Hornguys, you are talking about what's generally referred to as a "tie back"; tying the top of something that's swaying, like an equipment rack or a tall panel speaker, to something that isn't swaying (we hope) like a wall! This can be a good solution. It depends.
Let's take racks first. If a rack is on a concrete slab floor and it still sways, it is a poor design. The worst offenders are the threaded rod type, because the rods themselves aren't fat enough to resist bending and there's virtually no moment resistance in the rod/shelf connection. There is a way to cross brace these racks, but for the time and money involved, sturdier racks are available for less money.
If the rack is quite sturdy like a cheap Studiotech, or a pricey Billy Bags, it can still sway left-right, or front-to-back on a joisted wood floor. L/R if the joists run perpendicular to the wall behind the rack, and F/B if they run parallel; ditto for loudspeakers.
Speakers should not be allowed to sway F/B even a millimeter (at the top) because it can ruin transient response. If a speaker sways a little bit L/R (joists running perpendicular to the wall behind) it's not a big deal performance wise.
Unfortunately, the tie-back solution is mostly effective against F/B movement. Much less L/R movement, and not at all for vertical movement. I have my MartinLogan panels on Sound Anchor stands which have triagulated bracing (see system) but before that, I had their tops tied to the back wall by a 6 foot length of 3/4 inch white PVC pipe. The improvement in soundstage and lyrics intelligibility was amazing!
Let's take racks first. If a rack is on a concrete slab floor and it still sways, it is a poor design. The worst offenders are the threaded rod type, because the rods themselves aren't fat enough to resist bending and there's virtually no moment resistance in the rod/shelf connection. There is a way to cross brace these racks, but for the time and money involved, sturdier racks are available for less money.
If the rack is quite sturdy like a cheap Studiotech, or a pricey Billy Bags, it can still sway left-right, or front-to-back on a joisted wood floor. L/R if the joists run perpendicular to the wall behind the rack, and F/B if they run parallel; ditto for loudspeakers.
Speakers should not be allowed to sway F/B even a millimeter (at the top) because it can ruin transient response. If a speaker sways a little bit L/R (joists running perpendicular to the wall behind) it's not a big deal performance wise.
Unfortunately, the tie-back solution is mostly effective against F/B movement. Much less L/R movement, and not at all for vertical movement. I have my MartinLogan panels on Sound Anchor stands which have triagulated bracing (see system) but before that, I had their tops tied to the back wall by a 6 foot length of 3/4 inch white PVC pipe. The improvement in soundstage and lyrics intelligibility was amazing!
