What makes the best music system racks and stands

In this article we'll look at which factors make for the best equipment racks for your prized home theatre system. No matter if you are looking tv racks, audio racks or av cabinets, this article will show you what to look for in your new music system rack or stand.

Design

In order to get the best out of your equipment, you'll need to minimise the amount of electrical noise and vibration that your gear is subjected to. The best racks and stands not only look good but work to cancel out these harmful factors. Electrical noise
When you pass electrical current through a wire, it generates a magnetic field. If cables are not routed properly, this magnetic field can degrade the quality of the signal passed between your source and the amplifier. The best racks and stands will have cable tracks to keep signal and power leads separate. Remember when you are setting up your system you should spend at least 10% of your budget on good quality interconnects. Some of the top end equipment hifi racks have built in low noise, filtered power supplies. If you have a large budget, look out for this feature. Vibration & physical disturbances
Good quality lcd tv stands and hi fi racks are heavy pieces of equipment. With moving parts in DVD players and turntables, excessive vibration can degrade the quality of the sound and affect your enjoyment of the picture. Some units will have optional isolation pads to help dampen the vibration from your home stereo equipment. Tip If you do not want to spend extra money on sound isolating pads, then home cinema experts agree that squash balls cut in half achieve the same vibration damping at a fraction of the price! The product finish is also an important consideration. You should try and choose a finish that matches your decor. This said, the most serious home cinema enthusiasts will always go for matt black to minimise reflected light.

Speaker stands

Once you have bought your av equipment rack you shouldn't skip on the speaker stands. Speakers should be well separated to get the best stereo and sound imaging quality. Keeping your speakers on your DVD or hifi cabinet should not be an option if you are serious about sound quality. Look for speaker stands which are heavy and have sound isolating floor spikes. These will make sure that low bass frequencies are not transmitted through the floor. This makes for not only better quality sound, but also happier neighbours!