Equipment Rack Location

[Bartolo]

Has anyone noticed a big improvement in overall presentation after moving their equipment rack from between speakers to a side wall? Any downside noted?

I know in theory it is better but is it worth the effort? My new home affords me the opportunity to try that but moving everything will be a major chore. I would also have to buy new interconnects 16-20' long. I would like to know if the results would be significant. My rack is 26"W x 18"D x 40"T thick walnut.

I absolutely noticed an improvement to soundstage upon moving the rack from in between, to beside, the speakers.

At the time I was using Devore Nines which have inner-firing passive radiators; so they were firing directly at the rack.

But I've never gone back. And visually I prefer the rack to be 'off to the side.'

 

[Blackmorec]

Deleted

 

[tony22]

What a coincidence! I was just about to ask a similar question.

I have my equipment set up currently behind my seating position, against the back (I refer to this as the back) wall. My speakers are set up so the backs of the speakers are 34” from the front wall. This is a new room for me in a new house. Where the equipment is now, the possibility of others sitting in that area to listen is essentially zero. Not enough space between my chair, the equipment, and the back wall (about 3’).

In thinking I’d like to recover that space for additional seating, I’m considering moving my equipment to the front wall. There is a window on that wall, which down here in Florida has Hurricane shutters. So in the interest of being able to use them, the rack would have to be low (total height with equipment less than 32”), and wide (no more than 72”). With the space needed for routing cables behind the rack, it would put the front plane of the rack about 10” away from the backs of - but still well between - the speakers.

I don’t think this is something I could “try”, as I have no way to set up my equipment in a low configuration like that. I’d have to buy the rack to try it, in the hopes it wouldn’t wind up making things sound worse. I’m not sure if I should go down this path.

 

[sbnx]

Give it a try. It only costs a few hours on a satuday afternoon. Then a few more hours if you put it back.

 

[tony22]

Give it a try. It only costs a few hours on a satuday afternoon. Then a few more hours if you put it back.

I’d really like to, but I have no support solution right now that can facilitate my doing this. Buying what would likely be my actual placement solution (if I were to do it for real) will cost be about $5K. A lot of money for something that may wind up sounding worse. I’m wondering if, in general, with the distances and sizes I talked about, whether it’s likely to be an impact if I did it.

 

[sbnx]

I’d really like to, but I have no support solution right now that can facilitate my doing this. Buying what would likely be my actual placement solution (if I were to do it for real) will cost be about $5K. A lot of money for something that may wind up sounding worse. I’m wondering if, in general, with the distances and sizes I talked about, whether it’s likely to be an impact if I did it.

There is a 4 tier rack on monoprice for $129. Super cheap solution to give it a try.

 

[tony22]

There is a 4 tier rack on monoprice for $129. Super cheap solution to give it a try.

Hmm. I’d need three of them to provide the total shelf space needed - and to duplicate the total area that would be taken up by whatever end item solution I’d use. About $400 for a test? Yeah that’s not too much. These guys are too small in shelf dimensions to support my TT, though.

 

[sbnx]

Hmm. I’d need three of them to provide the total shelf space needed - and to duplicate the total area that would be taken up by whatever end item solution I’d use. About $400 for a test? Yeah that’s not too much. These guys are too small in shelf dimensions to support my TT, though.

I would look at it like a test. Buy one and move the minimum amount of gear between the speakers. Or just put the rack between the speakers and put some boxes on the rack. The idea would be to see how much it degrades the sound.

 

[joaovieira]

Years ago I read Jim Smith’s Get Better Sound book.
There is one chapter about it. His opinion is that moving the rack out to a side place is better even if you use cheap speaker cables.

 

[tony22]

I would look at it like a test. Buy one and move the minimum amount of gear between the speakers. Or just put the rack between the speakers and put some boxes on the rack. The idea would be to see how much it degrades the sound.

Not a bad idea. Thanks!

 

[analyzer]

In the last 10 years I was forced to place the rack on the side; not a bad idea, the musical presentation is more cohesive and evidently undisturbed by some gear in the middle.
But the effort is partially vanished by a much longer speaker cable, at least the double of the other configuration.
Almost all manufacturers don't build their flagship with size in excess of 2,4/3 metres long.
If you need lenght over 4-5-6 metres probably you can obtain them only custom made at out-of-the-world costs...

 

[PeterA]

If one has mono block amplifiers, he can put those next to the speakers for a short speaker cable length and then use long interconnects from rack off to the side to the amplifiers.

I know that some people like really expensive cables so they may prioritize short length over potential image quality. Sometimes if the rack is low enough and there’s not a lot of gear and it is five or more feet behind the speakers then it might not matter much.

This is just another example of the compromises we have to deal with in the real world.

 

[sbnx]

I personally use longer interconnects. That is generally a cheaper option as ic's are cheaper per meter than speaker cables. I leave my stereo amp on a stand (Close to the floor) and several feet behind the speakers.

It is indeed all about trade offs. Which has the least impact on the sound you hear? I don't mean theoretically. It is easy to say "Oh, longer interconnects must be bad and I will lose signal". Or "Equipment in the middle shouldn't cause a problem as the sound would bounce off the wall anyway". We should actually do the test and see/hear which is better.

I guess it is my scientific/engineering background but once I get some idea about a way that could improve the sound I am extremely restless until I try it out and see if it works. This is one reason why reading Ack's posts are dangerous for me to read. He is also a big experimentalist.

 

[Atmasphere]

I personally use longer interconnects. That is generally a cheaper option as ic's are cheaper per meter than speaker cables. I leave my stereo amp on a stand (Close to the floor) and several feet behind the speakers.

It is indeed all about trade offs. Which has the least impact on the sound you hear? I don't mean theoretically. It is easy to say "Oh, longer interconnects must be bad and I will lose signal". Or "Equipment in the middle shouldn't cause a problem as the sound would bounce off the wall anyway". We should actually do the test and see/hear which is better.

I guess it is my scientific/engineering background but once I get some idea about a way that could improve the sound I am extremely restless until I try it out and see if it works. This is one reason why reading Ack's posts are dangerous for me to read. He is also a big experimentalist.

Back when I was in high school I got a great education about how good long interconnects can actually sound. I played bass in a local college orchestra which was being recorded. The mics were hung over the orchestra.

The interconnect cables were about 150' in length.

The recording engineer allowed me to hear the direct mic feed.

Most of the recordings made of classical music were done in a similar fashion. That is why when it came time to design a preamp, I built one that supported the balanced line standard; in doing so the actual cost of the cable became unimportant- I found expensive cables that really didn't sound any better than regular studio cables, and with good reason.

The balanced line system was created as a technique so that cables didn't have to matter so much. It works. But if your gear doesn't support the standard, then you'll have to spend big dollars on cables to get it to sound right, and you may not be able to drive long distances (my cables at home are 30 feet). When I designed the preamp it proved to be the first balanced line preamp made for home audio. It didn't occur to me to not support the standard- so I was a bit chagrined when I began to see other balanced line products that didn't. These days most 'high end audio' balanced line products don't support the standard, so you get really variable results as to whether its better than single-ended and also the need for expensive cables. Neither would happen if the standard were observed.

 

[treitz3]

If you have the room? Build a wall behind the system. Place the rack behind that wall and the rest of the system in front of said wall.

End result is short cables, power cables can easily be separated from signal cables and the expense of putting it all to the side or behind the listening position (along with the aggravation) is gone.

Tom

 

[Addicted to hifi]

If you have the room? Build a wall behind the system. Place the rack behind that wall and the rest of the system in front of said wall.

End result is short cables, power cables can easily be separated from signal cables and the expense of putting it all to the side or behind the listening position (along with the aggravation) is gone.

Tom

Excellent idea.

 

[tony22]

If you have the room? Build a wall behind the system. Place the rack behind that wall and the rest of the system in front of said wall.

Unfortunately, I do not have said space.

 

[stehno]

Has anyone noticed a big improvement in overall presentation after moving their equipment rack from between speakers to a side wall? Any downside noted?

I know in theory it is better but is it worth the effort? My new home affords me the opportunity to try that but moving everything will be a major chore. I would also have to buy new interconnects 16-20' long. I would like to know if the results would be significant. My rack is 26"W x 18"D x 40"T thick walnut.

With the rack dimensions you shared, I suspect you will hear zero difference moving it to the side. If anything, with longer cables, etc you risk compromising the sonics you're hearing now.

On the other hand, psychologically you may get greater listening pleasure with a less cluttered front wall to stare at.

 

[Katzky]

Has anyone noticed a big improvement in overall presentation after moving their equipment rack from between speakers to a side wall? Any downside noted?

I know in theory it is better but is it worth the effort? My new home affords me the opportunity to try that but moving everything will be a major chore. I would also have to buy new interconnects 16-20' long. I would like to know if the results would be significant. My rack is 26"W x 18"D x 40"T thick walnut.

I recently moved my from the center to behind the right speaker. The improvement was significant. still probably not ideal but worth the effort to get out from between the speakers.

 

[unboxed]

I found moving my rack to a side wall improved the center stage and harmonic extension. Maybe not a WOW! But that gave me what I was trying and failing to achieve by equipment and wire changes. This may not work for everyone. My situation was described above. The rack was only about a foot (maybe less) behind the speakers. And the speakers were Sound Labs. YMMV with box speakers and more distance between the speakers and rack. And of course ported speakers will react differently.