Equipment Rack Between Speakers...Good or Bad


This question came up in another current thread and I thought it would be more appropriate to start a new thread to address it. My rack is between my speakers. In the past I have tried it off to the side and didn't notice any sonic advantage. I have seen in in the past that there are some strong feelings on this subject, and I am interested in hearing what everyone has to say.
128x128roxy54

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.

 
The ideal system will have balanced input mono amps right behind the speakers keeping the speaker wires as short as possible. Balanced ins and outs let you use long low level signal cables without ill effect. Now you can put the rack anywhere in the room you want unless you have a turntable in which case you want to get it as far away from the speakers as possible in a place where the bass is not amplified.
^^ This.

My system is in my living room, which is connected to the dining room. My equipment rack is actually in the dining room, completely out of the direct radiation of the speakers; my amps reside right by my speakers with a balanced connection driving them. I did a frequency sweep of the room and found that it favored a certain bass frequency, then went around the living and dining room with my sound pressure meter and found the area where the bass was at its least. That space is occupied by my equipment stand. Fortunately readily accessible from the living room and out of the way of any activities in the dining room.


@atmasphere Would you care to mention the brand of XLR interconnects you are using into your amps? How long are they?

I have also been thinking of hiding my rack behind a wall. Some discussion posts on PRO balanced connections and long runs have made me seriously consider getting the rack out of the way. I likely need 20 - 25 feet of XLR to make that work.
Would you care to mention the brand of XLR interconnects you are using into your amps? How long are they?
My equipment supports the balanced line standard so the actual brand of cable doesn't affect the sound. I built some 30 foot cables using Mogami Neglex cable. I've used a variety of cables but they all sound the same. However, take away that bit about 'supports the balanced line standard' and that all goes out the window! FWIW a lot of the balanced line equipment I've seen in high end audio doesn't support the standard (also known as AES48) so YMMV depending on the equipment you use.