Quadaspire vs. Hutter vs. Mana vs. IKEA
I’m not qualified to offer much of an opinion, other than to say that I’ve tried various different racks at different stages and like my good friend Lerx(x)t, I too moved from Mana to Qspire.
I’ve said all this before in different threads but would have to re-iterate that Mana (and for that matter all other steel support systems that I’ve tried are incapable of allowing CD players to perform at anything like their best.
For that you have to go non ferrous. I recently spent an afternoon with a respected and regular forum contributor for whom I have a great deal of time. Indeed, he was a great source of information to me (and others that I know) in setting up my Isobariks.
However, on hearing his system I knew exactly what was missing within 30 seconds (it seemed longer) of first hearing his system.
It is like going from a Nait to a 52, once you have heard and realized what Naim systems are capable of in a non-ferrous enviroment, you cannot go back. It is an education thing. You have to try it and appreciate the elements that go to make up a performance. It is not easy to write this without sounding pretentious or patronizing or evangelical. So I won’t even try.
Mana users have not got a clue what they are missing. Even when presented with incontrovertible proof (as acknowledged by all and sundry) of the benefits of a non-ferrous approach, one particular Mana user noted no difference.
Sorry guys but you have it all wrong.
True there is more than one way to skin a cat, but you have to know what you want from the cat skin at the end of the process(?).
And when posters agonise over the merits of Mana vs. Hutter, bear in mind that the Hutter is non-ferrous and is an entirely acceptable solution, it’s just not as good as the Quadraspire.
You simply have to find a decent dealer and get them to demonstrate (as Quadraspire do at every Hi-Fi show) just how much the sound of a Naim system can be seriously compromised by ferrous supports.
Vuk, the more I read your postings, the more I am convinced that you do not have a clue what you’re on about. Please stop.
As far as Lerxxt goes, he’s a mate of mine. I bought my 82 off him. I can confirm that he did buy a large Mana rack direct from Mana and bought my old reference shelf off me.
I can also concur that his system now sounds fantastic (i.e. a lot better than it did, despite the comparison with LP12/ARO/82/180) and I for one would be happy and proud to own it.
And when you say ‘someone joins our forum’, surely you mean your forum don’t you. This would be the only reason for you to dive on with such a tirade of personal insults. Incidentally ‘wild garlic valley’ is the literal translation for his home town. And as for having a go at Larry, who has had the restraint not to post on the forum at all……
you are becoming a bit of a wanker aren’t you?
As far as ‘one is drawn in by the luxuriant textures/detail bollocks’, I want to be moved by my music, to be excited and to hear music in a way which opens up whole new worlds to explore (hyperbole alert – but you get my point)
I have yet to meet a Mana user who has the first idea of the fundamentals of what it is that makes music work.
I have heard many ex Mana users that now do.
Wake up Vuk, yes, I’m sure that you have done a pretty excellent job of setting your (and doubtless many other’s) system up. But the methods you use to achieve the goals you set are not the basis for universal truth.
And until you have some proper basis for a diatribe on the merits of the ferrous vs. non-ferrous approaches please apply a caveat to any further pronouncements.
