Equipment Rack Between Speakers...Good or Bad

In the search for SQ improvement from the room, I tried removing the rack and put the components on the floor (separated by the same wood and isolation devices used with the rack) and things improved, big enough I never even tried a reverse trial and moved the rack out of the room same day.  By things I mean less high level glare (my room/system's weak spot to my eras) and better soundstage.  The rack was about halfway between speakers and front wall.  My room is not ideal, 11.5 x 20.5, a bit of a tunnel, so YMMV.  This was before I added absorption at primary reflection points, so if I get bored one day maybe I'll pull the rack back in the room?  Next I will experiment with mix of diffusers and absorption on the front wall, which has a heavily curtained window.  The windows also have blinds, and sometimes I can convince myself I like the sound more when the curtains are open and blinds are reflecting, sometimes not. 

Full disclosure, the rack was a cheap Ikea table, veneer over foam, so hard to say if I improved reflections or isolation/vibration or both.

Dear @mikelavigne  : "   which could not be done with gear between the speakers. " and maybe for those two racks it's need more space between speakers.

Btw, for your system pictures looks as your seat position been at near field but maybe it's not. I love to listen at near field position that I don'tdo  it as often I like it in my system and only when I'm testing or fine tunning something critical.
At what distance from the inside towers are you seated?

Outstanding room/system, good.!!!

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

mikelavigne, how did you find not one Studer but three.....? Oh so lucky.

Glenn, i was very early to the tape revival. i bought the first (1/4") of the A-820's from a Studio in Austin, Texas in 2007 before anyone else was out looking. the second one (1/2") i bought from a studio in L.A. in 2011 still early before things got moving. the last one (both 1/4" and 1/2" heads) i bought last year from a local friend and paid dearly for it. 

love my Studers.

Btw, for your system pictures looks as your seat position been at near field but maybe it's not. I love to listen at near field position that I don'tdo it as often I like it in my system and only when I'm testing or fine tunning something critical.
At what distance from the inside towers are you seated?

Dear Raul, good to see you my friend.

my speaker towers are 84" tall and massive. and unless there is someone standing next to them in the picture to give them scale, they make my room look small and the distances shorter than they are. my room is 29' x 21' x 11'.

my tweeters are 115" apart.

my ears are 105" from each tweeter. so i sit in the nearfield. but as there is 9' 6" from my tweeters to the wall behind them, the way the room works it's not so near field in actual experience. that is lot's of space behind and around the speakers.

and i can tell you for years i could not sit that close. i did a huge amount of room tuning to bring it under control. and as i got closer and closer to getting it right i moved my seating position closer and closer. it is now super immersive and holographic. the bass is to die for. 

near field is the way to go if you can get a room to be optimal. otherwise the glare from distortion will drive you back. 

mikelavigne

I'm passing Cleveland, be there Friday 11AM!!!!!!

Oh my, I'm in NJ, but now have more reason to visit my nephew who lives near you. Perhaps some day, thanks for the welcoming invite.

Those tape machines are gorgeous. What do you do with them?

I have 2 of Teac's last Pro-sumer model x2000r, primarily to listen to factory pre-recorded tapes. Same as x1000r except Cobalt heads, and, the meters indicators pivot from the top rather than the bottom. Tape is my best/favorite sounding source material. The Mercuries, recorded 30 IPS, are amazing. I just bought new belts for my Viking 75 which has dedicated heads for either staggered or stacked 2 tracks. I may get it going for the few 2 tracks I am keeping, selling the rest on eBay.

I used to record R2R from live radio broadcasts, back when choices were far more limited than now, and live video is so easily obtained.