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September 13, 2009 - 2:00am
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component shelving, racks, furniture - glass - wood
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Wow, you've really been busy lately. Is a custom cabinet maker out of your budget? I really don't like prefab equipment racks and such. I have a single cabinet with a glass door for all equipment. The top is also a horizontal glass door that lifts up for access to the turntable on the top shelf. The inside of the cabinet has one shelf close to the bottom and all the components are stacked. The space under the bottom shelf is for storage of items related to the equipment. I'm an oak man, myself. But black walnut is so cool. There is no need to put a finish on black walnut. But that wood is high! Maybe you got a buddy that does woodwork?
I don't have any friends who do cabinet work or woodwork, but there are custom shops around here. I had one make two sets of bookshelves for me a couple of years ago. High quality, but expensive. I could also weld up my own table out of 1.5 inch thick wall pipe, and add glass or wooden shelves, but my welding skills are rudimentary and not very attractive. It would probably vibrate like a tuning fork.
My oak entertainment center cabinet is solidly built and very sturdy. The problem I have with it is mainly poor airflow and poor access. I took the glass doors off the front to help with the airflow. The backs were already open.
Then the other problem I have with it is that I converted half of its capacity to store liquor, so I'm out of space for additional components. I could fix that, of course. Just have to drink more. What a headache!
The problem with wooden box-like cabinets, as I understand it, is that they can resonate from sound waves in the room and vibrate from equipment like amps. The vibrations will be transmitted to source components like turn tables and CD decks. You need a well-damped design to avoid that, and most normal entertainment center cabinets are not designed that way.
Perhaps all I really need to do is get my turntable off the cabinet and onto a TT shelf, find a new home for my liquor
but I like the openness of the glass and metal stands that I see in the pics of so many audio reviewers.
Ah, you're reading to much technical stuff. If it just going in a living room than you got the same problems like the rest of us. I wouldn't worry too much about resonation and such for a simple cabinet design. Remember keep things simple. Do what you can and what you like. Don't worry too much about obscure topics like your cabinet resonating sound waves. You liquor bottles are your biggest sound resonating problems....
I like the way you do your homework. You pick out something and post it. There will be plenty of feedback.
Avoid anything with glass shelves. They add a harsh coloration to the sound. That comment do not just come from audiophile conventional wisdom. I've had very negative, first hand experience with glass shelves and what they do to the sound. If you want a good basic rack that isn't super expensive check out http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/ or if you really something great looking (if modern is your style) that can help your components sound their best check out products from http://www.finite-elemente.de/en
Heck I bet even removing the liquor bottles from the unit that currently stores your audio components would give you a little boost in sound. That might be fun. Because the liquid inside would dampen them, the have a top, they have a top they wouldn't resonate nearly as much as a shelf but there would still be some impact I'd bet. Plus that would give you more storage space for the components and save you money. It could be a win, win, win.
I'm leaning that way too, mrlowry and Lamont. Relocating the liquor doubles my component space and leaves me a bit more cash to go toward a speaker upgrade. The B&W CM and 600 series speakers I audition yesterday are now on my potential upgrade list.
Tough to generalize about all glass.
There are some different types, and some manufacturers prefer their type of glass to other types of stand material.
Also, the interface between the glass and the supports is very important.
With regard to stands, I prefer some asymmetry, and like "A-frame" shaped supports over stands with parallel front and back supports.
It's really all about what the stand does, not what any one part is made of.
The interface between the stand and the shelf is frequently underappreciated. I prefer shelves that are not welded or otherwise affixed to the frame, either.
For turntables, I admit to falling into liking a somewhat idiosyncratic style of stand.
I use cement bricks, with different types of 'stuff' between the brick, making a sort of constrained layer stand.
I alternate brick, 'goo,' shelf, 'goo,' brick...etc...to my desired height, then use a Brightstar Audio final stand sitting on some Sorbothane feet.
I built a TNT FleXy Table. Parts are readily available and it was pretty easy to do. http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html
The TNT Sandblaster makes for some pretty good turntable isolation as well. Construction is a little more involved than the FleXy Table. http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/sandblaster_e.html
Jan Vigne has a pretty good discussion of turntable isolation here: http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/1/68488.html
I built a dual flexy. Next up is a Sandblaster for the new TT I will be getting soon.
nice views.Thanks for sharing valuable information