"Just to let you know that I am getting HUGE improvement with Hutter (Racktime Basic). It's almost like a Supercap upgrade from 1 HiCap.  Generally, on both CDP and vinyl, cleaner sound, more detail, better bass lines and not at the expense of musicality at all. In fact, I find my system more musical with the Hutter.

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Jason Hector - HiFi + Issue 4 December 1999

"The first thing that strikes you about the sound is the scale, it simply becomes bigger' and more naturally powerful, without the sluggish tendencies which often afflict racks which do this. On the contrary the changes with the Hutter were entirely positive."

"What else did the Hutter do? Well it certainly helped to increase the resolution, allowing a hear-through, transparent quality with instruments better able to display their distinct voices. Nowhere was this more apparent than with drums. Now drums are some of the most difficult sounds to reproduce, covering a wide frequency spectrum with very strong transients.

My system has always done well here, but the Racktime system really outshone my Quadraspire rack in bringing out the best.

► Latest Follow-Up by Jason Hector in HiFi+, Issue 25 - Aug/Sep 2003

"... It is extremely easy to set-up with very predictable results.  I have only praise for this product.  It again allows the system to be natural and deliver a musical performance (if it did not manage this task it would have been straight out the door I can assure you) but it also digs deep into the detail in a recording and, most impressively, it manages to let the system create music in the correct scale.  What do I mean by this ? 

Well, a Hutter supported system seems to create a sound that is in keeping with the music, so a small ensemble exists in a real space, with instruments that are neither Rosanne Barr overblown nor Calista Flockhart skinny.

 Similarly a large orchestral piece is presented in full scale, not some 1:24 representation; a very satisfying result. 

Over the time I have used the Hutter it has continued to impress.  No matter what you throw at it, it just seems to get out of the way, letting each box do its thing and the fit and finish puts it in a different league compared to most of its competition. 

It is furniture in the best sense of the word."

Matt Tulini, Enjoy The Music

"The simple, minimalist aesthetics and clearly evident attention Hutter has given to the rack's build quality and finish will be appreciated by all who see this rack. It is definitely a classy piece of furniture that would impress anyone.

The blonde maple finish sent to me is probably the perfect choice for the audiophile who wants to assuage the fears of his skeptical wife. The light and bright maple finish, simple design, and heavy, woody looks make this rack seem to slip into a different furniture category; somewhat more like a bookshelf or an end table as opposed to a place to hold your hi fi gear.

Why do I need a rack and what should I look for in a rack ?  How do you characterize the Hutter sound ?

Besides tidying up the listening room, the significance of racks in getting the  hifi system to sound its best cannot be understated. 

In our experience with other racks, including those priced much much higher than Hutter, these can introduce various colourations to the sound, irregardless of the isolation theory claimed.  This may be due in part to the shelf material or the design itself. This can be a boon to some systems, of course, like probably adding needed warmth to the sound, or needed excitement.  But in our opinion, this is a major pitfall, as further upgrade plans will now have to take the rack's colour into consideration.

The Hutter racks can be characterized as having minimal effect on the reproduced sound.  It does not accentuate any part of the sonic spectrum, nor seem to add additional artifacts.  It allows one to hear closer into the sound the stacked components were meant to reproduce.  Hutter Racks get out of the way.

Will there be any further improvements if I use additional isolation / damping / coupling products (e.g. platforms, DH cones, roller blocks etc.) on your Racktime?  If so, what sort of designs will compliment your Racktime well?

"This also depends on the components used. If you use components where such products did a fine job until now, it may also help in future. The improvements may no longer be that dramatic as the Racktime system itself  already results in a big improvement.

It also can happen that the Racktime system does all the work for those small tweaks.  We have these experience, but you'll have to try with your own equipment."

"Racktime works totally different from the Platform One.

The internal design of these two elements are totally different.

"The materials used by our company are handcrafted and developed with partners from the Austrian hi-fi and acoustic industry.

"Racktime" is manufactured of massive triple layered spruce wood. Every layer has a different thickness with specific qualities. As surface material we use two layers of veneer on every side that consist of different thickness per layer too.

Spruce is used because it has similar characteristics to synthetic materials, a very wide internal structure, which allows it to absorb resonances very well. The difference in thickness of the layers is to absorb resonances better, and also that it gets more internal stability  (it works in a certain way also with air!).
 

As varnish, we use a water based lacquer system that corresponds to the highest quality & environmental standards in Europe. By the way it is the same varnish the famous Austrian piano maker "Bösendorfer" uses for its products.