Improving a stone rack
Hi all, I have a large stone rack for my system, in beautiful granite, which works great for stability, but maybe not so good for other aspects of the sound. I wonder if it contributes to some treble ringing and harshness. I want to improve the sound, thinking of felt damping on the wall behind the rack, some form of cloth to cover the reflective surfaces of the shelves, and adhesive rubber type mats on the bottom of the stone shelves. Is this the way to go? Experience based advice is very welcome. My rack weighs a ton. It is not easy to compare to a wood or composite rack. I need advice on how to counter the sound problems of stone or similar polished surface shelf racks. I want to try this, before I consider a new rack or shelf arrangement.
'IS' is in relation to optics - Image Stabilisation Yes - The Telescope For Static Tripod, I adapted a Hollow Tube Civils Engineer Surveyors Tripod. I stripped the Tripod back to singular parts, plugged the bottom of the Tubes/Forms and filled with a Liquid Rubber. The deadness of this design is substantially attractive, but quite heavy, hence the remain in one place usage. |
@o_holter There is a pretty good reason Jim White uses HRS… lose your feet and try 3-4 short HRS Nimbus couplers under your Aesthetix….. i’m up to about 20 of them across 2 systems…. For those who dislike Granite, try two 1” or so slabs w green glue between…. welcome to constrained layer damping….on the low end $. |
One thing leads to another... @pindac - thanks, interesting, I'll try to check out some more when I go to the cabin with the scope in some weeks. Must also find some way so it can stand outside even with rain. Image stabilisation - yes, even my phone camera has it... @tomic601 - yes I know J White prefers HRS and I have reasons to believe him. Problem is, unless I change my rack setup, the Io only has space for very short (stock) feet, to get enough ventilation above the chassis. Constrained layer damping - well, I have adhesive damping mats under some of the stone shelves. Result? In the "yes maybe" direction - no harm, but no big positive effect either. Typical of my attempts to improve the rack. |
Hello OP, Granite is both reflective and absorbent depending on the material science and finish. The frequency of the shelves vibrating adds to the overall sonic in the environment. It creates additional noise elements or rack chatter. This effect also transfers into the electronics package, producing inefficient component operational performance and affecting their sonic. I recommend placing a resonance conductive metal or alloy material on top of the granite shelving below the component. Thickness is relative to material selection. This addition will reduce the sonic signature and frequencies of the shelving while establishing a rapid sink for resonance flow. The material selection is critical due to natural damping factors related to the materials. Rubber and cork dull the sonic in components via absorption. Springs suffer from spring fatigue. A small amount of fatigue delivers an audible loss in the leading edge dynamics. They are affected by weight, and the design wears out and should be replaced with new springs routinely. Decoupling defies the laws of gravity and is a word established by the Audio Industry to sell more products. I recommend adding component footers after the rack function has improved and installing versions that match the overall design methodology. We are willing to assist with overhauling the design without charge should you want to turn the granite rack into a performance-driven platform. Feel free to contact me. Robert LiveVibe Audio
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Hi Robert / audiopoint, very interesting, much appreciated. I took a look at your web site also. I agree springs can be tricky, soft materials not good, etc. The idea of metal or alloy under the components seems relevant and should be tested. At the moment I am testing for reflected treble from the rack, using thick wool carpets in front of it. |
