Is rack between speakers always less than ideal?

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.

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.

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.

There are many who will argue that a rack or TV or both between speakers is bad, and they are probably right. However, for many of us it is impossible not to do it that way. I have my rack and a large television between my speakers, and I do have a very large soundstage. My particular situation is helped greatly by the fact that my speakers are horns, which help direct the sound where I want it to go. My point here, though, is not to argue for horns, but to say that it is possible to make such a set up you describe work very well, even if it is not completely ideal. All anyone can do is the best they can with what they have to work with, and there are many ways to do it.

Thanks for the responses everyone. Forgot to mention I am planning on going with a single ended integrated which means no active pre and no balanced connections. If rack is off to the side, I will have to run cables to each source. Luckily I only have two, but still. I may just end up doing amp stands in the middle and only have the analog setup to the side.