It is commonly accepted that every component in a HiFi system from amplifier to source including record decks, cd players and streamers are microphonic and produce resonance that will distort the quality of the music reproduced by a HiFi system. This distortion can be significantly reduced by siting the HiFi system on a purpose built rack designed to deal with the resonance. The design of a high performance HiFi rack and the use of materials in its construction is critical. To develop our equipment racks we use the tried and tested technique of tuning by ear in the same way as the finest musical instruments are developed. From extensive research we found that the use of non-ferrous metals such as Aluminium and Bronze along with natural materials such as Wood and Bamboo reduce resonance. Furthermore the shape of the shelves and columns used within the HiFi rack will determine how resonance is treated. In particular we found that a light but rigid construction delivers a clearer, cleaner musical performance.

Our first rack – the Q4 – was launched twenty years ago and is still one of our most popular racks throughout the world. The SVT performance rack was developed for larger HiFi systems and better sound performance. Now we have launched the Bronze upgrade that can be easily retro fitted to any Q4EVO or SVT rack or wall bracket. Bronze has a broader tonal spectrum and greater sustain that opens the soundstage of your system making it more musical and enjoyable without losing detail. To extend the benefits of the Bronze upgrade to all the components in a system we developed the X reference high performance HiFi rack. Square or rectangular shelves encourage standing waves which can distort the sound of your system. By using a curved design we avoid parallel lines thereby reducing standing waves as well as reducing mass. We extended this principal to the X shelf with a more extreme curve and edge chamfer to reduce mass along with a middle aperture that allows the SVT shelf to breathe.

The X shelf is made from Laminated Bamboo coated in Nextel for damping without adding mass. Each X shelf is supporting by 44mm concave Aluminium columns. The X reference uses a larger diameter column and thread to lock the X shelves together for increased rigidity. The curved shape of the column further improves performance by avoiding parallel lines and reducing standing waves and mass.

At the heart of the X reference rack are the solid Bronze feet and spike locators. These two components have been specifically tuned to deliver the most natural performance on the X reference. This results in a rack that makes equipment perform to a surprising level, offering a very low noise floor for greater definition of music and opening up the soundstage in all dimensions.