Quality hi-fi Rack = Better sound quality?
Discussion
I have a Marantz PM6004 amplifier - CD6004 CD player connected to Monitor Audio Bronze 5 floorstander speakers.
The units sit on a very stable 4 leg table and as a system sounds pretty good.
Should I consider a quality hi-fi rack before considering the main component upgrades?
I understand the need for a turntable to be level and well isolated, but as mine is only a CD system I'm not sure.
Looking at Musical Fidelity M2si amplifier with M2scd CD player or Cambridge Audio CXA61 with matching CD transport, as the DAC with this combo is in the amplifier.
The units sit on a very stable 4 leg table and as a system sounds pretty good.
Should I consider a quality hi-fi rack before considering the main component upgrades?
I understand the need for a turntable to be level and well isolated, but as mine is only a CD system I'm not sure.
Looking at Musical Fidelity M2si amplifier with M2scd CD player or Cambridge Audio CXA61 with matching CD transport, as the DAC with this combo is in the amplifier.
Looks like you're considering a very similar set up to mine, I have the M2si amp with CD input from a Cambridge Audio CXC through a Cambridge Audio Dacmagic 100.
Paired with B&W 606 it sounds fantastic.
I tried the M2sCD but the CA set up matched it to my ears and as I was able to grab them from Richer Sounds clearance section came to less than half the price, it also allows me to run my old JE530 MD player through the DAC giving significant improvements.
As you'll see from the photo below it all sits on a glass TV stand which I got from our local facebook group for a fiver. At this level of equipment I really don't see the need for additional damping or anything like that and am more than happy with what I get out of it all.
Paired with B&W 606 it sounds fantastic.
I tried the M2sCD but the CA set up matched it to my ears and as I was able to grab them from Richer Sounds clearance section came to less than half the price, it also allows me to run my old JE530 MD player through the DAC giving significant improvements.
As you'll see from the photo below it all sits on a glass TV stand which I got from our local facebook group for a fiver. At this level of equipment I really don't see the need for additional damping or anything like that and am more than happy with what I get out of it all.
[quote=Herr Schnell]Looks like you're considering a very similar set up to mine, I have the M2si amp with CD input from a Cambridge Audio CXC through a Cambridge Audio Dacmagic 100.
I tried the M2sCD but the CA set up matched it to my ears and as I was able to grab them from Richer Sounds clearance section came to less than half the price, it also allows me to run my old JE530 MD player through the DAC giving significant improvements.
Good use of the Dacmagic 100 to bring MD player back into your system.
Think I'll compare the Musical Fidelity and Cambridge Audio combination, but forget about the idea of an expensive rack!
I tried the M2sCD but the CA set up matched it to my ears and as I was able to grab them from Richer Sounds clearance section came to less than half the price, it also allows me to run my old JE530 MD player through the DAC giving significant improvements.
Good use of the Dacmagic 100 to bring MD player back into your system.
Think I'll compare the Musical Fidelity and Cambridge Audio combination, but forget about the idea of an expensive rack!
I’ve got these
https://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/category/869/g...
Easy to put together, plenty of options, not expensive and good delivery.
https://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/category/869/g...
Easy to put together, plenty of options, not expensive and good delivery.
rjfp1962 said:
I have a Marantz PM6004 amplifier - CD6004 CD player connected to Monitor Audio Bronze 5 floorstander speakers.
The units sit on a very stable 4 leg table and as a system sounds pretty good.
Should I consider a quality hi-fi rack before considering the main component upgrades?
I understand the need for a turntable to be level and well isolated, but as mine is only a CD system I'm not sure.
Looking at Musical Fidelity M2si amplifier with M2scd CD player or Cambridge Audio CXA61 with matching CD transport, as the DAC with this combo is in the amplifier.
A decent rack will improve sound quality but the effects will be subtle compared to a change in equipment. Also, there's no need to go wild with the budget. I use Atacama Equinox racks myself and they're very good.The units sit on a very stable 4 leg table and as a system sounds pretty good.
Should I consider a quality hi-fi rack before considering the main component upgrades?
I understand the need for a turntable to be level and well isolated, but as mine is only a CD system I'm not sure.
Looking at Musical Fidelity M2si amplifier with M2scd CD player or Cambridge Audio CXA61 with matching CD transport, as the DAC with this combo is in the amplifier.
Deranged Rover said:
A decent rack will improve sound quality but the effects will be subtle compared to a change in equipment. Also, there's no need to go wild with the budget. I use Atacama Equinox racks myself and they're very good.
A rack will not improve sound quality whatsoever. Any solid platform will work, the platform just gives stability whether that’s a £10 Ikea side table or £1000 audiophile rack. I have something similar to this. Cost about £120. I can't recall the supplier, but it might have even been these guys, pretty sure it was a Cleckhuddersfax firm.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HiFi-Stand-Walnut-or-Bl...
Hi fi racks are total pisstake - you can get one made bespoke for a third of the cost of the poncey stuff.
Save you money. A set of decent Linn K20 cables or similar is worthwhile, but not a rack made of happy mango trees, hand fettled by disabled Nepalese lesbians intent on creating an enhanced soundscape and clarity of tone.
Boom78 said:
A rack will not improve sound quality whatsoever. Any solid platform will work, the platform just gives stability whether that’s a £10 Ikea side table or £1000 audiophile rack.
Definitely noticed a subtle improvement when I moved my Roksan kit on to an Atacama rack, pretty sure it wasn’t a placebo effect as I was very sceptical & did it mainly for aesthetic reasons. IMHO, a well isolated rack will improve sound quality if your source is Vinyl, and you're playing loud. It is possible for the stylus to pick up vibrations transmitted via the floor and into the rack, and thus distort the overall sound.
For any other source your rack will make approximately 10% of F**k all difference.
For any other source your rack will make approximately 10% of F**k all difference.
Love it.
People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
Tony1963 said:
Love it.
People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
I’m guessing you have paid out on an expensive rack People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
How on earth does a lump of wood/glass with legs out perform some wood/glass with legs?
Boom78 said:
A rack will not improve sound quality whatsoever. Any solid platform will work, the platform just gives stability whether that’s a £10 Ikea side table or £1000 audiophile rack.
I'm happy if that's what you think. I'm also very happy with my rack that I apparently didn't need.That said, if you only have an Ikea Lack but have more than one item of hi-fi, then you need to stack your equipment on top of each other. In this case, they are far better off on their own shelves on a dedicated rack both in terms of sound quality and longevity (as the heat from the amplifier isn't slowly cooking the CD player, for example). However, as i said, you don't need to pay a silly price for this.
Boom78 said:
I’m guessing you have paid out on an expensive rack
How on earth does a lump of wood/glass with legs out perform some wood/glass with legs?
So by your reckoning all cars are the same, all CDs sound the same, and all beer tastes the same. How on earth does a lump of wood/glass with legs out perform some wood/glass with legs?
I had an old Soundstyle three legged stand that sounded ok. But, it looked like an old North Sea oil rig, so it had to go. I tried a few, was healthily cynical, but the expensive stand did the trick. We like the looks, and it definitely helped the electronics do their thing better.
Remember. Some people choose a particular car because they like the colour... a hifi stand is very cheap by comparison.
And as a side note, the stand I chose over ten years ago is now worth almost what I paid for it, so I’ve not really lost out at all.
Tony1963 said:
Love it.
People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
Having worked in the TV and radio industry for over 20 years (admittedly more on transmission and lines than studios) we find fancy cases and mains conditioners quite amusing.People stating as fact that there is no way that a hifi rack can improve the sound/music when compared to, say, a coffee table.
Get over yourselves! There are many reasons in physics why a properly designed stand 'can' make a difference. You don't have to believe it, and that's fine, but telling others that your belief is fact is just ignorant and blinkered.
Isolating a turntable is one thing (though if you aren't stomping around it doesn't matter that much) but for CDs the case makes no difference. Just buy something you like the quality and look of and be happy with it. Obviously ventilation and cable access are useful.
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