How important is the rack you use for your components


I’ve been browsing thru people’s systems on audiogon and have seen all different kinds of racks, shelves, bookcases , stands etc. For people’s equipment. My question is how important is the rack to the sound of the system. Has anyone gone from a basic rack to a premium and/or home constructed rack and noticed a marked improvement? And when I say marked, I mean marked. Looking for input
polkalover
Polkalover

Coming to an audiophile forum and asking if changing something will affect the sound is like visiting a New Age Therapy Fair and asking people “do you think this crystal bracelet will help my arthritis?”  The answer you’ll get is “Of course it will!”

;-)

Given the methods most audiophiles use to decide these things, I’m just cautioning that some skepticism may be in order here.

(And I’m going through some of the same questions in getting my own rack ready for my new turntable.  It can be very hard to weed through the veridical claims vs the nonsense claims about what will actually result in audible differences).


prof,

It is science, not sorcery, despite what you may think, and if you used a good rack, you would hear the difference as well; assuming that your ears are in good working order. 

Roxy

If you were doing science you would be controlling the variables, including the variable of bias, when testing for the audible effects of a rack on a piece of gear.

Have you been doing that?

(The mantra “Trust your ears” is really no different than the New Age Guru saying “trust your feelings”)

I’m not declaring that an audio rack can’t have a beneficial audible effect on certain types of components (turntables being more plausible).  But I’m saying the methods often used in the audiophile community are so loose and rife with bias that we get to a place where  it’s thought “everything makes an audible difference.”
I'm using a Salamander Synergy Triple Unit SL20 A/V cabinet. It's essential in terms of housing my audio and video gear, but in no way do I believe it contributes positively or negatively to the sound or picture quality.

prof,

What I hear is obviously all that matters to me. I am listening to music, not conducting an experiment in a laboratory for the benefit of others.

When I purchased a rack that was better than the Target rack that I had used for many years, I was able to hear an audible improvement in the music reproduction.

In these forums, we share our auditory experiences for whatever value that may have to other members. It is that simple.