glass in racks

[htseeker]

I'm planning to have a custom rack built and wanted to check whether it is ok have to glass shelves ( in terms of effect on acoustics) or is wood better. Thanks.

 

[hemant0285]

Avoid glass.... they create noise ...

 

[avidyarthy]

I kind of self designed my racks ... all in wood.

Glass is definitely on as 'shelf' material. I would have gone for glass had it struck me then. Just make sure that the glass thickness is > 6 mm, better would be 8 mm. That would curtail any vibrations, and also be of sufficient weight and strength to support @ 10 to 15 kg individual units.

The corners / borders could be of solid teak bars with incisions on either sides to slide fit the 8 mm 'clear & transparent' glass shelves to accomodate the units. Would look classier too.

 

[santhosh]

Go with MDF/Wood for the shelves. Glass reflects and resonates big time.

I made the mistake of getting my AV rack (DIY design) using steel and 8mm glass shelves and I will never recommend glass to anyone. I still use this rack and when I go near the rack, I can actually hear the echo caused by the reflection of sound between the shelves. I intend to change the shelves to mdf shortly.

While designing the rack, remember to keep the sides, front and rear of the AV rack open. If not, it becomes a resonant cavity.

 

[rikhav]

What happens with the audiophiles tooth cavities? Is there an audiophile grade filling available?

Hi Gobble
Have no personal issues with you and I dont mind a laugh some time
But dont you think its not a good idea to derail every other thread with humorous posts

 

[santhosh]

What happens with the audiophiles tooth cavities? Is there an audiophile grade filling available?

Oh yeah gobble, two of my teeth have been filled. The first one was filled with silver amalgam and covered with ceramic. Although the cavity does not resonate any more, on listening I find the sound to be very brittle. The next time I had to address a cavity, I checked with the dentist if I can opt for lead shots, but the dentist (an audiophile himself) recommended a composite resin mixed in snake oil and covered with 22k audiophile grade gold. No doubt expensive, but sounds great to my ears and will last many years I am told. I am looking to upgrade the other tooth also as it in now a weak link in my chain of teeth.

Hi Gobble
Have no personal issues with you and I dont mind a laugh some time
But dont you think its not a good idea to derail every other thread with humorous posts

Rikhav, why so serious mate?

I read Gobble's post last night but could not reply. Am shocked that good, harmless humour and has been deleted:sad:.

 

[rikhav]

Hi Santosh
Not serious at all
But with every discussion if there are humorous posts totally unrelated to the topic, I feel its too much
I repeat, this is just my personal opinion

If one wants to add some humor maybe they can do it along with adding some points related to the discussion

 

[soundofmusic]

I have done my Rack in steel and shelves are 10MM Glass. I dont get any echos or ringing sound from the rack, but make sure the rack should be quite heavy. My rack is 22 inches wide and weighs almost 60kgs including glass.

 

[santhosh]

I have done my Rack in steel and shelves are 10MM Glass. I dont get any echos or ringing sound from the rack, but make sure the rack should be quite heavy. My rack is 22 inches wide and weighs almost 60kgs including glass.

Hi soundofmusic,
My rack is also quite heavy and easily ~50 kilos but this has nothing to do with the weight or decoupling the equipment from vibrations. It is the material itself that I see as a problem. I could be wrong though. Also, it could be the placement also because of which the reflections are not affecting your music experience. I use the rack in question for Video applications and it is placed on the side wall and not between the speakers. I don't have an AV rack for music. The amp(solid state) is placed on Granite and the TT, Preamp and Phonostage are currently placed on Auralex Gramma. While music is being played, I can hear the ringing noise if I put my ear near the rack. As a simple test, try speaking loudly from near the rack, you will hear the echoes immediately.

From what I have read, Plexiglass(Transparent Acrylic) is easy to work with and has acoustic properties that can be used for a rack.

 

[venkatcr]

From what I have read, Plexiglass(Transparent Acrylic) is easy to work with and has acoustic properties that can be used for a rack.

Acrylic has a number of issues in my mind:

1. Has to be very thick (20 mm or above?) to not bend and be able to take the weight of the units.

2. Is susceptible to heat and could bend or go out of shape if it is subject to heat continuously.

3. End up with marks and starts looking glazed after a little while.

4. Thick Acrylic, I think, is much more expensive than glass of the same thickness. Ram did some research yesterday and could possibly throw some light.

Cheers

 

[Sumit]

I has posted on glass and its acoustic properties before. Can't find the link. Please hit the link below to know about waterfall audio.

WaterFall Audio - Crateur d'enceintes acoustiques en verre

I had a chance to see these speakers and and meet the owner / designer in person. The pair that I had a look at was retailing at 22L. They are in business since 1996. They must be doing something right with glass.

Excerpts from the website: " Glass, not only a stately and beautiful material, because of its high density, also helps eliminate unwanted vibrations from the structure of the loudspeaker, therefore providing perfect sound reproduction".

I can understand that Santhosh is able to hear echoes. Could be possible. But, there is more to it than meets the eye. It depends on type of glass,positioning,rack enclosure type etc. For eg, base is generally stronger in the corner of a room. If the rack is placed in the corner then it will behave in a different manner then when kept at a null point of base.

Having said the above, I would recommend Non-laminated MDF board, simply because there is a lot of precaution required with glass whereas mdf can be forgiving. Use min 12mm to start with. Recommended is 18mm.

Cheers!!

 

[trittya]

IMHO, glass is ok only if 18mm or more. Personally, granite would be a better option but its opaque but some say acoustically more inert than glass. Check my comments here
http://www.hifivision.com/diy/16856-diy-tnt-flexi-stand-one-day-2.html

and read this thread too

http://www.hifivision.com/diy/16860-my-diy-stainless-steel-hi-fi-racks-stuff.html

In addition check out the snaps on my facebook profile - trittya tunn

Hope this helps