Compared to most of the competition, the Andante Largo racks are less adaptable, less configurable and more challenging to transport. Flatpack racks like the Quadraspire or Solidsteel designs are compact to package and easily adapted to changing circumstances or configurations, larger equipment or growing systems. The Andante largo racks are a one-time purchase. You can’t alter the shelf spacing, add shelves or build multiple bay racks with shared legs. The rigid frames demand large volume cartons: they may not weigh as much as a high-mass rack packed in a crate, but the volume still makes them more expensive to ship and harder to store. None of these considerations is a deal breaker, but they do suggest that in buying into the Andante Largo racks, you keep one eye on the future… Having said that, multi-bay construction might be off of the table, but a row of grand Tower (or Rigid Series) racks, with identical height and spacing, does look rather smart and probably still looks much more discrete and costs considerably less than the high-priced, high-mass, modular alternatives. And as Ryo Suzuki himself would say, when buying a suit, would you ask your Saville Row tailor to cut it to fit your current physique – or guess how that physique might change over the next five, or ten, years? I can see both sides of this debate, but there’s no missing the fact that the andante Largo racks are focussed firmly on getting maximum performance from the system you have – right now.
“Get into the groove…”
Of course, none of this matters a jot if the Andante Largo racks don’t deliver the musical goods. But then, as Madge said, “Music can be such a revelation”. The Andante Largo racks have been installed in the Reading Room for around six months. In that time, they have been used to support a host of different equipment, in multiple different systems. They’ve served time in the background, supporting products under review – and time in the foreground, in direct comparisons with other racks. Throughout that time, the nature of their contribution to system performance has become increasingly obvious and I’ve become increasingly appreciative of their capabilities. With a pair of Grand Tower GT 744 racks (740mm tall with four shelves each) and a GB 540 amp-stand, I was able to support complete systems with complete consistency, while the 175mm available vertical space for each ‘slot’ accommodates all but the largest components – and those can go on the top shelf or amp-stand as necessary.
Talking of large components, Andante Largo stipulate total load and individual shelf loads for the Grand Tower racks, also differentiating between equipment with four or three feet. Total load is up to 250kgs (550lbs). Individually, standard (14.4mm) shelves will support 50kg equipment with four feet, 40kg if three feet. The heavy duty (17.4mm) shelves up those numbers to 80kg and 70kg respectively. That’s enough for most ‘rackable’ components and shelves can be mixed and matched in a single rack, with Andante Largo suggesting against heavy shelves unless they are necessary, with the supported equipment approaching (say, 75% of) the weight limit for the standard shelves. Where you might want to be careful is that those shelf weight limits also apply to the amp-stands and there are a few truly monstrous amps out there…
