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Is rack between speakers always less than ideal?

I am planning a dedicated stereo system around a pair of standmounts but not sure what to do about gear placement. I can either have a tall rack off to the side or a low wide rack in the center. I am leaning toward center rack to avoid long interconnects.

The center rack would be 6 inches behind the plane of the rear of the speaker and would be about 75% of the speaker stand height. Width is approximately from the inside of one speaker to the inside of the other.

I understand that TV's and large objects directly in between the speakers can affect soundstage but what about something not technically between the speakers but slightly behind and below? Would something like this be sonically invisible, or would having "nothing" there be even better?
solman989
hotmailjbc
571 posts
 
one other thought? go thru all the pictures of audiogoners systems and i would guess that 90 percent of the state of the art systems do not have a tv or rack between the speakers.. but ? what do they know? had to double dip couldn,t resist. thanks john
schipo
1,268 posts
 
if the rack is an open air design I see no problem. I would avoid heavy solid wood furniture and glass.
solman989 OP
44 posts
 
Unfortunately I do not have the rack yet and buying one of each kind just to try out would be too expensive. Maybe a row of floor/amp stands are the answer.
sympaticonorm
103 posts
 
I place a 5 shelf rack between my speakers. It is almost in line with the back of my speakers but not quite. The sound changed significantly for the worst;I was shocked at the difference it made. I am now looking for a 1 shelf stand that is wide enough to place 3 to 4 components. Just my two cents worth.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
There's a lot of factors that go into this and no one can really say what'll work best in your room with your gear and ears. I'll say what seems like a good rule of thumb...

Use an amp stand for your amp in between the speakers so that the speaker cables ate as short as possible. Put the rest of the gear on a rack away from the speakers, and run balanced cables from the preamp to the power amp. A lot of manufacturers recommend longer balanced cables over longer speaker cables.

Here's something I just thought of now, may be stupid and worthless, maybe not - keep the rack out of the line from your speakers to the first reflection point.

If you want to have your rack between your speakers, maybe cover it with a heavy wool blanket? I've seen people do this with TVs. I'd imagine that wouldn't do you any favors with heat dissipation and remote control use.

Maybe the best net would be all your gear on amp stands. If you have a CD player and/or a turntable, it may be inconvenient.

I'm rambling a bit now. I'm theorizing because I have no choice but to have my TV and rack between my speakers.
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