Salamander

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by GaryProtein

IVAN--When did you start selling restaurant style broilers?

Gary... Where have you been?

[GaryProtein]

That's a washer and dryer.

I meant these:

[dmacg]

ya lost me ?

[chessman]

Originally Posted by dmacg

Hi Folks;
I just ordered sight and heard unseen from my local dealer a Salamander Archetype stand. A5/B & A3/B, mega spikes and coupling kit. Due to space limitations I have to go vertical and need 7 shelves. I must say, I was pleased to see that you are a dealer Masterlu. I had looked at the Synergy series, but in Canada at least, it was out of my budget. I would really appreciate any and all positive and negative feedback from folks on the Archetype rack. Any negatives I am made aware of, I have a chance to mitigate before I load the rack which is a big job. Any positives will make me smile :-). Thanks one and all.
Doug (dmacg)

I have two Salamander Archetype racks, which have served me well. My only advice is to plan ahead, put the heavy items on the bottom, and be very wary of bumping the threaded rods (will shred the edges of equipment). I put a component on a shelf before putting the next shelf on and connected cables after I was done, but I had the luxury of being able to get behind the rack without moving it. If it is a tight fit you may want to connect cables to components as you go. Use the level!

Since the bottom legs are narrow a tall rack can be tippy. Give some thought to maximum safe height and whether your floor is level. My floor was not (basement). I made sure the shelves were level with the weight of components evenly centered and decided 5 high (about 40 inches) was as high as I dared go. Been 4 years with no issues.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

I have the Salamander Venice 323 with the Antique Cherry Finish. It is an absolutely beautiful piece of furniture with a very solid six shelf aluminum chassis audio rack inside. My wife absolutely loves the way it looks and it fits in well with the decor of our room. She's not quite as happy with the looks of the Pass monoblocks I bought over the summer when she was away visiting her family...LOL. I did get matching cherry amp stands for them though!

Ken

[dmacg]

Hello Chessman, great advice, I wont have the luxury of cabling it from behind, I'll have to do it as I go. I just bought a level today for it's arrival. The 'tippy' factor is a concern the problem is I have 7 components to rack. Where I have it set up you can't bump into it and it's a no kids/pets house. I guess I'll find out as I set it up with the components. I have 5 Symposium platforms and 5 sets of Rollerblock Jr's which I haven't used befor so I'm sure the set up will be a bit of a challenge. Again, your advice was invaluable, Thank you.

It's good to hear that your happy with your Salamander product Planarspeakerfan, thats good news, Thankyou.

Now I just have to figure out if I should put the Broiler or the washer and dryer on the bottom shelf for added stability.
Cheerio, Doug (dmacg)

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by dmacg

It's good to hear that your happy with your Salamander product Planarspeakerfan, thats good news, Thankyou.

Now I just have to figure out if I should put the Broiler or the washer and dryer on the bottom shelf for added stability.
Cheerio, Doug (dmacg)

Funny Doug!!

[chessman]

Originally Posted by dmacg

Hello Chessman, great advice, I wont have the luxury of cabling it from behind, I'll have to do it as I go. I just bought a level today for it's arrival. The 'tippy' factor is a concern the problem is I have 7 components to rack. Where I have it set up you can't bump into it and it's a no kids/pets house. I guess I'll find out as I set it up with the components. I have 5 Symposium platforms and 5 sets of Rollerblock Jr's which I haven't used befor so I'm sure the set up will be a bit of a challenge. Again, your advice was invaluable, Thank you.

It's good to hear that your happy with your Salamander product Planarspeakerfan, thats good news, Thankyou.

Now I just have to figure out if I should put the Broiler or the washer and dryer on the bottom shelf for added stability.
Cheerio, Doug (dmacg)

Doug,

I think my tippy comment my have been too casually made. If each shelf is tightened securely, the rack is very rigid. With the heaviest items on the bottom there is not much reason to think it will tip over. Mine moves little if you push it, but it is sitting un-spiked on a thick carpet. Use routine vigilance and you will be fine.

More interesting is the Symposium pads and Rollerblocks, which I also use. They were like a component upgrade for me. Again, use the level. Then try this - install the Rollerblock Jr.s using only the bearing and the top half of the cup. The bearing rides on the Symposium shelf. This is incredibly friction free and a component with no cables attached will slide off an unlevel shelf. I suggest you put the Symposium shelves in as you assemble the rack (that way you avoid the posts and can easily handle the components) and add the Rollerblocks last. If the bearing down technique is too spooky, use both halves of the cups for much less chance of rolling components. My gallery has pics of my bearing down arrangement under my CD player.

[dmacg]

chessman,
Thanks again, you have been more than helpful. I intend to have most of the weight on the bottom shelves, I think I'll be ok. From my studies, it would seem to me that the "flex" aspect of the design would in fact give superior isolation to that of a very ridged stand. But hey, I could be wrong. I am very much looking forward to incorporating my Rollerblocks and Symposium platforms. Your suggestion sounds interesting, though I am reticent to try it simply for the possibility of movement of the shelf due to it's height. I'll see how it goes. I was also considering placing the Vibrapods I am currently using under the platforms. I haven't found any information or opinion on that from my limited research into it. I'm sure some one has tried it. My next step will be a big one, speakers. Problem is finding something in the $3to5k range that really out performs my humble NHT Classic 3's and B12d sub.
Cheerio, Doug

[dmacg]

Randy,
My apologies for addressing you as chessman, I wasn't thinking.
Doug