Since a hifi rack will be a very visual addition to one's listening den, appearance and size matter. Hence the market's broad range of choices. From ownership, I have direct lengthy experience with two Grand Prix Audio Monaco Modular and now Artesanía's double-wide Exoteryc with matching amp stands. Unable to move the latter out of the main system's sidewall location, I'd build up Hifistay's alternate solution between the speakers instead. Unlike the Spanish monster, I'd also be able relocate the Korean modules upstairs to try out in the system where I'd just tested the Stella60 footers.
Calibration markers make it easy to duplicate adjustments for these component footers.
Time to step back and wait for the Grande Inquisitor's knock on the door. Until then, a brief overview of this market. Very similar in concept and makeup is the Danish Ansuz titanium rack. It too stacks X-frame modules and decouples them with ball-bearing footers, then adds footers between each cross brace/shelf junction and a set on the floor.
Two Ansuz Titanium racks in their upstairs Aalborg listening den.
The Stillpoints ESR rack, Grand Prix Audio Silverstone and Artesanía Exoteryc introduce suspension components by steel wire, hanger or needle bearing. A plethora of wood-based stacked/monolithic racks can be upgraded with ball-bearing footers of the multi-ball (Finite Elemente Cerabase, sundry Hifistay, Stillpoints) or single-ball kind (GPA, Symposium), with tunable viscoelastic footers (Equarack) or constrained-layer types which bond together dissimilar materials. Today even speaker makers like Magico have begun to breach this specialty sector with their own rack and footers. Wilson's new Pedestal footers command a stout $2'225/3.
Hifistay's assortment of footers and spike shoes can help up the game of more furniture-style wooden equipment supports should you find the cosmetics of their full Mythology racks too martial.
Cynics see simple demand and supply. Others see growing acknowledgment that resonance control for high-performance hifi really matters. If you haven't experimented with performance racks yet, I'd not blame you for still being a cynic. How much audible damage could tiny little vibes really do to our gear? If we call it mechanical jitter to ride on the established coat tails of digital jitter, we might have our first clue. If we remember how premium crossovers either go off-board or into sealed sub chambers to escape the loudest part of the room inside the speaker box thus microphonic reactions, we'll have our second. For a third, potted mechanically floating power transformers visualize engineered efforts to isolate physical vibrations from sensitive circuitry. Similarly engineered racks just extend the same thinking to its logical conclusion.
With Mr. Naiwon's rack portfolio introduced, we next focus our attention on the flagship X-Frame which allows us to change the angle of its diagonal struts to alter the overall footprint. Uniquely, the owner can thus make this rack wider/shallower or narrower/deeper.
Next we see its dimensions. "In this drawing, Mr. Pyun has already accounted for a 40mm thick new shelf that's still being finalized. It results in the 240mm clearance for a 250mm column just as shown. Our Mythology rack is completely functional without any shelves but we do offer optional shelves in two versions: an already available standard shelf and a more upscale one that's still in development. We will supply you with four of the new shelves in pre-production form just to document what the Mythology rack with them will look like."
When according to earlier emails my loaner was to ship, "I feel sorry but there will be another delay. Right before the planned dispatch, Mr. Pyun decided to include a minor upgrade which he originally planned for much later. He just couldn't shake off his idea of this upgrade which he now wants to share with you and your readers as soon as possible." Given the very real shipping torture of size, weight and cost, I assured John Lim that this delay was much preferable to adding an eventual addendum based on a second sample. The best things come to those who wait a bit longer.
