Racks - what’s awesome without impacting my kids college plans?


My search showed the last significant rack discussion to be years ago.   I’m thinking 5 shelf, TT on top, upright style, without costing more then I spent on an amp...  I’m good with adding sand, even fabricating a granite shelf or two. Any suggestions?
dishman442
I am not sure where you are from but Quadraspire, a UK manufacturer, make great value stands which sound terrific.  

I'd also adding recommend buying a low price rack and spending some cash on some Townshend rack isolation corner feet.  They are amazing and make the simplest of racks sound fantastic. 
I have an older model Solid Steel rack. Each shelve is on spikes and the stand is also spiked.
In addition, I have 4 Stillpoints Ultra SS under each component.

ozzy

I have the old Solid Steel’s myself, ozzy, Model 48. All they are is nicely made, somewhat lightweight (in comparison with the bulkier Sound Anchor) tubular metal frames (sand fillable) with MDF shelves, each shelf supported on three aluminum "isolation" cones. I put isolation in quotes because cones and spikes, though touted as providing isolation (decoupling), actually don’t; they couple. Put a piece on cones and move the shelf under it---the piece moves with the shelf. The tighter the coupling, the less the isolation.

So you still need something between each component and the shelf it sits on. I have Townshend Audio Seismic Platforms (the original, air bladder version), and either the newer Townshend Seismic (spring) Pods (for my turntables), or Symposium Acoustics and Ingress Engineering roller bearings (for electronics). The combination of the roller bearings for lateral isolation and the air bearing for vertical provide pretty effective, relatively cheap isolation from floor-borne vibrations. Active isolation or the Minus K platforms are far better, but at over two grand a shelf, only for those with plentiful hi-fi funds.

I have a turntable atop a 5 ft tall rack that sits on a carpeted suspended wood floor.  I do not have problems with footfall or feedback.  In order to make the tall rack stable and more rigid, I put a cleat on the wall and then used angle brackets to secure the top portion of the rack to the wall.  There is no shaking with this setup.  The rack is no longer made; it is a custom sized Zoethecus rack.
bdp24,

My Solid Steel rack is a little different than yours. Mine has 4 threaded spikes that screw into the rack frame. Then the components shelving is placed on the spikes.

ozzy