How important is a good rack?

I bought a fairly tall Salamander Archtype 5 self rack (I don't like bending over to change a record). My turntable is ridged and sits on the top self with a iso platform underneath. This is a awesome entry level audio rack. It does not skip at all when its playing a record ( I could run a jackhammer next to it). There are way more solid and expensive racks but for the money ($250 std blk finish $400 cherry wood finish) it is worth checking out, for excellent isolation of each infinite adjustable self (Mega spikes are a must for the bottom).

So Mapman what your saying is if your turntable is on the top shelf the closer it is to the ground helps with vibration?

I prefer woman with good 'rack'. Normally athletic woman have very good 'rack' and good ability to get and give pleasure to the partner.

Scott,

I went the Salamander Synergy route. While it's sturdy and provides good rigidity, some may not classify it as an "audiophile" rack. I liked it's modular design and removable shelves, allowing me to experiment with different shelving materials for each component. I can also adjust the height of the shelves relative to shelf thickness and component height. And since the bottom has threaded inserts for feet, I can easily level the rack and experiment with different spikes/footers from manufacturers like Eden Sound or Mapleshade.

Rpeluso,

"Men are so stupid, and predictable. Why?"

For the same reason some women can be overly sensitive and unpredictable.... we're different.

Once you reach the threshold of isolation sufficient to keep your TT (or CDP) from skipping with light room vibrations, I wonder.

I don't have to wonder, I know.

I've tried many rack and isolation systems beneath many phono rigs. A rack affects more than skipping. It also has a major influence on sonics. Preventing skipping is only the minimum level of acceptable performance. It's like riding a bicycle... learning not to fall over is essential, but it's hardly the last word in performance.

A phono playback system is designed to detect extremely tiny physical vibrations, convert them to electrical signal, then amplify the signal by ~8-12,000 times.

Any vibration magnified by thousands becomes audible. This includes both vibrations induced by groove modulations (aka, music) and vibrations coming from all other sources (aka, noise). A phono cartridge can't tell one from the other. It picks them all up equally and the phono system amplifies them all equally.

GI/GO... and a vibration-prone rack sends a lot of GI.