J M O N Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 I got the Gusdorf GUS-10614 from Circuit City. It was on clearance for $99. I don't know if they still have them available, but it is a pretty decent rack. It uses 3" steel posts and MDF shelves. I ended up painting the posts black to better suit my tastes. It will hold larger piececs of equipment quite well. I also like it because it has no side, front, or rear panels which allows heat to escape. It's pretty heavy duty. It was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I'm quite pleased with it, especially considering the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erdric Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 I was originally going to buy a Salamander rack but I would have needed two S40's with sides and doors to house everything and allow for future components. Well over a grand and not worth it IMO. So, I finally put my architecture education to good use and designed my own. I should start building it in the next month or so. It's 6' tall, completely adjustable, and looks like an armoire. I'm building it in oak and matching the finish to my oiled oak Forte II's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorius Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Greetings Gentlemen, I have built two of the DIY Flexy Racks. I built one double flexy for my HT, and a single for my 2 channel. I built them out of 3/4" Oak plywood with iron-on veneer for the edges so that it looks like solid oak. I stained them to match my Khorns and finished them with satin poly so that they are easy to care for. I used 5/8" allthread for the legs and they are very sturdy. They cost about $50 for the double and $25 for the single. Regards, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Stands Want good quality and inexpensive PREMIERE by Paradigm are solid,well made and very inexpensive(I have a three,two 4 shelf and a 3 shelf TV stand) Can spend more,Lovan.Lovan Sovergein and Ultima are like tanks and you can stack them.Have three four shelf Sovergeins.And a Lovan amp stand The best(most solid) are made by SolidSteel and BillyBags.And one or two makes that escape me.You can deposit a M1 tank of these and they will not flex. LOL A good stand,cannot have any ring,be capable of supporting at least 100lbs per shelf and have spikes.Now for mass marker components 35lbs per shelf is A ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Roger Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Yea, I have a Lovan also. The third leg gets in my way. I wish I had a four legged one. Oh well I got a great deal.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 I'm using a Studio Tech U-48RW in Rosewood/Black. It looks great and built to last. It uses a few neat anti-vibration tricks in shelf points and has great ventilation even though it's enclosed. Best thing of all, I ordered the casters for it to be portable. It comes with nylon slides and spikes but I didn't wan to do that to our newly refinished Red Oak hardwood floors. There is a lot of add-ons for this thing now too. Rack mounts, muffin fans, storage drawers, vent panels, rack mount shelves etc. It can take 100lbs per interior shelf and several hundred on the bottom The only regret I have is that I ordered the 48" and not the 60". Once I decided to go with seperates (pre, amp, etc.) space got to be a premium. Now I'm to the point where if I wanted to get a tuner (McIntosh MR7084, wink, wink!) I would either have to buy an additional 48" rack or ditch the H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer (ain't goin' there). Usable shelf size is 19" X 19" and new ones even have a kick-out in the back for extra deep equipment and/or stiff cables. It comes in three boxes that, I think, weighed a total of 160lbs. We also bought the matching U-26 for the 4:3 TV that makes a nice lookin' pair. When the HDTV finally makes this humble abode it's home it'll rest on a U-22 for shure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 ---------------- On 1/7/2003 10:48:56 PM tblasing wrote: Rack mounts, muffin fans, storage drawers, ---------------- The last time I kept muffins in my AV rack they were already cooled off. Some people think of everything. Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subegt Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 IMHO If your not a DIY stay away from the flexy rack. If you want rigid stay away from the flexy rack. If you have time and want to save$ build a flexy rack. Just keep it short and use 3/4in rod and at least 3/4in cabinet grade plywood (comes in Oak, Birch, Walnut... veneers) I just completed a flexy rack last week for my TV, VCR and DVD. I kept it low and wide (24Hx80Wx20D). I used a combo of 5/8 and 3/4 Zinc rod and 1/2 and 3/4 Birch plywood. I spent a few days sanding, staining and finishing the wood to look nice. I painted the rods flat black, but it flakes easily. It turned out nice and I got thumbs up from my wife too! However, for a great looking equipment rack, I like the Salamander line. But the price keeps me away. The anodized extruded aluminum strut material they use is awesome. If you want more strength and vibration control try this http://www.zoethecus.com/. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Your rack sounds pretty wide - Have you experienced vibrational issues ? Did you tighten the nuts "really" tight or did you simply run them up snug and then add a turn or two ? I ask because I tightened all of mine extremely tightly but am now having a problem with my tonearm jumping as I walk by the rack. I am therefore wondering if I have made my rack so rigid that I should consider loosening things a bit ? In any event I am going to take another run at tuning things on the weekend and any advice would be welcomed. Current Thoughts: 1.) Checking the setup on my Ariston RD80 TT - ( The model for the Linn LP 12 ) 2.) Slightly relaxing the nuts on my Flexy-Rack 3.) Relevelling the Flexy- Rack 4.) I cannot spike the rack into my bare wood floors because mein frau would see to it that my bare *** would need permanent bandaging. I do however have a set of spikes, some blue-tack and some granite squares that I could use - and will try. As noted earlier all suggestions are welcome - (Well errrrrm except that one from Nightsoil which involved aerial autoerotics) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subegt Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 I only use my flexy rack for my video quipment. For Audio you want something heavy. Find something you can add sand or steel balls into. I've even seen stands with bricks on the bottom shelf. Spikes are good too and if you have hardwood floors use metal disks under them, partsexpress.com has them but I don't think they work on flexy racks. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 lynnm, i deal with allthread, all day long, and it is 1 tricky son af a $%#@&, every twist of the wrench takes it out of level, next turn bows the rod the tighter you make it the more you bow it. so when you are dealing with 3 or 4 you need to take special care to level at each turn, and not over tighten. you need a torpedo level, and time. it can take you an easy hour just to tighten and level properly. first you assemble the entire unit, getting it all in the ballpark, than you put your level on the vertical risers (allthread), make adjustments in them to make all 4 plumb, than 1 at a time level all of your racks n-s,e-w, than on the diagonal, now check your vertical risers again, re-adjust them, now your shelves, re-adjust them, this process could take time, depending on how accurate you want to be, now dont over-tighten!!!! each nut and bolt plays against the others, pushing up and down on your shelves, turning your unit into a spring, no matter how much you pay for your material there will always be defects, not perfectly flat, rods slightly bent, the eye cant see it but you can bet the material can, and it will play with you. so be patient and tighten enough to be comfortable, the rubber washers will act to keep the nuts from twisting loose, overtightening on these rubber washers will negate thier effects for sound and vibration dampening. also when you make your rack that rigid, it will seem less strong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 the rack in my main system, or cabnit rather, is from an old coffin style radio. all the components were taken out and you're basicaly left with an antique looking cabnit that fits the components in just right. in my bedroom I have a bench made out of some boards going across 2 old optimus floorstanding speakers with my good speakers and amp on top of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 md - Not arguing with you ('cause you work with the stuff all the time), but my experience with the 3/4" all-thread has been anything but difficult. The Flexy instructions suggest using 3 instead of 4 so it is easier to level the shelves, but mine with 4 leveled up in a jiffy. I was suprised how easy it all was. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 The flexy system sounds good for guys that enjoy screwing around with stuff. fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 hello doug, the 3/4 rods made it easier, the smaller rods 1/4 3/8 are a bear much more liable to bow, you leveled your racks, but did you level your risers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 Just a home built rack. Changing to a rack eliminated the buzzing that I was hearing in my speakers. Before the cables had to be long and I couldn't sererate them or control the tangled mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 Right on point, Q-man. After all the beauty, convenience and durability issues are done... the key factor is whether cable control can be exercised. Keeping all power cords at a distance from all sound transmission cables/wires is an imperative. I also like to seperate speaker wires from all interconnects... and give each interconnect as much of its own space as possible. Sadly, some of the more asthetic rack designs and WAF wire preferences do not allow for good wire management. =HornEd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce802 Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 I own a Sovereign audio rack, which can be seen at http://timefordvd.com/hardware/review/Lovan_Sovereign_gallery.shtml This is one of the few racks that I found that would fit my NAD 218 Amp seeing how it is a little over sized due to the front of the unit being rack mountable. The rack is also a four piece unit that you can also add shelves to. The rack is also very strong and very sturdy. The workmanship on this unit is very nice. You can also choose the wood type that you like. I highly recomend this unit to anyone looking for something in this style. Bruce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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