I am in the final stages of assembling a new audio system, which will probably be my last. My dealer has recommended the Neo 2 Quattron, or Artesania Audio Prestige Pack or Exoteryc. The two latter are quite a bit more expensive than the Neo, although I quite the look of them. I know I should really listen to them but doing a comparison after offloading a Vivaldi three box stack and other gear and then putting it all back together is a lengthy task making a proper comparison quite hard to do.
I settled on an HRS SXR 6 platform rack for my “final” system and have never regretted the cost. It was a big upgrade to the Finite Pagoda I had prior.
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I’ve gone for the HRS SXR also, after all sorts of transferable armchair research.
They’re pretty. (And really bloody expensive, which I hope I’ll forget about when they arrive and — another dash of hope here — make things sound even better than they do already.)
Racks are a pig to shop for. Testing before the fact is nigh on impossible for most of us.
I’ve settled on Stillpoints ESS. No regrets.
…That is very true which is why I’m done and settles with mine.
There are some things like racks and expensive headphones that it seems virtually impossible to audition before purchase. For me a major issue has been the size of rack needed as most manufacturers make limited sizes. So one consideration has to be knowing exactly what you want to house. My system is large ( 4 box dCS, turntable, multi box tube phono amp, headphone amp and preamps etc) and most of the rated brands do not cater for much aside for a system that can be housed in a single bay four level rack. Very expensive too.
I use a ifve bay ( height) double width “vented” rack from Quadraspire . Has some downsides though but it looks wonderful. Sounds good too ( better then its Townshend predecessor). However as I have remarked regarding other things there is no point in recommending anything that you cannot actually buy and you seem limited to the brands you cite. One other owner here has (or had) the Artesania rack which he seemed happy with ( check archives). However I seem to recall that it has no conventional platforms and requires removal of the components’ feet. For me the inconvenience outweighs any sonic advantage.
One general point. Avoid glass shelves. They can add resonances or glare.
Let us know what you choose.
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Thanks for all of the suggestions and for your detailed response, Pete. I take some comfort in the knowledge that others also have difficulties in auditioning these. I am not limited to the two options in my post, it is simply what my dealer has suggested as two different possibilities. I am in the process of researching racks as far as it possible without A/B comparisons, so all of the suggestions made will be looked at and I am grateful for them all.
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