Wood HiFi Racks/Cabinets

mid_gen

mid_gen

mid_gen

Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
Posts
16,187
Finally getting round to sorting out the living room. Need a hifi rack, to fit a few separates, Naim amp, Arcam CD player, phono stage and TT.

This is the best I can find at the moment : Seems a good price for a small workshop piece made in the UK. I don't mind the lead time.

HiFi Unit, cabinet or stand 580mm in Solid Oak – TheReallyGoodOakShop

Before I pull the trigger though, any other recommendations? Unfortunately it seems quite a niche product these days and most of the 'hifi' options have the ridiculous snake oil tax on them.

Must be hardwood! Have a house rabbit who munches anything softwood like pine, but won't touch hardwood :)
 
I have more open slatted shelves, in a less noble beech deal, that provides good/better airflow around, also, Naim amp,
to which I attribute some of its >10yr longevity. .... so I'd critique the Oak's design in that manner ...avr would be worse

edit: not dissimilar to this , with horizontal strategy


[haven't setup turntable in current place , ambivalent, and, maybe, wouldn't bother now with the upward spiked isolating shelve,
r3, so maybe more sensitive than a linn would be]
 
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On the DIY front, a TNT flexy rack is a good versatile option that's pretty cheap and easy to build. I built one for mine as I couldn't find anything retail with sufficient shelving capacity that wasn't stupid money. The shelves can be made of anything that can be cut and drilled to fit and support the weight.

Mine built using birch ply, M16 hardware and dome nuts for feet.

 
I would agree that the price is good, particularly for the materials and the small volume manufacturing.

If it was me, I would dispense with the glass door. Glass has a way of affecting room acoustics, so reducing the amount of it is rarely a bad thing. Looking at the pictures of the cabinet 'in-situ' so to speak I do wonder if they (or the photographer and they) have ever used a turntable. How on earth would someone be expected to change records and cue up safely with the TT inside the cabinet on the top shelf?

That's partly why proper Hi-Fi cabinets carry what you refer to rather disingenuously as a snake oil tax. It's because (one hopes at least) several someones have sat down to listen to various designs before committing to volume manufacture. They'll also have looked at the practicalities of using the gear once installed in some kind of cabinet. Anything that falls short of this is simply a pretty box.

If I was to buy again then I'd shortlist used Quadraspire - particularly with the acrylic shelves if possible - or maybe a s/h Naim Frame if budget was tight. These are open racks though, so won't suit everyone.
 
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As you have a turntable, i would seriously consider the below. A turntable always performs at it's best when wall mounted and time and time again, the best material to mount it on has been shown to be Acrylic.
The system i have is mounted on Audio Suspension 20mm Acrylic. For your system OP, you would only need the same as i have below.

U7tU3k9.jpg
 
lucid said:
I would agree that the price is good, particularly for the materials and the small volume manufacturing.

If it was me, I would dispense with the glass door. Glass has a way of affecting room acoustics, so reducing the amount of it is rarely a bad thing. Looking at the pictures of the cabinet 'in-situ' so to speak I do wonder if they (or the photographer and they) have ever used a turntable. How on earth would someone be expected to change records and cue up safely with the TT inside the cabinet on the top shelf?

That's partly why proper Hi-Fi cabinets carry what you refer to rather disingenuously as a snake oil tax. It's because (one hopes at least) several someones have sat down to listen to various designs before committing to volume manufacture. They'll also have looked at the practicalities of using the gear once installed in some kind of cabinet. Anything that falls short of this is simply a pretty box.

If I was to buy again then I'd shortlist used Quadraspire - particularly with the acrylic shelves if possible - or maybe a s/h Naim Frame if budget was tight. These are open racks though, so won't suit everyone.
Click to expand...

I did wonder about that TT on the top shelf :p I would be putting it on top, obviously. Not a fan of the acrylic look at all, but will look at an isolated plinth on top for the TT (which is just an RP1 at the moment)....

I did spend half a day auditioning a variety of racks and other kit with a friend who worked at Audio-T years ago, and came to the conclusion that if there was any difference between racks, I couldn't tell, not for CD/amp pairings.

DIY option is tempting, but I don't have a workspace/shed setup yet and I doubt I can manage a better finish for the money, and it's a pain in the butt getting hold of material atm.
 
Well, I've ordered from that shop. Custom build to fit my space, 3 shelves, and the right height to sit an isolation plinth on top. Now to wait 2-3 months!
 
kitfit1 said:
As you have a turntable, i would seriously consider the below. A turntable always performs at it's best when wall mounted and time and time again, the best material to mount it on has been shown to be Acrylic.
The system i have is mounted on Audio Suspension 20mm Acrylic. For your system OP, you would only need the same as i have below.

U7tU3k9.jpg
Click to expand...
Gyrodeck??
 
Yeah looking at the first selection it is a bit enclosed, I think OP is right in that it is a bit niche these days (small volume probs accounts for some of the price) also right to call out the HiFi snake oil tax. Someone else mentioned a DIY option but if you're otherwise prepared to spend nearly £500 on something like this then I do wonder what a local joiner would charge for a custom-made unit designed to accommodate your components and to match the rest of your room?

mid_gen said:
HiFi Unit, cabinet or stand 580mm in Solid Oak – TheReallyGoodOakShop

Before I pull the trigger though, any other recommendations? Unfortunately it seems quite a niche product these days and most of the 'hifi' options have the ridiculous snake oil tax on them.
Click to expand...
 
Sheqy said:
Anybody heard about these Myro HiFi Racks
Click to expand...
Not heard of them and they look like they've copied Hi-Fi Racks products:

www.hifiracks.co.uk

Hi-Fi Racks | Solid Hardwood Performance Enhancing Hi-Fi Furniture

At Hi Fi Racks, we create distinctively designed hi-fi and AV furniture from only the finest quality solid hardwood. Each product is exquisitely designed to ensure that it performs acoustically and fits into the available space, whilst delivering exceptional aesthetics. Many products can be...
www.hifiracks.co.uk www.hifiracks.co.uk

I've used this lot and they are good but can get expensive on the Podium Reference racks.
 
Sheqy said:
Anybody heard about these Myro HiFi Racks
Click to expand...

This is sooo typical of hi-fi stuff, some boomer claiming a substantial improvement in sound from a product that isn't feasibly going to do anything to improve sound. It would be funny to give some of these old guys hearing tests!

1wAuizm.png

Surely you buy these things because they're designed with hi-fi components in mind (you don't need to worry too much if they can support the equipment or if it will fit), they look nice etc.. You don't reasonably expect anything significant to happen to the sound from sticking your components in there vs sticking your components in the cheap Ikea unit that was popular for a bit.
 
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