Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners POLL: Axiom Amp rack mounting?

Amie posted in another forum:

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I think we need a poll on how many people would need a rack-mount option so I can persuade the powers that be. Do you want to do the honours?

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Of course!

OK, everyone, here's the deal: The amp would be 3.5 inches high without it's feet, meaning it would occupy a 2RU space. There are provisions made for ventilation on the top, so another piece of equipment could not be mounted directly above it.

So….

Okay, Mark, I voted. I don't want rack mounting, but it can be made available for those that whine enough. . .err. . .I mean, want it.

I think what would be the best is what another person mentioned in the amplifier name thread, which was the option of purchasing rack ears that would screw onto the sides of the amplifier in the event that it were to be rack mounted. That way those who dont want to rack mount dont have to live with a 19" wide peice of equipment in their equipment rack.

Where's the "kill the elephant" option?

What kinda crappy poll is this ? I can't even view the results until the poll closes.

And why don't these forums have a "rant" icon ?

Hold on.... OK, there we go.

Not that I've got a roll of hundreds under my pillow or anything, but I have been tempted to cosider this thing and the first two questions in my mind were rack mount option and black or charcoal color. Both are deal breakers for me. I'm surprised the rack mount option was not planned from the start.

All Axiom really has to do is include rack brackets that can be screwed on to the sides of the amp. It doesn't have to "look" like a rack amp.

Since the people who buy this amp are going to be more hard-core audiophiles, they may have a rack already.

Jeesh...
You guys are tough! OK, pick on me all you want, but remember I did this for our lovely hostess Amie!

Regarding the possibility of just adding some "ears" or something, remember that those ears need to be designed strong enough to support the weight of the amp from those two front points.... meaning the entire case design is a factor.

Duckman, I have absolutely no more knowledge of this amp than anyone else here. For all I know, rack mounting HAS already been incorporated in the basic case design, and Amie is just looking for some informal information as to what percentage might go that route. As I said, I don't know.

My personal opinion, and the reason I asked about rack mounting in the other threads, is that a rack mounting might open Axiom up to a bigger market. With more "whole house installs" being done, a powerful, flexible, eight-channel amp offers more to an installer than a typical 5 or 7 channel amp.... and an installer might prefer rackmount. My gut feeling (no inside knowledge, remember??) is that the "whole house install" is the reason why this amp has an even-numbered of channels. Certainly it's been considered as a use.

Also, as someone who uses both shelf-mounted components in my HT and rack mounted professional audio equipment in my business, I know that the amp could find it's way into some professional uses as well, where rackmounting is a virtual MUST.

Don't misunderstand me, though... if I could afford the amp tomorrow I would choose a "non rackmount" for my uses. I was just thinking it would add to the potential market if the option were available so I was curious enough to ask...

Yes, I mentioned also in the other forum about the optional L-Shape screw into the side brackets for rack mount. But, I wasn't thinking through clear enough as usual. My rack mount gear all weighs in under 5 lbs or less. My PA Speakers are Active so I do not have any external amps. I would imagine this axiom Amp is quite heavy and some major engineering maybe needed to support the weight on to L-Shaped brackets.

It seems to me that, for the target market, optional mounting ears would be desirable. Front ear mounting a heave piece of equipment is difficult from an engineering perspective since they tend to sag in the back. No idea how heavy this guy is, but I suspect it's pretty darned heavy with all the power conversion going on inside.

Optional mounting brackets have been a mainstay for data and telecom equipment for years. Most gear similar to Axiom's Amp form-factor ships with both ears and rubber feet. Install that which you need, throw the rest away. For some equipment, especially the heavy stuff, its an additional cost, which I don't really see as a downside if Axiom chose to do it that way.

Right now, the only rackmount option is to buy a shelf at, what, $100? Paying an extra $20 for Axiom to throw in some rackmount brackets is quite a deal.

Nothing you can't solve with some careful welding and a few screws.

Actually, I don't think the tooling would be all that expensive. Offer a plain metal front as an option to the fancy, curved, machined alumminum front they're planning.

Farmed out to a shop with a plasma or lazer cutting table, one sheet of steel could provide enough fronts for a couple of years.

I had some rack mount stuff when I was a pseudo soundman.
I had this rackmount carver preamp fm tuner with remote.
it was sweet.

I'm not setup for rackmount now, but back in the day

I loved the look of a healthy rack

I think it was mark who talked about rack mount option has to be designed into the product, because of weight distribution. i concur. you cant easily slap a couple of ears on any old chassis and expect it to be supported.

:::Bump:::

Just wanted others, including Amie, to see the results of the poll..... (since I messed up and made viewing the results two weeks out from the initiation of the poll!!!)