Solidsteel S2-3 Three-Shelf Audio Rack - Black

The Solidsteel S2 — Aluminum Pillars With No Welds in Them

A welded joint is a place where energy gathers, and a hollow welded post will ring because of it. Solidsteel builds the S2’s pillars from aluminum without welding them, which takes that path away rather than damping it afterwards.

Aluminum is the other half of the choice. It is light, it is strong, it is non-magnetic, and it absorbs energy on its own account. The result is a compact Italian rack built on the same thinking as Solidsteel’s larger ones.

What Goes on It, and What Will Not

A Hundred and Ten Pounds on Any Shelf

Every level takes up to 110 pounds, top platform included. That covers an integrated amplifier, a big disc player or a heavy turntable without thinking about it, and there is no weak level to plan around.

Check Your Tallest Box Against 8.6 Inches

The clear height between shelves is 8.6 inches. Most amplifiers, streamers and players fit comfortably, but a tall tube amplifier or a large power amplifier may not, so this is the measurement to take before you order.

The Top Platform Is the Wide One

The top shelf gives the full 23 inches of width. The levels below it come in to 19.7 inches between the pillars, and all of them are 16.9 inches deep. Anything unusually wide belongs on top, where nothing is in the way.

Pick the Height That Suits the Room

The three-shelf rack stands 23.2 inches tall, which puts a turntable at a comfortable working height beside a chair. The taller versions go up from there on the same 23 by 16.9-inch footprint, so the floor space does not change.

Why a Post With No Weld Stays Quiet

Vibration reaches your components from the floor underneath and from the speakers in the room. A turntable feels it most, but an amplifier or a disc player is affected too, and what the rack is made of decides how much arrives.

Massive Shelves That Will Not Resonate

Each shelf is 0.86 inches of dense MDF, chosen because fiberboard of that thickness absorbs energy instead of passing it on. The shelves are heavy enough that they do not easily resonate against the pillars holding them.

Spikes Into the Floor, Discs on Top of It

Adjustable stainless steel spike feet drain mechanical energy into the floor and let you level the rack on a surface that is not true. Protective floor discs are supplied for hardwood, tile, laminate or vinyl.

Open on Every Side

There is no back panel, no side panel and no door. Heat leaves a component through its top and its flanks into open air, and the cables behind everything stay reachable without moving the rack away from the wall.

That matters more on a compact rack than on a large one, because the components sit closer together. An open frame is what stops a small rack becoming a warm box.

Build It Where It Will Live

The rack assembles from shelves and pillars, so allow a little floor space and a little time. Build it in the room it is going to occupy rather than carrying a finished rack through a doorway.

Fit the spikes into the underside of the bottom shelf first. On carpet let them reach through to the subfloor; on a hard surface use the discs. Adjust each one until the rack sits level and does not rock, then load the heaviest component low.

Italian, and Deliberately Plain

Black shelves on aluminum pillars, with clean lines and nothing decorative anywhere. The S2 is designed in Italy to sit in an ordinary room rather than a dedicated one, which is exactly what a second system usually needs.

See It in Action

Solidsteel’s official installation guide for the S2 series, worth watching once before you start:

Who Is the Solidsteel S2 Best For?

• You are building a second system — a bedroom, den or office setup that deserves proper support on a 23 by 16.9-inch footprint.
• You own a turntable — the three-shelf rack puts the platter at a comfortable working height and the top shelf has nothing above it.
• You want the engineering, not the bulk — non-welded aluminum pillars and 0.86-inch shelves, in the smallest rack Solidsteel builds.
• Your components are normal sizes — 8.6 inches of clear height and 110 pounds a shelf covers most amplifiers, players and streamers.
• You want to take it further — the shelves are a clean starting point for isolation feet under a source component.

Pairs Well With

• A turntable — the top platform is the widest surface on the rack and the one with nothing above it.
• Isolation feet and platforms — between a component and its shelf, where one source deserves more than the rack alone.
• Interconnects — work out your runs from where each box will actually sit, since the levels are close together.
• A phono stage — small enough for any level, and it keeps the cartridge lead short if it sits near the deck.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much weight will each shelf hold?

Up to 110 pounds per shelf, and the figure is the same on every level including the top. The shelves themselves are 0.86 inches of dense MDF.

Will my amplifier fit between the shelves?

The clear height is 8.6 inches. Most integrated amplifiers, players and streamers fit easily, but measure a tall tube amplifier or a large power amplifier first, since those are the ones that will not.

What makes the pillars different?

They are aluminum rather than steel, and they are not welded. A weld in a hollow post gives energy somewhere to collect and ring, so building without one removes the path instead of treating it afterwards.

How hard is it to assemble?

It goes together from shelves and pillars with the hardware supplied, and Solidsteel publishes a step-by-step guide which is embedded above. Build it in the room where it will stand.

Will it damage my floor?

Protective discs are included for the spike feet and work on hardwood, tile, laminate or vinyl. On carpet the spikes can go through to the subfloor, which is what you want for stability.

What is the difference between the sizes?

The number of shelves and the height, on the same 23 by 16.9-inch footprint. Clear height between levels, shelf capacity and construction are identical across the range.

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