What are the best hardwoods to use as audio platforms/isolation bases

[Stevet]

All,

I have been offered the use of a fully equipped woodshop to make hardwood audio platforms/isolation basis for my hi fi equipment (amp, pre-amp, digital, analog, Torus and etc.). My sense is that I can get just what I want and save some money by making the platforms myself. My question is what type of hardwood and from where should I use. There is a high end lumber yard which has a lot in stock and from which I can order almost anything which is available to them. Is there any research or experimentation out there which has determined which wood or woods work best, including sound wise and structural integrity (i.e. will not twist, warp or otherwise disfigure - I say this because I have heard that you need to be careful with maple because it tends to twist and warp over time, although I am not certain about this).

I am hoping to hear from people who have actual experience with this or about articles which use good science and are sound tested as well.

Also, how should the wood be finished, is there a product which works best for this type of application and how thickly/many coats should be applied.

Also, which thickness seems to work best (2 inches or otherwise?) and is a solid piece of wood better or do smaller pieces glued together? I can do either.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you,

 

[Synaxis]

This is a great topic.

Thank you Genesis Audio Rack for sharing your expertise.

My personal take is I can get a nice looking custom wood shelf and then spend some money on virbration control to suctomize to each component - well-float, Stack Audio, Graphite Audio, Sound Kaos, etc - and still have spent much less money than on a higher end vibration control unit.

Just my personal take.

 

[T Boost]

Don’t listen to any welders pushing metal racks. Hardwoods are still the king.
Glass and metal are still by far the worst thing you can use for a rack.
I’d guess half the reason why I have a successful rack business is that people replace their metal racks with tone wood racks, I can name one well known member on here that did exactly that. If a wood rack that was a thin as most metal racks, yeah it would resonate like crap. Just like a metal rack does. Remember how nice aluminum and steel guitars sound? Me neither. A good hardwood / tone wood rack will have sufficient mass that is doesn’t have an audible resonance.

Different tonewoods do have a different resonant frequency though but like in musical instruments it’s a sympathetic resonance.

If I were you and had access to some nice woods (which I do) I would first familiarize yourself with the Janka scale. Find 2 types of wood (1 for shelves and 1 for legs) that are very different in elastic modulus, hardness as well as density. They will probably compliment each other nicely. In the same way that constrained layer damping works.

In contrast, metal frames (steel, titanium, aluminum) are made of highly elastic materials that have very low damping capacity; they do not naturally dampen vibrations nearly as effectively as wood does and if you want to go a step further you can add isolation footers or platforms.

If you do a little research on elastic materials (steel) vs viscoelastic (wood) you can find that wood is superior to metal . Then your problem becomes which wood is best. On my current rack I’m using lignum vitae legs bolted to rock maple shelves, resting on Carbide Audio isolation bases. I’m also fortunate enough to own a Seismion active isolation base beneath my turntable. I can say without reservation that although there are better systems on here, I’ve yet to see a better damped and isolated system than mine.

Woods only downside is the elements, thankfully not a lot of people keep their gear and rack outdoors.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Solid wood is beautiful, but requires a lot of care. In winter, always ensure that the air humidity is sufficient. Oil the surfaces every 6 months and you will enjoy it for a long time without cracks in the fibers.
Wood is a warm living material, makes it so beautiful in all colors and grains.

 

[T Boost]

Solid wood is beautiful, but requires a lot of care. In winter, always ensure that the air humidity is sufficient. Oil the surfaces every 6 months and you will enjoy it for a long time without cracks in the fibers.
Wood is a warm living material, makes it so beautiful in all colors and grains.

Maybe in some climates somewhere like Australia. I use a wonderful wood finish that needs only 1 application.

 

[DasguteOhr]

nice to hear, my favorite makes surface hard against unwanted scratches and water or other liquids.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Don’t listen to any welders pushing metal racks. Hardwoods are still the king.
Glass and metal are still by far the worst thing you can use for a rack.
I’d guess half the reason why I have a successful rack business is that people replace their metal racks with tone wood racks, I can name one well known member on here that did exactly that. If a wood rack that was a thin as most metal racks, yeah it would resonate like crap. Just like a metal rack does. Remember how nice aluminum and steel guitars sound? Me neither. A good hardwood / tone wood rack will have sufficient mass that is doesn’t have an audible resonance.

Different tonewoods do have a different resonant frequency though but like in musical instruments it’s a sympathetic resonance.

If I were you and had access to some nice woods (which I do) I would first familiarize yourself with the Janka scale. Find 2 types of wood (1 for shelves and 1 for legs) that are very different in elastic modulus, hardness as well as density. They will probably compliment each other nicely. In the same way that constrained layer damping works.

In contrast, metal frames (steel, titanium, aluminum) are made of highly elastic materials that have very low damping capacity; they do not naturally dampen vibrations nearly as effectively as wood does and if you want to go a step further you can add isolation footers or platforms.

If you do a little research on elastic materials (steel) vs viscoelastic (wood) you can find that wood is superior to metal . Then your problem becomes which wood is best. On my current rack I’m using lignum vitae legs bolted to rock maple shelves, resting on Carbide Audio isolation bases. I’m also fortunate enough to own a Seismion active isolation base beneath my turntable. I can say without reservation that although there are better systems on here, I’ve yet to see a better damped and isolated system than mine.

Woods only downside is the elements, thankfully not a lot of people keep their gear and rack outdoors.

Lovely stuff you're building.

 

[T Boost]

nice to hear, my favorite makes surface hard against unwanted scratches and water or other liquids.View attachment 141163

That’s what we use, but a different formula. I the Osmo poly-x 3042. Probably very similar.

 

[T Boost]

Here’s a website that seems to have some very good information. As far as I can see, pretty accurate too.

Custom – Tonewoods | Ormsby Guitars

www.ormsbyguitars.com

 

[Agent86]

Here’s a website that seems to have some very good information. As far as I can see, pretty accurate too.

Custom – Tonewoods | Ormsby Guitars

www.ormsbyguitars.com

Thank you for the list of tonewoods, Are there any particular ones that you like working with for either their acoustical properties or their visual ones?

 

[T Boost]

Thank you for the list of tonewoods, Are there any particular ones that you like working with for either their acoustical properties or their visual ones?

Thank you, good sir. This is as good a spot as any to detail both my favourites and my best sellers.

Then dalgberia rosewood species is my favourite. Rosewood has it all, beauty, warmth , a nice decay, and detail for days. I once owned a 100% solid Brazilian rosewood rack. Admittedly, the other reason I love rosewood is that it’s 100% banned. You can’t buy it anywhere. There are literally woodworkers out there that have never seen it in person.
I have stock of it , but once it’s gone……
Other woods that are actually rosewoods are cocobolo, and Mpingo. Those names are just local names, they’re really rosewoods though.

Ebony. Both Gabon and macassar are excellent woods that can’t really be topped. Heavy as hell, and really does nothing wrong. Because of its density it pairs well with nearly everything.

Bubinga. Often called African rosewood, although not a true rosewood. I love it. It’s also banned, but somehow it’s still available. Gorgeous wood.

Bocote. Doesn’t even look real when you’re looking at it. Heavy and strong, seems to improve with age somehow IMO.

Lignum Vitae. Impossible to find commercially. As heavy as steel but has really warm tones. Sands unbelievably smooth.

Snakewood. This wood sounds as good as it looks, and it looks like a rattlesnake that’s been skinned by some snake hunter. Smell great too.

The most popular woods are also rock maple, Black walnut. Jatoba from Brazil. Purple heart. Bloodwood. Katalox (Mexican royal ebony) , ziricote (which sounds and looks like Brazilian rosewood but black instead of reddish).

Zebra wood has taken a hiatus from orders but it’s a beautiful and dense wood that pairs really well with almost any species of maple.

I think that’s it. I seem to have this discussion a couple times a month with customers.

The first pic is bocote and the second is Gabon ebony, one was a turntable platform, the other was a DAC platform.

 

[wil]

Any thoughts on Bamboo — like the inexpensive IKEA (and others) cutting boards?

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Any thoughts on Bamboo — like the inexpensive IKEA (and others) cutting boards?

Wil they are not solid wood. The IKEA stuff is bad, real bad.

 

[T Boost]

Wil they are not solid wood. The IKEA stuff is bad, real bad.

Well I’m not super into bamboo for the simple reason that bamboo makers and retailers often tout how environmentally friendly it is, which is a misnomer. Bamboo is a grass, but you see it in platforms and occasionally racks. Can you even fathom how much glue/resin/plastic is in that to keep it together to hold a shape that mimics wood? And it all eventually goes into the landfill and never degrades.

So to answer your question more directly: I don’t use it or know that much about its properties.

 

[unboxed]

That’s what we use, but a different formula. I the Osmo poly-x 3042. Probably very similar.

Another Osmo fan here. That is what I used on a maple butcherblock rack and two California (Claro) walnut racks.

 

[Kingrex]

I have a friend who made a lot of racks and platforms. He finds maple to be the best wood. Thick slabs. Two inches or more. He does not like hard woods like bubenge.,wenge or ironwood. He also does not like soft woods like pine or fur. He likes a medium hard density. Maple.

I agree, a different species for legs could be beneficial. I don't know how you would blend it or what to use. I personally have made platforms only and maple is excellent. I also made a platform, but split the plate it to flatten it. That was a horrible failure. Leave it as one solid piece.

The finish you put on it also influences the sound. Oil is supposed to be the best, but I don't really know.

If its a platform the footer also matters. I like a dense rubber foot under the platform.

T Boost has good joints at leg to platform. That matters a lot for stability. Also, long spans should be braced in the span or bounce and vibrations can be exaggerated.

Have fun.

 

[Kingrex]

I personally bought edge grain Maple countertop from Home Depot. It's actually a pretty good product. I was going to buy some and make racks for myself. Endgrain maple is probably the best product. But it's really hard to find end grain maple. If you do, it's coming from a custom shop and going to be expensive.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...for some years now I have been using primarily maple for shelving and plinths.

Personally, I think glueing up 2-3 pieces is better, more stable, than a large slab, although how wood is dried and stored can greatly influence results.

In my experience, a single slab is significantly more prone to warping over time.

A high-solid poly is good IME, although I have been spraying them with shellac now for the past five tears or so. It's clean and easy to get multiple coats on in one lifetime. I like to rub it down between coats to get a smooth finish.

If you have a spray-room, and a nice shop, IMO you can manage more options. I did a stand for my Taiko Olympus from maple, with leopard-wood legs.

If you have a groovy shop like
@T Boost the sky is the limit. Honestly, and with deep respect to the many honchos with high-tech metal, glass and composite stands, I cannot envision NOT using wood for my stuff.

 

[Tangram]

All,

I have been offered the use of a fully equipped woodshop to make hardwood audio platforms/isolation basis for my hi fi equipment (amp, pre-amp, digital, analog, Torus and etc.). My sense is that I can get just what I want and save some money by making the platforms myself. My question is what type of hardwood and from where should I use. There is a high end lumber yard which has a lot in stock and from which I can order almost anything which is available to them. Is there any research or experimentation out there which has determined which wood or woods work best, including sound wise and structural integrity (i.e. will not twist, warp or otherwise disfigure - I say this because I have heard that you need to be careful with maple because it tends to twist and warp over time, although I am not certain about this).

I am hoping to hear from people who have actual experience with this or about articles which use good science and are sound tested as well.

Also, how should the wood be finished, is there a product which works best for this type of application and how thickly/many coats should be applied.

Also, which thickness seems to work best (2 inches or otherwise?) and is a solid piece of wood better or do smaller pieces glued together? I can do either.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you,

You can’t go wrong listening to T-Boost’s advice and looking at his designs. I have a five-tier rack of his, with an isolation base on top of that, separated by IsoAcoustics Orbeas. On top of that is an 80 lb. turntable. The lower three shelves are empty. The rack sits on chunky cone-like spikes over concrete. The rack is square and true, and rock solid, despite being top heavy.

 

[Agent86]

Beautifully designed as well.