Recently, I placed an order for a Mapleshade Samson rack. I'm very impressed with everything from the packaging, to the finish, to the ease of putting it together.
I ordered a two component wide shelf with 4 inch shelves along with platforms on top for the top two components (turntable and sacd player or dac). The air dried maple shelves are finished in the custom rosewood color, as are the top platforms. Not pictured are two amp stands, finished in black. I know some people knock this rack (myself included) at the expense versus replicating it oneself, but I can't imagine making this any better than what arrived at my door. I had some anxiety about whether the rack would ship safely, and if it would go together without a hitch, but that worrying was for naught. My expectations have been exceeded.
The first pic shows the 700+ pounds worth of delivery and the next couple of pics show how safely packed each box was. Everything was fully enveloped in 2 inch styrofoam, virtually ensuring safe delivery.
I'd say it took about 2 or 2.5 hours total, between unpacking the boxes in the garage, carrying everything upstairs, and putting everything together.
Absolutely no tools are necessary except for the included, small tool (think allen wrench type) to tighten the brass nuts past hand tightening.
The rack is solid and is likely as immune to footfalls, as anything else near the price. I made the error of ordering a competing rack that has been written about on this forum, and it was far more difficult to construct, and in my opinion was unsuitable for less stable floors that transmit vibration, such as the hardwood in my condominiumum. I've privately explained my experience with that rack to a few people on this forum. My goal has been to isolate my VPI Aries Unipivot tonearm from the dance it did just when I walked on the floor. I'm not sure how much better I could do than this rack.
I think I was initially wary of the simplicity of this Mapleshade rack, but I should have gone with my intuition from the start; THIS WAS THE WAY TO GO. I love the way it turned out! Now I just have to wait until after the new year when I get back from the holidays to put the gear back. BUT, I have my new cable loom coming as soon as I return so I'm looking forward to the new year!
