General Asylum: REVIEW: Sanus Systems EFAB Rack by GaryM

Model:	EFAB
Category:	Rack
Suggested Retail Price:	$99.95
Description:	Amp stand/base unit for multi-shelf rack
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by GaryM on October 15, 2001 at 17:54:33
IP Address: 205.247.238.70

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Sanus Systems is known to provide relatively good "bang for the buck" in their rack systems. The EFAB is part of the Euro line of racks. It is made from 1" steel tubing, which can be filled with sand and/or lead shot for mass loading. The shelf itself is 3/4 thick MDF coated in a quite durable black coating. The shelf also has a round cutout for helping to manage power cords. The EFAB comes with adjustable spikes, and these were installed.
Assembly is very straight-forward. Simply screw the spikes to the bottom rail, screw the legs to the rail, screw the shelf to the legs, and you are done. This does however, bring me to the first negative issue with this unit. The shelf is secured to the legs with threaded inserts topped with a 1" diameter plastic head. There is simply no way to ensure a tight fit, as hand-tightening is the only option. Also, the legs are separate pieces and so must be fastened to the bottom rail. Filling the legs with sand is not easy, as they must first be attached to the rail, then partly filled. They can't be fully filled because then the top-mounted screw for the attachment of the shelf will not fully thread.
Once assembled, the unit does look nice. Nothing special, but the curved bottom rail adds a touch of class to this relatively inexpensive and otherwise unassuming unit.
So how did it sound? The EFAB replaced a concrete paving slab mounted on spikes. The EFAB sounded as good as I could expect considering I paid about $90 for it. I heard improvements in the midrange and bass, but I honestly can't say that I have heard any difference in the treble. To my ears, the integration and transition between the midrange and bass seemed more smooth and seamless. The midrange and upper bass had a bit more punch while the low bass had more definition. I have certainly heard better, such as with the excellent Polycrystal products. However, the Polycrystal stands cost about 3 times as much, so one must consider bang for the buck here.
All in all, I'd recommend the EFAB for anyone looking for an inexpensive and good-looking amp stand.

Product Weakness: Difficult to mass-load, difficult to make solid connections with the threaded rods
Product Strengths: Nice looking, inexpensive

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Bryston 9BST
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Yamaha DSP-A3090 (as pre/pro only)
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Adcom GCD-700, Sony DVP-7700
Speakers:	B&W DM 602/CC6/Boston Acoustics VRS Pro Surrounds/M&K MX200 sub
Cables/Interconnects:	DH-Labs BL-1, Illuminati D-60
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Everything from death metal to jazz to classical to choral
Room Size (LxWxH):	15 x 11 x 8.5
Room Comments/Treatments:	Double-framed and insulated rear wall, RPG Profoam on sides, front, rear, and ceiling. Wall to wall carpet, couch, purring cats on lap.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	I have owned this unit for about 2 years now.
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Panamax MAX1000+, too many tweaks to list
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Difficult to mass-load, difficult to make solid connections with the threaded rods
Product Strengths:	Nice looking, inexpensive