Custom Design's range has expanded recently to include several inventive approaches to the problem of balancing performance with good looks. This one is completely new on us, but we immediately took to it. Solid oak, very neatly sawn, chamfered and finished, with a slot just wide enough to accommodate a glass shelf. Two screws drop down through the wood and glass and when nipped up clamp the whole assembly together. Spikes mount directly under the screws and each assembly is free-standing on the one below, with spikes engaged in screw-heads. Simple, secure, stable and very smart. The 6mm-thick toughened glass should support a healthy weight. Different heights are available, with the maximum number of shelves only limited by the reach of your arm. A narrow, Cyrus-sized, version is also available. We wouldn\'t strongly recommend it for supporting a turntable, but with digital sources and amps we had pretty good results. It very slightly muddies the low midrange while the bass seems a touch less secure than some. On the other hand, higher frequencies are very clear and open. You could always add some 'iRAP' damping plates (£100 each) to cut shelf resonance, but even as it stands this is a decent rack that looks, to our jaded eyes, like one of the most attractive bits of hi-fi furniture out there. Hi-Fi Choice - Jan 2008 Reviewer - Richard Black

I'm getting used to the improvement which your Milan Hi-Fi 5 makes, which has blown me away! Again thanks for the excellent customer support and product, its been a pleasure throughout. Customer review: Hywel in June 2009

The iRAP is sold in Germany as S.I.P. (Sound Improvement Platform) "It is very seldom that I have had a material in my hand that reacts so little when it is knocked as the material that the S.I.P. is made of..........The same positive effect was achieved using the S.I.P. with (£4000) Silvalved valve phono preamplifier and that is very well worth noting as there are very few bases that can achieve positive effect with valve electronics.........The end result is that the enjoyment of the music is increased and is more relaxed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED". (Hi-Fi and Records – Germany – Highly Recommended Nr 3 2003) Reviewed By Reinhold Martin

I have been using the iRap for a couple of months now as a platform for my Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player and have been highly impressed with the results. Separation is vastly improved and the iRap has brought out new levels of detail in recordings I have owned for decades. Highly recommended.

Manufacturers attempt to damp this ringing with, variously, felt, rubber or Acrylic mats, but theres always room for improvement. Custom Designs Turntable Platter mat consists of two aluminum discs of differing thicknesses, with a layer of polymer sandwiched between, which is then powder coated. Its simple to use; you just place the disc on your existing platter; and then put the existing mat on top. Because the disc is only several millimeters thick, it shouldn,t upset the arms Vertical Tracking Angle too much, but if it does, then obviously you,ll have to adjust the arm height slightly. In decks with no mat , Gyro Dec, then the platter mat can go straight on the top. Placing the mat on any decks platter is quite amazing, flick the circumference of the Platter without the Turntable Platter and it tings, especially if it,s metal, or glass rather than Acrylic - but then repeat the exercise and its far more akin to a dull \"thunk\". This shows how the mat takes so much mechanical energy out of the platter, deadening it down more effectively than any rubber, felt, glass, cork or sorbothane mat Ive ever tried...At well under £100, its a bargain. David Price - HiFi World Jan 2006

Impressively dead...killing platter ringing with marked benefits for sonic precision. Its also worth a try on more modern decks, and even liked its effect on a Rega. By replacing the felt mat, the Turntable Platter added to the sounds heft and stability, though imaging both gained and lost, according to programme. (HiFi Choice Essentials Jan 2006 Issue 275)

In HFC 275, we reviewed Custom Designs platter mat lamenting its ferro-magnetic construction. Hardly was the ink dry on the review when we received not only a non-magnetic stainless steel mat but also this revised WRAP sheet, made of the same Acoustic Stainless material. This is still one of our favourite no brain accessories, put it on equipment and kill case work resonances, simple as that. But the lack of magnetic coupling can make it more useful near mains transformers, where there is less tendancy to rattle in the stray field. Hi-Fi Choice, April 2006, audiofile essentials.

We will let the picture tell a thousand words. But, those pillars are solid hardwood and the whole assembly weighs about 33Kg. Glass shelves tend to have their own acoustic signature, but Custom Design has provided an Acoustic Steel Supershelf (an iRAP or Isolation Resonance Absorbing Platform) for each. This stand has very little sound of its own and is a very worthy partner to the finest hi-fi separates. As usual, turntables will benefit from decoupling but the stand is rigid enough for that to work well. Excellent build, performance and value. Hi-Fi Choice - February 2005. Editors Choice, Best Buy.

High-end Racks. There is much hype about high-end racks. For most people, the main consideration is whether the rack looks good, doesn't occupy too much space and is worth the money. The high-end lot want something special, which doesn't degrade the signal from their expensive front ends. A lot of racks claim a great deal more than they deliver, often based on dubious science and some dodgy reviews. I know a little about psychoacoustics, music is my primary (non-human!) passion, and I use some fancy gear (dcs, Koetsu, Krell, Martin-Logan and B&W big boys). Having tried a lot of others, I asked Paul to refine one of his already existing designs, and make two racks for me. The result is the elegant new Icon Signature Acoustic which combines the best qualities of wood, metal, some proprietary materials and glass in a combination that delivers a wonderfully clean and detailed sound, firm bass, and a holographically open sound. The theory behind the design is that instead of totally eliminating the vibrations (which deaden the sound), much is conducted via the lugs and the metal stripes through the wooden columns and thence to the floor. Interestingly, there does not seem to be any discernible difference in sound between castors (which make life easier) and floor-murdering spikes. I have so far not heard anything better, which is suitable for a living room, as opposed to a lab. Prof: M Hoghughi - Hull University.

Once again, Custom Design's Icon system offers the buyer a lengthy list of options. A range of finishes, adjustable middle shelves and you have the standard Icon Signature. Add the iRAPs ( isolation resonance-absorbing platforms ) and you have the Acoustic version that can help bring out the best possible audiophile performance from any CD player, amplifier or electronics component. Hi-Fi Choice Awards 2007 Gold Award Best Equipment Support Over £500