One of the most striking and unusual designs in the test is the Spider from Finite Elemente. The unrivalled functionality and flexibility completely dispenses with the need for shelves, which can cause resonance problems. The central structure of the Spider is formed by the cogged core segments in solid aluminium each fitted with four bolted beechwood struts (natural or anthracite). These "levels" are bolted together with the vertical uprights. The Spider grows in height by stacking the 30 centimetre long aluminium profiles, and additional levels can be inserted at 3 cm intervals.
he hi-fi units are fixed to the beechwood struts via R.C.I (Resonance
Controlling Interface) elastomer pads, whereby each elastomer pad can
be slid into position to suit the dimensions of the hi-fi unit or even
doubled in the case of heavy units. You can use a table to select the
required surface area, the height and the number of levels for the rack.
It is possible to have a total of 18 possible surface areas by varying
the strut length and the arrangement. The enormous savings in material
also allow even a large rack to be dispatched with a minimum of packaging.
Finite Elemente also takes back the foamed packing material for recycling.
The complete raison d'être of the Spider's design principle comes
to the fore during listening: As with no other model in the test, this
rack was convincing with a wide and clear sound pattern with excellent
vocal reproduction. The bass come over impressively and the music seemed
