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Why is your equipment on the floor?

Digby

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A lot of people talk about audiophile snake oil here, but there is one question that seems to have escaped mention that always surprises me about audiophiles, why is their stuff on the floor? Is there some relationship between having your stuff on the floor (usually monobloc amps and the like) and better sound, or is this just some unusual tradition?

I have to say, to me, not only does it look ugly and messy, but takes up valuable floor space, and most importantly is it really wise to have your gear on the floor when a fall at 60 years old (most are closer to 60 than 40) could result in a broken hip/ankle/arm, taking many months to heal.

Trip hazards are not good any time, but are really unwise in one's later years, add to this the (near ubiquitous) mega-thick cables snaking around and it all just seems like an accident waiting to happen.
 
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JSmith

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why is there stuff on the floor?
Agree completely with this part... the floor is no place for audio equipment and really not easy on ones back either. I forget the thread but a fellow member posted a pic of a nice setup a few weeks back, but most of it was on the floor. I thought maybe they had just moved in or something and still needed to get furniture and an equipment rack.


JSmith
 

xaviescacs

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When you're pissing away $1000 per foot on cables, the 3 foot drop and rise back up can mean the difference between sending your kid to an Ivy league vs community college.
My wife tells me this when I spend 1000 € in a pair of speakers. With cables it's automatic divorce...
 

storing

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to me, not only does it look ugly and messy
I usually like the looks actually. Also gives a certain freedom for working with cables.

but takes up valuable floor space
How so? I mean if you're going to put furniture in that same space where the gear is, the space gets taken up as well. Even in equal amounts depending on sizes of things. Or if you're furniture is on legs the space isn't exactly valuuable anymore because you cannot reach it. Unless the legs are so high that it's usable again, but then according to previous logic (looks and messiness) you cannot actually put it to use.

Trip hazards
That I can follow, though usually my gear is also close to a wall where I don't walk around. And stuff on the floor also tends to make it harder to clean.
 
OP
D

Digby

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To clarify, I mean stuff on the floor between the speakers - out in the room, essentially. If it is next to a wall, out of the way it is much less of an issue.

My qualm is with placing the trip hazards, sorry, amplifiers between the speakers.
 

Mart68

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my power amp was on the floor for years for simple reason that it was too big to fit in the equipment rack. Recently managed to find a unit big enough to fit it in.

I still have the mega-thick cables trailing across the floor though, can't see a way around that. Never tripped on them but I have fell down the stairs a couple of times.
 

restorer-john

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It's stoopid. Always has been.

At a point in the distant past, at some random audio show, an exhibitor had no furniture in his hotel room to display some rather heavy 3ft deep amplifiers. A disaster in the making.

Rather than panic, they put their massive amps on the carpeted floor. Made for some conversation and discussion of solid grounding, thick/heavy bass and a solid soundstage. Along came the fat cables and soon, those big amps needed just a few inches to 'elevate' themselves and look more impressive. The amp stand was born.

The rest is history.
 

Katji

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Yeh it's an audiophile thing. Somewhat ludicrous.


> minimalist aesthetic

I thought it the opposite. Monobloc amps are not minimalist, that's for sure, especially given that there's going to be a preamp too.

I suppose most of them don't have cats.
 

Astoneroad

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I assumed, with absolutely no support or evidence, that it had to do with keeping them below ear level to minimize disruption of the sound waves between the back wall (behind speakers) and the ears. This could just be some snake oil that I've internalized, probably so. At the same time, I thought that this was the reason to keep that back wall free from objects on that wall and space. Are any of these based in physics?
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restorer-john

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... said never "is that a speaker cable in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?".


JSmith

That ridiculous photo keeps doing the rounds doesn't it? Sad thing is, someone was actually serious.
 

AudiOhm

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I consider myself an audio enthusiast, my equipment is on a shelf mounted to the wall...

Ohms
 
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