Wood HiFi Racks/Cabinets

[mid_gen]

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

 

[mid_gen]

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.

I did wonder about that TT on the top shelf 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.

 

[mid_gen]

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!