with the downsides more easily. I use heavily constructed welded steel racks - spiked to the floor and upward spikes supporting the shelves - and I reckon this is right. I like the way bladder products get rid of the resonances that plague shelves, but find that the way they slow down the pace of the music is hard to accept. Does anyone have some answers on this?
redkiwi
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,820 posts
 
Interesting post Onhwy61. I have never thought of hanging/suspending components other than speakers (which I have done in the past with good results. I am in a postition to try this on my CD source and amplifier(s) that are in an enclosed piece of furniture with a cap or top that would support the cables. I would have to make holes in the top shelf to allow the support cables to run through to the bottom shelf, but other than proper alignment I do not see this as a problem. I am in the process of making templates for the top shelf (which with this feature would require two shelves - top and bottem) and may include this feature in the design. Guess that I would still use Vibrapods between the shelf and the gear. Has anyone "hung" their equipment, and is this a sound idea?
90493m
40 posts
 
check out www.machinadynamica.com it may help!
redkiwi OP
1,092 posts
 
I will look for some Maple butchers block Albert but I doubt I can get it here. I have seen such blocks made out of NZ native timbers, mainly in Rimu - how hard/soft is Maple? I have always heard good things about the Vibraplane, and the item at machinadynamica.com sounds like a similarly impressive product. Not only are they expensive, but the freight to NZ will add even more, and hence I need to take a biggish risk going down that path - but maybe a risk I will have to take. Suspending with string is novel (at least to me). That is something I can try very quickly and will have a go at it soon. I have also located some off-cuts of Corian, so will try those in the next week as well. Strangely I have never liked Vibrapods in any application, and similarly do not like the Sorbothane or Sorbogel stuff. A friend of mine says I am on the wrong track and insists that I have to damp the components directly first, and he may have a point. Are there any decent damping sheets available? I notice that the Sonic Frontiers stuff has damping pads inside, and I have found their gear to be relatively immune to the effects of cones, shelves etc.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,820 posts
 
Redkiwi: If you try hanging or suspending a component, please post your results. I just realized that in my setup I would have to include small line tighteners in order to level the platforms. Can't think of a better way.
sound_decisions
20 posts
 
I tried hanging equipment back in 95 with very good results.I even hung the cables.Wild looking to say the lest.But remember the celing moves more than the floor.I am working on a full multi-suspension system for CES,with the rack of stainless steel and the shelves of Corrian.Very George Jetsonish
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