Hallo,
how much is quadraspire Q4 table, regular size, in U.K.?
thank you

David

Go to www.quadraspire.co.uk.

They have a 'build your table' program that works out the cost for you when you say you're finished.

Normal or wobbly acrylic? (the wobbly acrylic isn't on the website).

Go to www.quadraspire.co.uk.

They have a 'build your table' program that works out the cost for you when you say you're finished.

thank you !

David

Normal or wobbly acrylic? (the wobbly acrylic isn't on the website).


normal
thanks again

David

are 19mm column diameter good for Q4 for hi-fi system? Or better 32mm?

David

It's a trade-off between short length for extra rigidity and longer length to give the space for more air to flow around your equipment to keep it cool and to stop magnetic fields from power supplies etc. interfering with other equipment. So that depends on what equipment you've got, what volume you play your music at, what the temperature is in the room and whether your equipment has got cooling slots on top, or the sides, or none at all (like Naim).

I guess I would allow at least a couple of inches (or 5 cm) above each amplifier that's going to produce heat, so CD players, tuners and pre-amps are OK but power amps and power supplies need the room.

Anything with a valve in it is different again of course, but I don't know about them.

Another consideration is that the equipment that is the most sensitive to vibration should go on top.

Send a list of your equipment and we'll recommend an arrangement for you (or more likely tell you 20 different arrangements, each vociferously defended, and we'll tell you to sell the lot and buy something completely different that you've never heard of and is fantastically expensive:D )

[QUOTE=2 many boxes]It's a trade-off between short length for extra rigidity and longer length to give the space for more air to flow around your equipment to keep it cool [QUOTE]

I say, keep it clean old man.

are 19mm column diameter good for Q4 for hi-fi system? Or better 32mm?The chunky legs are normally seen with the chunky AV racks. Most hi-fi racks have the 19mm legs.

linn genki
nac 72
hi-cap
nap 180

David

The chunky legs are normally seen with the chunky AV racks. Most hi-fi racks have the 19mm legs.


thanks

David

You may be interested to know that there is an E-Bay shop that sells Quadraspire factory seconds at about 60-75% of list price. They cannot get hold of Reference tables but standard wood ones are always available.

I'll post the details later if you are interested.

Rob.

Sure, Rob
thank you

David

I meant 19mm. as diameter of column...
Anyway,
I think, from bottom to top:

1st shelf: nap 180 with 140-180mm distance between 1st and 2nd shelf
2nd shelf: hi-cap with 316mm distance between 2nd and 3rd shelf (i.e. between hi-cap and nac 72)
3rd shelf: Nac 72 with 140-180mm distance between 3rd and 4th shelf
4th shelf: Linn genki

what do you think?
thank you

David




It's a trade-off between short length for extra rigidity and longer length to give the space for more air to flow around your equipment to keep it cool and to stop magnetic fields from power supplies etc. interfering with other equipment. So that depends on what equipment you've got, what volume you play your music at, what the temperature is in the room and whether your equipment has got cooling slots on top, or the sides, or none at all (like Naim).

I guess I would allow at least a couple of inches (or 5 cm) above each amplifier that's going to produce heat, so CD players, tuners and pre-amps are OK but power amps and power supplies need the room.

Anything with a valve in it is different again of course, but I don't know about them.

Another consideration is that the equipment that is the most sensitive to vibration should go on top.

Send a list of your equipment and we'll recommend an arrangement for you (or more likely tell you 20 different arrangements, each vociferously defended, and we'll tell you to sell the lot and buy something completely different that you've never heard of and is fantastically expensive:D )

I meant 19mm. as diameter of column...
Anyway,
I think, from bottom to top:

1st shelf: nap 180 with 140-180mm distance between 1st and 2nd shelf
2nd shelf: hi-cap with 316mm distance between 2nd and 3rd shelf (i.e. between hi-cap and nac 72)
3rd shelf: Nac 72 with 140-180mm distance between 3rd and 4th shelf
4th shelf: Linn genki

what do you think?
thank you

David

Agreed, but it might be interesting to experiment with leaving the 3rd shelf empty. Then the 72 is further away from the magnetic field produced by the HiCap and has the extra vibration isolation, but its closer to the transformer in the Genki...

Agreed, but it might be interesting to experiment with leaving the 3rd shelf empty. Then the 72 is further away from the magnetic field produced by the HiCap and has the extra vibration isolation, but its closer to the transformer in the Genki...

Are you suggesting that he should place the 72 on the top shelf along with the Genki ?

Even if they would both fit on one shelf, I doubt that this would improve matters.

It would also look pretty silly too (IMHO of course).

My system is on a Q4 standard rack with 32mm columns and glass shelves.
Sounds fab to me!

airdavid, You seem already to have given the matter some thought. I think your proposed spacings would be fine.

You shouldn't need the redundant third shelf as your hi-cap and 72 are plenty far enough (326mm +15mm -90mm) away from each other. This is what matters most: I seem to recall that strength of EM fields vary in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between two objects, so I doubt a redundant shelf will add very much except to the cost.

I use the wooden Q4. The columns come in spacings of 100mm, 140mm, 180mm, 216mm, 256mm, 326mm. I have most of mine on 100mm, but it's because I need 6 layers of shelving.

I probably would not put the NAC72 next to the Linn source. Can't say what EM pollution the Genki will generate, though.......

I guess I would allow at least a couple of inches (or 5 cm) above each amplifier that's going to produce heat, so CD players, tuners and pre-amps are OK but power amps and power supplies need the room.Talking Naim, you would only need the space for heat dissipation for the power amps. The 'caps never really get hot.

thank you, guys
Naim suggests 300mm. as minimum distance between amp-power supply and pre-cdplayer.
But what about minimum distance between pre and cdplayer?

David

Hi David,

I've lost the name of the Ebay shop but I still have an e-mail address for the person you need to contact for the Quadraspire factory seconds. Her name is Rachel and her address is "ISibs AT aol.com" with the AT changed to @ obviously.

I've just bought a second (no pun!) table and I have to say that I can't really tell why it’s considered a second. The table was shipped in original packaging and looked to me as good as a regular shop bought one. I could only tell on close inspection that there was one very slight problem which was that there was a little bit of raised veneer near where the holes for the columns are fitted. I couldn’t see anything else and I was looking! This minor imperfection doesn't show when the columns are fitted anyhow. I am very pleased with the table.

Regards,

Rob.

WRT distance, does a stacked Fraim have 300 mm gaps between all components? I don't think so.

140 mm columns will be fine. Honest.

Rob

ok, but Naim rule's not followed ?

David

Don't forget to leave those top bolts loose guys and gals!
If you haven't tried it, try it.
If you don't hear any difference then hey ho, but when I had a wood QS rack it improved the music...

Don't forget to leave those top bolts loose guys and gals!
...


Sorry Alex,
I don't understand it...

David

ok, but Naim rule's not followed ?should be fine. as I said, the effect is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. using the math, the EM isolation effect [of using 326mm columns] will be 70% compared with the Naim recommendation.

I take the naim recommendation just as a rule of thumb. A 326mm column as you wanted it would be fine. If you're really particular, I imagine the PSU in the Genki will probably have a larger effect on the pre-amp.

I don't understand it...
leaving the uppermost bolts loose has the effect of de-coupling the top board from the rest of the stand, allowing better vibrational isolation of the source, (which should be placed on the top shelf)

I was only suggesting it as an experiment. If it doesn't work then you don't even have to unplug anything to move it back. You never know, it might work. It does look stupid though.

leaving the uppermost bolts loose has the effect of de-coupling the top board from the rest of the stand, allowing better vibrational isolation of the source, (which should be placed on the top shelf)

Thankyou :)

I am very often misunderstood. My mum kept telling me that.

I was only suggesting it as an experiment. If it doesn't work then you don't even have to unplug anything to move it back. You never know, it might work. It does look stupid though.the great thing about quadraspire is that different column heights are available to order.

As I said, it's the distance which matters wrt EM radiation, so a greater spacing using longer columns in the Q4 tends to look a bit less silly than having an empty shelf, whilst achieving [almost] the same effect as the redundant shelf. You save on the piece of wooden shelving.

should be fine. as I said, the effect is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. using the math, the EM isolation effect [of using 326mm columns] will be 70% compared with the Naim recommendation.

Sorry, could you explain again? I don't understand....



I take the naim recommendation just as a rule of thumb. A 326mm column as you wanted it would be fine. If you're really particular, I imagine the PSU in the Genki will probably have a larger effect on the pre-amp.

so, is it worst genki vs. nac than hi-cap\nap vs. nac?

David

Moreover,
is it better glass than wood shelf just for the source, cdplayer? Or is it the same?
Could you send me picture of your quadraspire rack ?

Wood is better than glass, acrylic is better than wood. For sound that is, you may prefer the look of glass.
You could have wood bottom and middle shelf and an acrylic top shelf with requisite wobbly spikes on the top shelf for the CDP which is great. I went from all wood to full reference in stages via that route.

Wood is better than glass, acrylic is better than wood. For sound that is, you may prefer the look of glass.
You could have wood bottom and middle shelf and an acrylic top shelf with requisite wobbly spikes on the top shelf for the CDP which is great. I went from all wood to full reference in stages via that route.

do you have pics of your reference rack?
What's acrylic ?
I know only (satin)wood and (sandblasted)glass for quadraspire....

David

Wood and glass are all they advertise on their website at the moment. Why they haven't updated it with the acrylic I don't know, possibly whoever did the website is asking a lot of dosh to update it? So ask your local dealer to get prices and more info.

Acrylic is clear stiff thick plastic. I haven't got any myself but I think its about 10mm thick. The shelves have the 'bog seat' cut out and the wibbly-wobbly can't tighten fully post arrangement. Also the top shelf is further decoupled by making the lower end of the top posts rounded so that they sit in a slight depression made in the top end of the next post down.

I think that the bog seat cut out might leave too big a hole for your Genki/72/HiCap, although some people have got a special order made without the cut out.

All a lot more expensive than the standard wood, which is why I've never taken the plunge myself. ;)

Good lord, you chaps are having a hoot, aren't you.

Sorry, could you explain again? I don't understand....
Sorry I skipped the mathematical proof. I was trying to avoid writing out all the algebra through laziness

Here it is, I hope I don’t lose you:
strength of EM fields vary in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between two objects. Mathematically, the strength of electromagnetic radiation (R) would be represented by the formula R = k/d², where k is a constant.
-Let R1 represents field strength Object set 1, R2 represents field strength Object set 2.

-Object set 1: distance for the first set (d1) per Naim is 300mm; field strength R1 equals k/300²

-Object set 2: Using your proposed spacing, the top of your HC will be approximately 326mm +15mm -90mm away from the bottom of your NAC72, 326mm being the height of your columns, 15mm the thickness of the wooden Q4 board, and 90mm being the height of the Naim black boxes. Distance for the second set (d2) is therefore 251mm; field strength R2 equals k/251²

The relative strength of the radiation of two sets of differently spaced objects would be R1 divided by R2, (or k/d1² divided by k/d2² by substitution)
As k is a constant and common for both formulae, we can eliminate it.
R1 divided by R2, equals 1/300² divided by 1/251² by substitution

Therefore the EM field strength ratio equals 63,000/90,000, or 70%

david,

i see you posted elsewhere.

As I said before: you do not need an extra shelf. It's not the extra shelf that will make the difference, but the distance between the two pieces of kit.

Electromagnetic radiation will penetrate wood and aluminium just like it penetrates air. Only an iron plate will shield against magnetic radiation, but introducing ferrous metals into the stand apparently makes the equipment sound worse, so the modern trend is not to use any iron in equipment stands. (Q4 columns are made from aluminium, I'm told).

If the Genki has a steel casing which is grounded, the distance between that and your pre-amp could be reduced, as its magnetic waves would be shielded and not pass through the casing. The reason Naim recommend gaps between the equipment is that their casing is made of [porous] aluminium.

It's also important to think about how high up you want the source component to be, but less important if it's a front-loader. If your top 2 shelves are spaced using 326mm columns and 140 for the others, your stand will be 927mm high, and that's before you put the CDP on top (add another 90mm), which is a decent height for confortable use.

If so, keeping your top shelf spaced using 140mm columns and 326mm columns for the second shelf should suffice, IMHO. Then the top shelf will be a comfortable 741mm from the ground.
If using all 180mm columns instead of 140mm, and 326mm columns for the second shelf, the top shelf will be a comfortable 821mm from the ground, a more decent height for confortable use IMO.

So if you must have more than 326mm between shelves, get 2 sets of 180mm columns to get 360mm, but lose the shelf. Either way, it would probably look silly. Personally, I would not get too obsessed, and stay with 326mm as the maximum. You don't want to end up with the Empire State Building.

understood, thank you!
David

Sorry I skipped the mathematical proof. I was trying to avoid writing out all the algebra through laziness

Here it is, I hope I don’t lose you:
strength of EM fields vary in inverse proportion to the square of the distance between two objects. Mathematically, the strength of electromagnetic radiation (R) would be represented by the formula R = k/d², where k is a constant.
-Let R1 represents field strength Object set 1, R2 represents field strength Object set 2.

-Object set 1: distance for the first set (d1) per Naim is 300mm; field strength R1 equals k/300²

-Object set 2: Using your proposed spacing, the top of your HC will be approximately 326mm +15mm -90mm away from the bottom of your NAC72, 326mm being the height of your columns, 15mm the thickness of the wooden Q4 board, and 90mm being the height of the Naim black boxes. Distance for the second set (d2) is therefore 251mm; field strength R2 equals k/251²

The relative strength of the radiation of two sets of differently spaced objects would be R1 divided by R2, (or k/d1² divided by k/d2² by substitution)
As k is a constant and common for both formulae, we can eliminate it.
R1 divided by R2, equals 1/300² divided by 1/251² by substitution

Therefore the EM field strength ratio equals 63,000/90,000, or 70%

Alex Taylor and other Quadraspire ref owners - can you tell me what sort of upgrade is there to be had going from a 5 year old solid shelf stand to acrylic shelves, and do I need to change anything other than the shelves - also, any idea what the acrylic shelves cost ?
When I bought mine, I believe I was told it was the Ref model, but this was before the bog seat shelves came out - how can tell if it is ref or not..?
Cheers for any help,
Steve

thank you !

David


david,

i see you posted elsewhere.

As I said before: you do not need an extra shelf. It's not the extra shelf that will make the difference, but the distance between the two pieces of kit.

Electromagnetic radiation will penetrate wood and aluminium just like it penetrates air. Only an iron plate will shield against magnetic radiation, but introducing ferrous metals into the stand apparently makes the equipment sound worse, so the modern trend is not to use any iron in equipment stands. (Q4 columns are made from aluminium, I'm told).

If the Genki has a steel casing which is grounded, the distance between that and your pre-amp could be reduced, as its magnetic waves would be shielded and not pass through the casing. The reason Naim recommend gaps between the equipment is that their casing is made of [porous] aluminium.

It's also important to think about how high up you want the source component to be, but less important if it's a front-loader. If your top 2 shelves are spaced using 326mm columns and 140 for the others, your stand will be 927mm high, and that's before you put the CDP on top (add another 90mm), which is a decent height for confortable use.

If so, keeping your top shelf spaced using 140mm columns and 326mm columns for the second shelf should suffice, IMHO. Then the top shelf will be a comfortable 741mm from the ground.
If using all 180mm columns instead of 140mm, and 326mm columns for the second shelf, the top shelf will be a comfortable 821mm from the ground, a more decent height for confortable use IMO.

So if you must have more than 326mm between shelves, get 2 sets of 180mm columns to get 360mm, but lose the shelf. Either way, it would probably look silly. Personally, I would not get too obsessed, and stay with 326mm as the maximum. You don't want to end up with the Empire State Building.

last question:
is the shortest rack the best?

David

Alex Taylor and other Quadraspire ref owners - can you tell me what sort of upgrade is there to be had going from a 5 year old solid shelf stand to acrylic shelves, and do I need to change anything other than the shelves - also, any idea what the acrylic shelves cost ?
When I bought mine, I believe I was told it was the Ref model, but this was before the bog seat shelves came out - how can tell if it is ref or not..?
Cheers for any help,
Steve

Steve
A dealer once showed me a reference rack. Where the standard rack posts just screw straight into the post below, the reference rack, if I remember rightly, had some sort of washer between the posts that prevented you from tightening them up beyond a certain defined point. This means that the rack will move slightly if you push it from side to side. The amount that the rack can move is the critical bit in getting it to work, I suppose, as it will determine which vibration frequencies are absorbed and which are not. It does look a bit peculiar though - the whole thing wobbles like a clear jelly:D

The holes in the shelves are smaller for the reference rack, so unfortunately, you can't use the normal shelves as part of a reference set-up.

As I say, its the cost that puts me off, although it's probably the next bit of my system that needs upgrading. I think that a 4 shelf reference set up in acrylic is about £700 - £800?

last question:
is the shortest rack the best?Don't really know if a tall rack will sound better than a short rack or vice versa.

The Q4 is not a particularly rigid stand, but sounds good partly for that reason.

Bearing in mind what I said previously, and allowing an adequate distance for EM radiation to diffuse, I consider it more important to be able to fit all your gear (except turntable) on it, whilst having it at a comfortable height for domestic purposes, and looking good. (ie that you and/or wife can "live with it")

Enjoy!

2 Many Boxes,
Thanks for that - my rack is certainly wobbly, so I assume it is a reference rack - so I guess I need to find out what an acrylic shelf will cost, and who has some in stock...

Steve,
you'll be lucky to find anyone with some in stock. Quadraspire are also notorious for their long delivery times, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

..surely not a good plan if you are trying to sell a product like that..?
There is a rack on ebay at present tho....

do you have pics of your reference rack?
What's acrylic ?
I know only (satin)wood and (sandblasted)glass for quadraspire....

David

I will try and post some in a bit.

I originally had a wood QS rack in maple with black uprights (see the piccies on my system).
I then tried an acrylic reference top shelf. This came with four of the wobbly spikes that fitted in to the columns that protruded from the shelf below. It was great. I then ended up with a full ref set up.
The main differences are :

-acrylic with the hole instead of wood

-between each set of columns is a metal collar (or washer as previously refered to) this is to allow the wobbliness and has a decoupling effect

-the concave profile of the columns.

It is bloomin' ace, all my metalwork (columns and collars) on my rack and block table have been cryogenically treated. Again a very worthwhile improvement.

Some (poor) pictures:

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1128/hifi36zf.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hifi36zf.jpg)



A wobbly spike from the top shelf (You can have one of these top shelves on a regular QS set up)
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2575/hifi41zn.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hifi41zn.jpg)

thank you Alex
they're enough...

David

Alex - Tell me more - how/who cryogenically treated your metal bits (ooh err) and roughly what do the shelves cost ? Also, how do they improve the sound - I know thats a hard one to answer, but I guess you think it money well spent
(I just sent you a pm with roughly the same questions - sorry )

The Audioworks in Cheadle, South Manchester/North Cheshire supplied all me bits 'n' pieces. 'Tis they who do the cryo'ing too.
Don't quote me but I think the shelves are about £90 each, same for the columns. They do the shelves in different sizes with different sized cut outs too if your kit is small etc.
As for the sound, I don't really do hifi 'effects'. The only way to appreciate it is to listen for yourself, but it made all my music far more meaningful, more coherent, more enjoyable. I won't waffle on, some people will always say that racks make no difference or only listen for the effects on soundstage, depth, bass/mid/treble etc when trying new kit, i.e. what happens to the sound, not the music. To me it's the music that matters...

Cheers Alex - as I said, it is not easy describing how things sound..
I will contact the Audioworks right now !

Steve, how did you get on?

How did I get on - I emailed them, and got a reply a few moments later telling me that Quadraspire have plenty of stock, so Ed has ordered me some shelves and they ought to arrive in plenty of time for me to bring tham back to Spain. Got to say, what nice folk they seem to be, despite coming from way up there..
They will get more business from me I think - especially as of 6 other dealers emailed, mainly based in or close to London, the only other one to reply was based in Australia (I didn't notice the address when looking at their web site, obviously..)
Maybe the North is not such a bad place after all..
Thanks for all help and advice - much appreciated !
Steve
PS Cryo treating has a 3-4 week lead period at present, so that ain't going to happen this time

Nice one! The cryo treatment is rather splendid though...

Have fun with it.

Alex - I do not like you, and nor does my credit card. I am curious, but it will have to wait till I can send some bits off and not miss them - hmmmm, when is that going to happen then...

Steve, make sure you have a good word with them about system set-up in general, they seem to really know their stuff. Daft little things have made such an impact on my system.

OK Alex - I will pester them....
The daftest thing to have made an impact on my system is spending money on it...

Yeah, but their 'shop sound' is incredibly bright...

They had a demo room at the Northern HiFi show one year that I went to where the sound was tooth rattlingly bright, but they seemed to regard it as entirely normal. I don't think I was alone either as there weren't too many people in the room.

I've also bought some mains distribution blocks from them and they had the same effect. They did have a positive effect on the music, but I found that there were other products that had the same positive effect but not the brightness, like a Grahams HiFi Hydra for my Naim set up.

However, I seem to remember that they did a money back if not satisfied kind of deal, so you can't go too wrong with that.

Bright IMO is a sound, not a form of conveying music. I've never been to a concert and thought 'ooh, that was bright' etc.

Just out of interest, are you basing your opinion on a show or shop dems?

Both, and also buying the power supply blocks and taking them home. I didn't get a demo of the blocks and when I got them home I made the mistake of making more than one change at the same time :rolleyes: It was only after an extensive period of fiddling about that I realised it was the blocks and by that time I didn't have the brass neck to take them back.

I was not alone at the show in thinking the sound bright as I heard some other people commenting on it as they emerged from the room.

Bright IMO is a sound, not a form of conveying music. I've never been to a concert and thought 'ooh, that was bright' etc.


I'm afraid that I don't understand what you're getting at. :confused:

I have been to a concert and thought the sound was too bright, it was a performance of Messaien's Turangalila symphony with his wife on the electronic vibraphone(?) instrument. She had it turned up so loud, and the instrument had a very bright sound, that it was actually painful. You could see the first violinists wincing as well. Considering that the instrumental part was supposed to represent the swooning feelings of romantic love, and I was sitting there thinking of Nazi concentration camps, I think she was either very deaf or got it a bit wrong!

Then it was too loud.

I listen to my system to listen to music, when I listen to a system, I don't listen to how 'bright' or 'dark' it sounds, or how much bass there is or depth or soundstage or other sound effects etc etc. I primarily listen to how the system conveys the music. That is what I mean.

I listen to my system to listen to music, when I listen to a system, I don't listen to how 'bright' or 'dark' it sounds, or how much bass there is or depth or soundstage or other sound effects etc etc. I primarily listen to how the system conveys the music. That is what I mean.

That is the main thing that I listen for also. But I do have a secondary consideration, that I must be able to listen to it for extended periods. One of the factors that determines this for me is if the sound is excessively bright, ie the higher frequencies are accentuated.

I find this to be tiring over a long time, so it doesn't matter how musical it sounds, if I get a headache at the end of it then I can't live with it. It's like driving a sports car - fantastic but I couldn't live with the noise or discomfort.

I don't think that I'm excessively sensitive in this respect as I run a Linn / Naim system with Linn Keilidhs. Other people on the forum have commented that the Keilidhs are a bright speaker, and Naim gear is supposed to be bright as well, but I find them to be OK.

Oh well. Can't say I've ever felt my stuff gives me a headache or that I've noticed an accentuation of the higher frequencies. I certainly don't find my kit tiring to listen to and spend most of my inactive free time listening to music. None of my friends have ever noticed a problem either, except that they want to get the same stuff.
Anyhoo, this has nothing to do with airdavid's new QS.

I can't believe that the Keilidh is a bright speaker. I used them for many years: veiled, bass heavy and lovely to look at maybe.

I think your ear gets used to a certain voicing very quickly anyway and perceived brightness or otherwise is forgotten in favour of does that sound like music?

I think that is quite a good way of explaining things.

As I said, it's the distance which matters wrt EM radiation, so a greater spacing using longer columns in the Q4 tends to look a bit less silly than having an empty shelf, whilst achieving [almost] the same effect as the redundant shelf. You save on the piece of wooden shelving.


I'd save one shelf and one other set of columns too...or not ?
Ohconfucius, what system and q4 heigh do you have?
David

All in all,
I think to choose, from the bottom to the top:
140mm : nap -> hiCap
326mm : hiCap -> nac
140 or 180 (?) : nac -> cdplayer

vote, please !!! :-)))

Thank you,
David

Yeah, that sounds fine.

Yeah, that sounds fine.

Thank you,
what system and q4 heigh ?

David

I'd save one shelf and one other set of columns too...or not ?
Ohconfucius, what system and q4 heigh do you have?Top shelf 8mm glass : CDS head unit
100mm columns
Second shelf 15mm wood : NAC82
180mm columns
Third shelf 15mm wood : CDSPS
180mm columns
Fourth shelf 15mm wood : Supercap
100mm columns
Fifth shelf 15mm wood : NAP135
100mm columns
Sixth shelf 15mm wood : NAP135
75mm Base kit

Total column height 905mm, including height of CDS.

If I didn’t have a turntable, I would consider the stand a comfortable height, as the CDS is a top loader.

However, I still have to put a turntable on a wall shelf above this lot, so I will have to reduce the distance between the CDSPS and the Supercap. I will lose 80mm between the CDSPS and the SC in that case. I do need the 180mm column height between the PSU and the 82.

Your arrangement seems OK to me. I calculate your stand will be roughly 870mm high (including the CDP), almost the same as mine.

I'd save one shelf and one other set of columns too...or not ?
affirmative

My system is on a Q4 standard rack with 32mm columns and glass shelves.
Sounds fab to me!

Could you post a picture of it?
Thank you

David

currently undecided whether I go the Q4 wall rack route......

how many of you Q4 campers have your turntables atop? if so, how high is the top shelf of your stand, and what compromise do you think you have accepted in the sound?

i have a quadraspire rack at home at present it has 4 shelves but only 3 are useable, the bottom one is black and the other 3 are oak coloured. is there a reason that the bottom one is black and only has a 40mm-ish spacer to the next shelf. i thought it was the base unit and thats how it comes but looking at others it seems not. could i just buy bigger spacers and have this as another shelf? this one isnt that wobbly now i have tightened up all the struts but certainly less rigid than my apollo thing. didnt realise they were a particularly respected brand to be honest. hmmmm

i have a quadraspire rack at home at present it has 4 shelves but only 3 are useable, the bottom one is black and the other 3 are oak coloured. is there a reason that the bottom one is black and only has a 40mm-ish spacer to the next shelf. i thought it was the base unit and thats how it comes but looking at others it seems not. could i just buy bigger spacers and have this as another shelf? this one isnt that wobbly now i have tightened up all the struts but certainly less rigid than my apollo thing. didnt realise they were a particularly respected brand to be honest. hmmmm

you have the reference rack: the bottom shelf is just for rigidity and stability reason, quadraspire says it's not for hi-fi piece

David

oh right, thanks. it has holes in the shelves too.is this more expensive then?

yes, it is

so just out of interest ;) how much would a 3 shelf one of these fetch 2nd hand??

I'm prepared to offer you £150.

It would be worth about £151 at a guess





;)

It would be worth about £151 at a guess;)

Shush! Anyway, something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. And he can put it on the For Sale board and ask for offers from everyone, I just thought I'd get in early!:D

so..how much is it worth? are you kidding or not?b or what???? :confused:

bourney, you have pm.

bourney,
Sorry, I shouldn't wind you up. :D It sounds like you are not aware of the hugely inflated prices that these things sell for. When you look at a Quadraspire table from a furniture point of view you think that they can only be worth about £50 at the most, and, if IKEA made them, that's what they would cost.:(
However, these things are made in a small factory in Wales (I think) in small quantities so they don't get much reduction in costs from high volumes. Then there's the dealer mark-up as well.
I think that your set-up would sell for about £600 new. I'm really not sure about that, but ring up your local Quadraspire dealer (Quadraspire have a website to find who that is) and ask. Then the second-hand price will be about 1/3 of that, or maybe a bit more, so say £250.
So I was being a bit cheeky with my £150. :) Really, this is not a wind-up, I'm afraid that that is the sort of money that they go for. One of the great rip-offs of our time.

its ok mate :) i aint complaining i got it for free! a couple i bought some stuff off said `you can take this with you if you like as we have no use for it'..i was iffing arring as i didnt have much room in my car..glad i did now as it looks quite nice compared with the apollo one i have. i dont think its a proper reference one tho. all the selves have teh centres cutout and it has the black bottom shelf but the top shelf doesnt have the `decoupled' thing on the legs as per the one on Quadraspire's website. see pic:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b91/bigbourne/shinerandregaonquadraspire003.jpg

i was going to buy an additional shelf but at those prices i may give it a miss!!! Thanks for the advice tho TMB, and ia agree there doesnt seem to be that much to it for the money.

bourney,
the difference between the reference and the ordinary kit is that the ordinary stuff is completely rigid whereas the reference stuff wobbles when you give it a sideways push. You can't mix and match the standard and reference stuff as the holes in the boards are a different diameter.
As you've got your equipment so close to one of the speakers it should be making quite a difference to the sound by reducing feedback.

Why are there bars on the windows? I suspect you actually got the picture on a visit to one of those open prison things that British taxpayers are happy to support :b

vertical blinds dude!! to keep all the lovely sun we have here out! :confused: :D

and of course to prevent solar acoustical back fed cancellation...do you know nothing?? :)

bourney, don't tighten the top bolts on the rack, it may improve slightly. (it improved a lot on my old solid top, may not make a difference with a reference style shelf as the effect of loosening the bolts is to decrease the 'drumskin' effect which is what the hole is for.)

Why are there bars on the windows? I suspect you actually got the picture on a visit to one of those open prison things that British taxpayers are happy to support :b
At street level, it also helps to keep the barbarians' hands off the nice gear :cool:

I'm in the process of ordering a Quadraspire Q4, and have budgeted for 5 shelves (though I'm certainly open to recommendations). Here's what I have in mind for my shelf layout:

Shelf 1: Rega Planar 3
Shelf 2: Naim CD5X, SqueezeBox
Shelf 3: Naim 122, Naim Stageline
Shelf 4: Naim 150, Naim FlatCap
Shelf 5: Motorola DCT6416 (Cable Box)

Are there any alternative suggestions for this shelf layout? For instance to allow more distance between the pre, power and psu?

What size columns would you recommend to allow for proper heat dissipation? Would 180mm columns accommodate two Naim components?

Available column heights: 100mm (4”), 140mm (5 1/2”); 180mm (7”), 216mm (8 1/2”), 256mm (10”) & 326mm (12 3/4”)

I don't know about the Naim CDP, let alone a squeezebox, but certainly my nasty Marantz CDP puts out quite a bit of interference. In your proposed layout, the Rega is going to be adjacent to the digital sources. I wonder if you might be better to put the preamp stuff below the Rega, and the digital sources on the shelf below that.

Obviously depends on how much you use each source, if you mind switching the digital sources off to listen to records etc. etc. And maybe your digital sources are better citizens than mine.

The Naim CD5X will be powered by the Naim FlatCap power supply, so I'm not too worried about interference from the CDP. That being said, ideally my preamp and psu would be as far as possible from the poweramp, but I understand I may need to make some sacrifices given the tight space.

Just my 2p worth.

I went round a hifi show about 6 years ago and heard lots of supports. Quadraspire were by far the best I heard.

I mentioned this to a friend who's opinion I respect, he recommended Hutter Racks and a shop in Watford UK that do them.

So I went along, they had a top Quadraspire table just for comparision and some Hutter Racks, which blew away the Quadraspire.

Made in Austria by a furniture company, the founders son is into hifi and wondered if they could make good hifi furniture too. I've heard Naim were annoyed their dealers in Germany weren't buying their tables, but the dealers refused as they weren't as good as the Hutter tables.

I've not heard it reviewed anywhere but the Platform One for 110 quid was a good investment in terms of it improving the timing of my LP12.

[QUOTE=elapsed;442981]I'm in the process of ordering a Quadraspire Q4, and have budgeted for 5 shelves (though I'm certainly open to recommendations). Here's what I have in mind for my shelf layout:

Shelf 1: Rega Planar 3
[QUOTE]

It may be impossible for you but your Rega will sound better if you mount it on Rega's own wall mounted turntable stand.