The Story Behind the CONTOUR Audio Rack: Refinement Without Compromise

by Andrew Simonds

It’s been a long road to get here.

We’ve spent over a year prototyping, sawdust-deep in the shop, trying to solve a specific challenge: how do we keep the heavy-duty performance of our Echelon rack but give it a look that feels a bit more at home in a curated living space?

The Echelon was built to be a tank—architectural, bold, and unapologetically heavy. But after talking with so many of you, I realized there was a need for something that carried that same "no-compromise" DNA but with a softer, more elegant touch. That’s how the Contour Audio Rack came to be.

 

Built on Your Feedback

The Contour wasn't just dreamed up in a vacuum. It was built on the feature requests we’ve heard from you over the last couple of years. We kept the core goals that define a Deep Lake rack:

  • Real Hardwood, No Exceptions: We’re still using the same heavy, solid hardwoods. Wood is nature’s best vibration dampener, and there’s just no substitute for that mass when you’re trying to kill resonance.
  • Built for the Heavyweights: Whether you’ve got 100-pound mono-blocks or a sensitive tube preamp, this rack is designed to handle the most demanding systems without breaking a sweat.
  • Room to Breathe: I’m a big believer in open designs. It lets you actually see the gear you’ve invested in, but more importantly, it keeps the air moving so your components don't cook.

What Makes the Contour Different?

While the Echelon is about strength, the Contour is about refined strength. We moved toward a curved design language that’s a bit more subtle and sculptural. It’s meant to be a prized piece of furniture that happens to be an elite audio component.

We also took the opportunity to fix a few "quality of life" details:

  • Better Vinyl Support: We widened the side profiles so your records have a larger surface to lean against. If you’re like me and keep your current rotation on the bottom shelf, it’s a lot more functional now.
  • The GAIA-NEO Upgrade: We’re outfitting these with the new IsoAcoustics GAIA-NEO series. They are award-winning for a reason—they do an incredible job of decoupling the rack from the floor, which really opens up the soundstage.

Still Made-to-Order

As always, we’re building these right here in our Seattle shop. Since we aren't a mass-production factory, we can still customize the heights and widths to fit your specific setup. If you have a weirdly sized component or a specific space requirement, we can usually make it happen.

It took a year of tweaking and testing to get the Contour exactly where I wanted it, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. It’s the same "over-built" philosophy we've always had, just with a new silhouette.

Thanks for being part of the journey and for pushing us to keep evolving.

— Andy

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