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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
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Solman989,
I use a low height and open rack along with amp stands. These sit about 2 feet behind my speakers without any ill effects.The speakers very often just disappear with wall to wall soundstage(depends on the recording) and very fleshed out stable images.
Best of luck.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,495 posts
 
yup...in my experience anything between the speakers is bad. In truth, my amp is between my speakers, however, it is close to the floor...not in a rack, and probably doesn't do much harm. It allows me to use short cables to the speakers...something I have found to be a positive.
inna
7,723 posts
 
Yeah, generally, the lower the better though, I think, the equipment might vibrate more because of low frequencies. So I wouldn't put a turntable on an amp stand.
daverz
487 posts
 
I'd worry more about what's at the first reflection points on the wall behind the speakers (front wall). I can't see much energy being reflected toward the listener from a rack between widely spaced speakers. The first reflection points are going to dominate and should be treated first.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
I have tried moving my equipment to the side several times. I find the loss due to the longer ICs (balanced and single) makes that setup no good for me. So I always end up with my stuff between my speakers. I suppose it is a trade-off one way or the other.

Lower is definitely another option and one that I hope to explore soon. I'm planning on taking at least a foot out of the height of my stands and maybe spreading things out. Much like Stringgreen's amp, but with all of the rest of the sources close by. Short ICs and short speaker cables seem to work best for me and I realize not every one shares my preferences. Still, it is another option to try and get the best of both concepts.
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