Audio Equipment Rack

Setting Up Audio Racks  

by Julia Brothers

1U 19IN Equipment Rack & Wall Mount Server Rack

Audio racks are just that: racks designed to hold your audio equipment during either usage or storage. Coming in many different styles, racks allow you to have easy access to your audio equipment while keeping it well organized.

Balance

Balance your rack by mounting heavier gear toward the bottom of the rack and lighter items at the top. This will help keep the rack balanced wherever it might be sitting, keep it from falling over as it’s transported, and make it easier to carry and lift.

Rack Cooling

Electronic audio and music equipment can produce quite a bit of heat, which is sure to shorten your gear’s lifespan is to allow all that heat to build up. If a piece of gear gets really hot – any kind of amplifier, or anything with tubes, for example – leave at least one empty space above it in the rack to allow for airflow. Remember heat flows upward, so arrange the gear in your rack so that heat-producers aren’t affecting each other. In some cases a rack-mountable fan like the Middle Atlantic Products QFP-1 may be necessary to keep things cool.

Portable Racks

When you transport your sound system to and from the gig the issues of rack

American Audio DB Display Rack Mount DB Display

mounting and protection come up. The importance of protecting your gear cannot be understated. However, you can scale your protection to the types of travel and hazards you are likely to face. If you are moving a small system from your house to the coffee house once a week, then soft racks may be sufficient. Soft racks provide compact, lightweight protection from dust and minor scrapes, while hard cases are designed to protect your gear from the hazards of frequent loading and unloading: the bumps, collisions with other gear and scratches, as well as dust and dirt. Some hard cases include shock mounts and some are ATA-rated for airline travel.

The most important thing is to take care when choosing an audio rack, as like any piece of furniture it should last you for some time. If the cost seems high on a rack you want, make sure it’s worth it. The improvement they can add to your sound is worth the effort.

Polk Audio In-ceiling Speaker

Polk Audio LCi-RTS100 (Ea) THX Ultra2 Certified 2-way In-ceiling Speaker

Polk Audio In-Ceiling Speakers

Technical Details

• Ideal for retrofit and new construction
• Stud-Lock Mounting System
• THX Ultra2-certified
• Audiophile Grade Drivers and Tweeters
• Ring Radiator tweeter

Product Description

For absolutely the best, most consistent home theater performances, the LCi-RTS100 are the new standard for in-ceiling home theater loudspeakers. The LCi-RTS100 features an integrated perfect volume performance enclosure to ensure superb performance every time. Because the performance enclosure is the same size as the cutout, the LCi-RTS100 installs easily in a post construction project. This system creates a rigid platform for the LCi-RTS100, increasing bass performance, clarity and reducing unwanted structure borne vibration. The RTS100 has the distinction of being the very first in-ceiling speaker to earn THX Ultra2 performance certification. Youre assured of great surround sound performance and exceptional dynamic range.

Polk Audio Powered Subwoofer

Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer (Single, Black)

Polk Audio Subwoofer

Product Features

• A single powered subwoofer for use with stereo or home theater speaker systems
• Equipped with one magnetically shielded 12-inch long-throw woofer
• Frequency Response: 23Hz – 160Hz
• Peak power handling: 460 watts (300 watts continuous)
• Slot-load venting minimizes turbulence, noise, and distortion

Technical Details

• Brand Name: Polk Audio
• Model: AM5050-C
• Color Name: Black
• Speaker Type: Subwoofer
• Speaker Amplification Type: Active
• Speakers Maximum Output Power: 460 Watts
• Speakers Response Bandwidth: 23 – 160 Hz
• Speaker Connectivity: Wired
• Depth: 18.2 inches
• Height: 16.1 inches
• Width: 15.1 inches
• Weight: 56 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years warranty
• Dripping with bass, September 22, 2009

Polk Audio Subwoofer

Dripping With Bass

By Money Leaker (Rancho Cordova, CA USA)

Bass is clear, deep, oh, and LOUD! If you really want your HT to sound like an IMAX theater, then I whole-heartedly recommend this sub. It fills in the low end seamlessly. It also takes the burden of reproducing low lows off of your other speakers (which aren’t nearly as capable as the PSW505). This is not a cheap “rumble box”. The first movie I watched with this sub connected is Peter Jackson’s “King Kong”. The raptor/bronto chase through the gully is off the hook! The 30-ton bronto’s gallop will set up a standing wave in your intestinal tract!!! But loud does not mean muddy or rumbly with the 505. I was pushing the sub to about 50% volume and I thought my house’s windows may break. And like I said, that was only at about 50% volume. Besides, you want to be a good neighbor and not max this thing out cuz it can be heard clearly from a good 50 feet away. I find that it performs exceedingly well at about 15% of its capability in my medium/small sided living room. At normal/reasonable volumes, this sub recreates the super lows that truly make the difference between listening pleasure and listening rapture. No HT is truly complete without a sub and this one fits the bill to a tee.

a) I definitely WOULDN’T recommend this product if you live in a dorm/apt/condo/townhouse. This thing has the sonic capability to really anger your neighbors.

b) This sub is one of the few in its price range that actually has an LFE input (Low Frequency Effects) in addition to LL & speaker-level. I you didn’t know, LFE & Line-Level (LL) inputs both use an RCA connector. The difference is that the LFE channel carries only low freqs from source whereas LL carries the entire sound spectrum. The LFE goes straight to your sub’s amp whereas LL first goes through your sub’s built-in crossover and then from there to your sub’s amp. If you plug LL into the LFE input, you’ll be asking the sub reproduce the full sound spectrum. Not what you want, of course. Probably not a big deal whether you use one or the other. The Polk’s built-in crossover is fine, i’m sure, but I’d rather do the crossing-over at the A/V unit level.

c) Apparently, a good powered sub has an ON/OFF/AUTO switch, a 180-degree phase-change switch, a volume control, a cross-over level control (this control is not functional if you are using the LFE), a LL input (or two), an LFE input, and a Left/Right channel speaker-level input and corresponding outputs (for a total of 8 speaker wire connectors).

d) The unit seems very well built with what feels like sturdy wood (or MDF) and is somewhat heavy. Which is a good thing. It feels reassuringly sturdy/massive.

e) Would I buy this sub again? Well, I’ve discovered that many of the wonderful items

Yamaha Subwoofer

that are for sale at Amazon are no longer being produced. IE, they are discontinued by the manufacturer. Do a product search at polk.com and you will no find this sub (you can do a search in the product support section to find its corresponding literature pdf). I just guess that that is the nature of the beast. Great products sooner or later get replaced with even newer & greater products. The older and merely “great” (not “greater”) products still need to get cleared out of the inventory so they wind up at amazon.com or other e-tail sites. So, despite the fact that this sub is no longer in production, no longer supported, and is probably a year or two or three (or more) old… would I still buy it again? HELL YES!