setting up.......

[Frankie's Market]

HI, I am setting up several of my various amps/preamps/ cdp/dacs on a commercial steel wire rack in my basement . The rack is pretty much what you might see in a hardware store or convenience store, 1"steel tube verticals with 5 adjustable wire shelves. It is about 8 feet tall, has adjustable threaded feet and makes for an approximate 2x4' foot print . I have already cut floor underlayment to place on each shelf for the equipment to rest on.
The basement floor is poured concrete and the basement is heated in the winter, and remains a pleasant 58-60 degrees during the summer, my wonderful spouse has no concerns about how it looks, she has agreed the basement is my real estate to do with as I wish .
As I get the rack in place, I am wondering if there are any "tricks " I should know about before I start setting everything up. Should I place the legs in sand buckets to isolate vibration or is that moot on a concrete floor? Should I stiffen the rack as much as possible ? Other suggestions? Air flow should not be a problem, the rack will have open space all the way around it and shelves will be about 18 inches apart.
Thanks in advance!

 

[budgetaudio6]

What is your humidity level? A dehumidifier will be your best friend.

 

[voltcontrol]

-Putting the rack anywhere else then between the speakers will improve 'imaging'
-Dampening the room will improve the sound. Rug on the floor, placing a filled bookcase, your record/cd collection, using heavy draping on windows (or a wall), etc. Using professional absorbers/deflectors will work best, but might be an overly laborious/costly venture.

 

[Frankie's Market]

Humidity isn't typically an issue . Would it be worth it to place the legs in sand buckets to isolate vibration or is that not an issue? thanks, Ed

 

[jhoyt]

All my gear is in a room with a carpeted concrete floor (okay, my whole house is). I can stand next to my gear rack and jump with an LP playing, and nothing at all happens. I think concrete floors are pretty impervious to vibration, unless you live near an earthquake fault line.

Just make sure the rack doesn't flex much (if at all) under the weight of all your gear. I've seen some bombproof racks, and flimsy ones with the same construction. Put the heavier stuff at the bottom, and lighter stuff toward the top. You should be fine.

 

[hifitommy]

it sounds like you have those rigid chrome racks. some have plastic sheet to go on the bottom of the racks to make them more viable as shelves. to damp the wire, i might use a thin rubber mat (cloth adhered to one side) cut to fit the shelf.

otherwise, i personally use a gorilla rack (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2658820&clickid=prod_cs) which is tremendously rigid and the mdf shelves are supported on all four sides and dont need dampening.

putting the feet in sand buckets doesnt seem necessary but damping the shelves would be a concern.