equipment positioning

it's been nice to look at the pics of other peoples rooms and hifi - inspirational - and also i do like a good snout around other peoples business.

one question though does arise in my mind; is it right to have a big rack of equipment in between the speakers?

having separated the av side from my hifi setup i no longer have a widescreen telly in the middle cluttering the sonic image but isn't it best to have nothing or at least something low down in between?

and dedicated racks; do they sound better than a pine unit or hide the electronics as well?

must admit, i'm quite tempted by the equinox stand but will probably spoil the asthetics by sticking some acoustics tiles in the middle.

any thoughts?

 

There isn't one correct answer really. There are advantages to keeping gear as far away as possible from your speakers to minimise vibrational interaction. But placing it in between the speakers allows the use of shorter (and possibly more expensive) runs of cable- popular over the pond.

Having used long lengths of cable in the past and now using shortish 3-metre runs, I feel it's best to keep cable as short as possible- but that's my opinion (based on experience) and no doubt others will think differently.

Whether or not having objects in between the speakers has a detrimental impact on the soundstage and overall sonics is something you need to experiment with. If you just have hifi gear (and not a massive TV), there shouldn't be much of a problem IMO.

 

A rack with lots of things on it (different sizes, shapes) will hep with diffusion and probably give a better centre image. On the other hand a big screen TV between it would just reflect the sound, as a wall would, but sooner so not such a good idea.

 

there's a few hornets nests there to be honest.

If you're not running a turntable, I'd suggest something rigid that you like the look of. If I didn't run valves and a turntable I'd put it all inside a nice antique sideboard.

Something like this - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VICTORIAN-ANT...4QQihZ009QQcategoryZ66848QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


My general feeling about speakers, is that (most) don't like stuff around them - walls, and bits and bobs. Free space positioning seems to help get rid of some nasty reflections.

I'm ignoring speakers that are designed to be near walls etc.

Whatever you do, I think the biggest risk in audio is losing your perspective. If something sounded ''crazy'' before you got into the hobby - - chances are you were right!. Our obsessions lead us down garden paths and up the other side again.

 

I'm a between the speakers with short runs of cable .......chap

I think you loose more with longer cables than you do with gear between the speakers. Incidentally I had a big crt tv on a stack between ...but when it died I got a lcd and placed on the wall it quite astonishing how badly the crt effcted the sound of my system .....I should have moved to a lcd years ago had I but known !

 

I find mine is best to one side. If it was between the speakers it would all melt.

 

I think it is system (especially loudspeakers) dependent.
In my case I found out that even placing 2-3 plants in the area between the loudspeakers (satellite/sub-System) deteriorates the soundstage. The same impression I had with a Avalon ceramique system. Long cables can also destroy the sound, this also depends on which cables you are using (also if balanced or not). I suppose Wadia-miester can tell more about this then I can.
We mostly rely on what people say about this and that, we forget that each system is though a unique in its surrounding. Therefore the best is to spend a lot of time and try different assets with an open mind.

 

would increase fluidity at the expense of, well everything really.

 

Or at least run a little hot

 

Imho,...absolutely! (sound better,...but they're not supposed to hide the electronics...)
Though I must confess I find 95% of all racks way overpriced, if you look at the material and simpicity of design.

A couple of years ago I also thought it didn't matter a thing if I'd put my gear on some piece of pine furniture or a dedicated rack.
At that time I had a Cyrus system, and happend to walk into a HiFi-shop one day where they had a nice demo Quadraspire mini Q4 rack, for sale.
(it was especially maesured for the smaller HiFi kit like Cyrus, Linn, etc)

I bought it only because of the looks of it!
Back home I plonked my amp & CDP on the Quadraspire.
It looked much better than on/in my previous pine cabinet.

But,...I was not prepaired for the sonic improvements!
The soundstage opened up, leaving me with more detail, and better controlled bass.

Now I have a Naim Fraim, and although it's price is absurd, it really does sound smashing!!



A cheap alternative to dedicated racks is to buy an IKEA Corras for a few
tenners, and then put 3 cones/spikes underneath.

Looks kinda neat and sound really ok too!

regards,
Alco

 

I have always found equipment between the speakers to be detrimental.

Some quite affective vibrations are usualy at their strongest between the speakers, and these vibrations affect record players and CD players badly, in some cases valve amps and solid state too.

Try putting a stethoscope to some of the supports and equipment casing while playing music at a reasonable level when it is between the speakers, and compair it to putting the rack away from the speakers in a null point where the room has the least vibration and resonance.

 

Although my previous post was in jest, I too find it detrimental betwixt speakers.

 

I have the kit off to the side as we have a fireplace with Plasma screen above it, in the middle. No choice really.
Cable runs are 6m - ugg.
I bought a decent rack (wife encouraged), a few years ago.
Sand filling all the steel tubes increased its mass and reduced the chances of it ringing or vibrating.
Any change to the sound was small and has since got lost in multiple other upgrades...

When I am in the money I would really like to try the Zanash posh solid silver speaker cables.

 

It's a case of balance. If your speakers are only a few feet apart, then yes it may be better to stick the gear to the side of the room- but over 6 feet and it's less of an issue. Putting cheap concrete slabs under your speakers and rack can work wonders, especially on suspended floors.

 

Incidentally I had a big crt tv on a stack between ...but when it died I got a lcd and placed on the wall it quite astonishing how badly the crt effcted the sound of my system .....I should have moved to a lcd years ago had I but known ![/QUOTE]

A couple of years ago we decided to remove an arch which seperated the lounge/dining room and relocate the hi-fi,telly etc.this opened up the room no end.

Fortunatly,before we had the work done,we played around with what options we had as to the best place to locate everything.We intended to do the home cinema bit as well,but keep the hi-fi seperate.

We had the CRT in the middle and the sound was frankly awful.A plasma was the only way,unless you have a room big enough to site the speakers well in front.

 

Speakers under 2m apart ? Less of an issue ? I guess if you are using small speakers with poor bass performance then maybe, but even with Linn Kans at 2m apart I have had performance issues when the equipment was between them.

I have always had my speakers between 5m and 2m apart, used concrete/brick plaster rooms and plasterboard/suspended floors.
Even with the equipment 4m away I have had CD's skip due to vibration, and even minute vibrations will affect a CD laser or cartridge.

The only benifit to between speakers I have found is convenience, particulary with regards to cables.

This sort of positioning works best for me , away to the right of the room where there is a null in bass energy.

 

thanks for all the advice; would have tried the stethoscope test but the police confiscated it along with my doctor kildare box set due to a lack of any formal qualifications.

i have decided to experiment; easy enough as my amstrad tower comes in its own cabinet with wheels and can be easily pushed around for 'dynamic-style' testing (as far as the bell wire will allow).

the sensible upgrade seems to be a padlock for the smoked glass door as some bugger keeps fiddling with me ten band graphic equaliser

seriously though, wouldn't an ikea unit compromise my planar3 compared to the target wall shelf which sounds fine although not so pretty to look at?

also the opinion on sonic benefits for amps and cdps on dedicated racks over standard furniture seems divided. i'd hate to give the likes of seven oaks two hundred quid for nothing

 

You only need to think about the support for the planar, which should be decoupled from any source of vibration. The ikea stuff can be very good ie the lack tables but as with all diy performance can be down to small touches like spiking the legs at each level.

 

I have a rack in Cascais and simple solid furniture in Riga, between the speakers for convenience and short speaker cable, dont think it makes significante difference if the speakers are further in front, as mine are...