There are still many of us who prefer the versatility and component selection of rack gear. While it is more to lug around, a durable case is vital for protection and mobility.
Here is my updated rack setup with a new 24 space ATA shock mount case. I previously used those cheaper carpeted racks but I found they were harder to roll with smaller wheels plus I noticed these shock cases have a bit more width inside which is important for my amp which has a side vent and fan.
I also went with some fancy cooling fans as you can see on the top and near the bottom. These are intake fans below and exhaust fans at the top which create a forced air convection sort of speak. It really seems to work well so far. Each fan unit has temperature probes which I place one above the amp's exhaust fan and the other near the amps intake draw vent. This lets me monitor the temp from 2 sources within the rack. These are also fully programmable for auto,manual,and smart mode cooling cycles with user and auto fans speeds depending on the mode set.
The only gear I updated was the glorified but always useful power strip by Furman. This is for all rack mount gear except the amplifier which is plugged direct to the power source. I use a 3 into 1 outlet extension cord so all components are still receiving power from the same source. I drilled a hole on the rack floor and put plastic collar bushings top and bottom of the hole to protect the cables that are pulled thru to the outside.
I also went with a 3 space rack drawer instead of using rack shelves like I did before. I like the drawer way better than shelves! This gives me plenty of space for all my "STUFF" ( anyone remember George Carlin's routine on STUFF!)
In accordance with TB's policy about starting threads about your new gear and not posting pics, here are the pics for you to enjoy!
Gear includes; AC Infinity exhaust fan, Furman PL-PLUS C Power conditioner, Fender RT1000 Tuner, Behinger RX1602 mixer(for the 2 preamps), dbx 1066 compressor, Ampeg SVP Pro Preamp, Ampeg SVP BSP Preamp, Ampeg SVT-8 Pro Amplifier, AC Infinty intake fan, Infinity 3 space Rack drawer.
The vent panels with the attached Ampeg logos you see are now covered up from behind the panels. I had both my preamps top lid covers stamped out for 3 inch exhaust fans mounted on top to expel heat to hopefully make these last longer. The vent panels were necessary then for the spacing with the fans attached on top and for air flow. So now to create the proper circulation of hot air to the top in the rack, there needs to be a somewhat sealed cabinet. For the time being, I leave the back lid on the rack and haven't had any serious heating up yet. The fans will eventually kick into high speed though but seem to do their job quite well.
The amp is sitting on a vented full length rack shelf with rear rack ears for support and cooling. If you notice there is a 2 space black rack panel which covers this shelf front and also a blank space. This creates a 2 space duct inside the rack right between the intake fans and underneath the amp allowing the fans air to move freely underneath the amp. Even better, it also moves air up the sides of the rack which I can feel for what should be very effective cooling!
There is also some open air duct like space at the top of the rack created between the shallower rack gear and the top exhaust fans. You can see this in the pics below.
The idea of a sealed rack cabinet came from this ad used for computer servers and audio equipment. You can see how cooler air is drawn in to the cabinet and how hot air will rise to the top and be exhausted out.
My main setup is running the Ampeg SVP Pro preamp into the power amp IN on the SVT-8 Pro amp. I do like the SVT-8 as a stand alone amp, but I like the SVP Pro preamp better! I use the SVP BSP just for distortion but only for solos or just having fun! The mixer lets me select or blend both preamps if desired and I use a Radial AB-Y stomp box for selection.
The mixer also gives me visual monitoring of the signal going to to the SVT-8 amp so I don't overload it. I use the dbx for taming the Bass signal just a bit with light compression settings while the Peak stop Limiter function is set to stop over shoots. The noise gate function works well on these units and is definitely needed for the SVP BSP when running full blown distortion. The gate on the SVP BSP is choppy sometimes.
Speaker cabs are what else, a pair of the SVT-810e!
More pics below,
Here is my updated rack setup with a new 24 space ATA shock mount case. I previously used those cheaper carpeted racks but I found they were harder to roll with smaller wheels plus I noticed these shock cases have a bit more width inside which is important for my amp which has a side vent and fan.
I also went with some fancy cooling fans as you can see on the top and near the bottom. These are intake fans below and exhaust fans at the top which create a forced air convection sort of speak. It really seems to work well so far. Each fan unit has temperature probes which I place one above the amp's exhaust fan and the other near the amps intake draw vent. This lets me monitor the temp from 2 sources within the rack. These are also fully programmable for auto,manual,and smart mode cooling cycles with user and auto fans speeds depending on the mode set.
The only gear I updated was the glorified but always useful power strip by Furman. This is for all rack mount gear except the amplifier which is plugged direct to the power source. I use a 3 into 1 outlet extension cord so all components are still receiving power from the same source. I drilled a hole on the rack floor and put plastic collar bushings top and bottom of the hole to protect the cables that are pulled thru to the outside.
I also went with a 3 space rack drawer instead of using rack shelves like I did before. I like the drawer way better than shelves! This gives me plenty of space for all my "STUFF" ( anyone remember George Carlin's routine on STUFF!)
In accordance with TB's policy about starting threads about your new gear and not posting pics, here are the pics for you to enjoy!
Gear includes; AC Infinity exhaust fan, Furman PL-PLUS C Power conditioner, Fender RT1000 Tuner, Behinger RX1602 mixer(for the 2 preamps), dbx 1066 compressor, Ampeg SVP Pro Preamp, Ampeg SVP BSP Preamp, Ampeg SVT-8 Pro Amplifier, AC Infinty intake fan, Infinity 3 space Rack drawer.
The vent panels with the attached Ampeg logos you see are now covered up from behind the panels. I had both my preamps top lid covers stamped out for 3 inch exhaust fans mounted on top to expel heat to hopefully make these last longer. The vent panels were necessary then for the spacing with the fans attached on top and for air flow. So now to create the proper circulation of hot air to the top in the rack, there needs to be a somewhat sealed cabinet. For the time being, I leave the back lid on the rack and haven't had any serious heating up yet. The fans will eventually kick into high speed though but seem to do their job quite well.
The amp is sitting on a vented full length rack shelf with rear rack ears for support and cooling. If you notice there is a 2 space black rack panel which covers this shelf front and also a blank space. This creates a 2 space duct inside the rack right between the intake fans and underneath the amp allowing the fans air to move freely underneath the amp. Even better, it also moves air up the sides of the rack which I can feel for what should be very effective cooling!
There is also some open air duct like space at the top of the rack created between the shallower rack gear and the top exhaust fans. You can see this in the pics below.
The idea of a sealed rack cabinet came from this ad used for computer servers and audio equipment. You can see how cooler air is drawn in to the cabinet and how hot air will rise to the top and be exhausted out.
My main setup is running the Ampeg SVP Pro preamp into the power amp IN on the SVT-8 Pro amp. I do like the SVT-8 as a stand alone amp, but I like the SVP Pro preamp better! I use the SVP BSP just for distortion but only for solos or just having fun! The mixer lets me select or blend both preamps if desired and I use a Radial AB-Y stomp box for selection.
The mixer also gives me visual monitoring of the signal going to to the SVT-8 amp so I don't overload it. I use the dbx for taming the Bass signal just a bit with light compression settings while the Peak stop Limiter function is set to stop over shoots. The noise gate function works well on these units and is definitely needed for the SVP BSP when running full blown distortion. The gate on the SVP BSP is choppy sometimes.
Speaker cabs are what else, a pair of the SVT-810e!
More pics below,
