The furniture your system sits on is part of the system. A turntable on a living room shelf and the same turntable on a rack built for hi-fi do not sound the same: less background noise, tighter bass, less congestion when the music gets dense. This guide explains where vibration comes from, which components suffer most from it and how to choose between the Skyanalog Simplexity R-25 racks and the Cold Ray pieces on offer at my HI-FI HOUSE, in Lisbon.
Where vibration comes from
There are two sources. The first is the floor: footsteps, traffic outside, the washing machine down the hall, all of it climbs up through the feet of the furniture. On a wooden floor the problem is obvious, but even in concrete there is low frequency vibration moving around. The second is the speakers themselves: the sound pressure that fills the room also hits the furniture, and the louder you listen, the more energy arrives.
The turntable is the most sensitive component, because the stylus reads movements of thousandths of a millimeter and cannot tell the ones coming from the record from the ones coming from the furniture. Tube equipment comes next: tubes are microphonic, they turn mechanical vibration into electrical signal, and a tube preamp on a shelf that shakes adds noise. A DAC or a streamer with no moving parts is the least affected.
Decoupling or coupling
Coupling means tying the component to the furniture, and the furniture to the floor, as rigidly as possible, typically with spike feet: vibration born inside the component drains into a larger mass. It works well with heavy racks on concrete. Decoupling is the opposite: placing something compliant between the component and whatever is beneath it, so outside vibration cannot get in. Suspended shelves and isolation platforms follow this logic. The best racks combine both, with rigid pillars down to the floor and shelves that float on those pillars, and that is exactly how the Simplexity is designed.
Skyanalog Simplexity R-25: a rack from a cartridge maker
Skyanalog is known for its moving coil cartridges, and an MC cartridge is an exercise in vibration control at a tiny scale. The Simplexity brings that experience to the furniture. Each birch plywood shelf hangs from the pillars on CNC machined, hand polished aluminum supports, decoupled from the others, so that vibration from one component does not pass to the one next to it. The detail that sets it apart is the calibrated torque wrench in the box: less torque at the suspension points gives a more open and spacious sound, medium torque gives balance, more torque gives a more focused and dense sound. The footprint is the same across the range, 631 by 541 mm; what changes is the number of levels and the load per shelf.
The R-25/1 has a single level, 108 mm tall, and carries 60 kg: it suits a heavy power amplifier or isolating a turntable on furniture you already own. The R-25/2 has two levels, 385 mm tall and 50 kg per shelf, enough for a turntable and an integrated. The R-25/3, 662 mm tall with 35 kg per shelf, is the most common format: turntable, phono stage or streamer and amplifier. The R-25/4 rises to 939 mm and brings together turntable, phono stage, amplification and digital sources. Because it is modular, anyone who starts with two levels can add more later, up to four.
Cold Ray: two ex-display opportunities
Cold Ray takes a more classic approach: natural veneer wood shelves on metal columns that keep floor vibration away from the components. We have two ex-display pieces at opportunity prices. The Base 325 has three walnut shelves, 715 mm wide, 535 mm deep and 325 mm between levels. With 75 kg per shelf, it takes large amplifiers and heavy turntables. It has minor marks from use and goes from €1,779 to €450. The Single is a single platform in black, on metal feet, to isolate one component from the floor or from a sideboard. There are two units at €250 each, instead of €798.
| Model | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Skyanalog Simplexity R-25/1 | 1-level rack, 60 kg load | €479 |
| Skyanalog Simplexity R-25/2 | 2-level rack, 50 kg per shelf | €699 |
| Skyanalog Simplexity R-25/3 | 3-level rack, 35 kg per shelf | €1,099 |
| Skyanalog Simplexity R-25/4 | 4-level rack, 35 kg per shelf | €1,499 |
| Cold Ray Base 325 | 3-shelf stand, 75 kg per shelf (ex-display) | €450 |
| Cold Ray Single | Platform for 1 component (ex-display) | €250 |
How many levels, and what goes on each one
Count your components and add one level if you plan to grow. A streamer and an integrated fit on two levels. Vinyl adds the turntable and often a phono stage, which takes you to three or four. The turntable goes on top: it is the level farthest from the floor and the one that leaves the tonearm free. The amplifier, especially if it is heavy or tube based, goes at the bottom, next to the rack's largest mass. Phono stage, DAC and streamer take the middle, with the phono stage kept away from the amplifier's transformer to avoid hum. If only one component needs isolation, the R-25/1 or the Cold Ray Single solve it without replacing the furniture.
Why we chose Skyanalog
There are racks costing several thousand euros that mostly sell finish. The Simplexity has machined aluminum, birch and real damping adjustment for €479 to €1,499, from a brand that puts its money into what you hear and not into advertising. It was the same criterion that led us to the Skyanalog cartridges. In our listening room you can hear the same turntable with and without the rack and draw your own conclusions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a hi-fi rack really make a difference to the sound?
It does, and the difference is largest with turntables and tube equipment. The stylus reads any vibration that reaches the platter and tubes turn vibration into electrical noise. In an all-digital system the gain is smaller, but it is there, especially on wooden floors.
Spike feet or rubber feet: which is better?
Spike feet couple the furniture to the floor and drain vibration into a larger mass; they work well on concrete with heavy racks. Compliant feet decouple and stop floor vibration from climbing; they are the better choice on wooden floors. The Simplexity combines rigid pillars with suspended shelves and serves both cases.
Where should the turntable go on the rack?
On top. It is the level farthest from the floor, the easiest to level and the one that leaves the tonearm and lid free. The amplifier goes at the bottom and the phono stage in the middle, away from the transformer.
Read also How to improve your room's acoustics and Your first turntable: how to choose (and what to avoid).