Oh blahdy hew, isn't it time we gave up on Mana threads?
Posted by: Rico on 09 December 2000
- Elegantly finshed post-modern hifi furniture
- Ugly bloody heath-robinson mess of steel and glass
... in our lounge. I trust that those of you reading this can pick one of the choices above, and read on from that viewpoint, avoiding further repetative debate on the subjest of asthetics!
It sounds rather good to me. The rythmn section have stopped playing in the hallway behind me, and joined the band in the lounge. Oh, and BTW my rig wasn't sounding too bad at all, prior to the installation of the Mana.
So anyway, to get to the point. This is not a subtle improvement over my old trusty Sound Org 5-tier table. It is in fact a revalation.
So my post is not to say "sell all yer kit and buy more levels" or "Mana is the best"... but just to say: If you've been wondering what a difference a support can make to your rig, start evaluating before you spend more dosh on more boxes. Whatever option you choose, things have certainly moved on from the 80's. Hell, it now seems that my 140 is exerting a muscular grip on the Kans!
Oh, I almost forgot to add: I had a previously acquired flat-top (much the same as a reference top), which Damian quickly installed after I enquired what kind of difference I could expect (that was once I'd recovered from a big attack of the "WoW!'s)... and it was even more WoW (the CDX sit's atop this) - but in less of a 'sonic-fireworks' sort of way, more of an integration and musicality sort of way. Especially kick-drumming. Still, the rack overall doesn't just help the bassist and drummer -accoustic guitars make such a diff. I'd heard what this stuff can do before, but there's nothing quite like a 'home dem'.
Lastly, we added the 3m feet. which 'eased' the CDX to a small degree.... I did note though, that (at least in my system), this 'oh you can't listen to a CDX on Mana without the 3M feet' sounds like utter bollocks.
So there we go. My black jeans and Docs are still hanging in the wardrobe, and I don't intend becoming a Mana fundamentalist (don't have the t-shirt!). But I can say that it's worked wonders in my system, given a whole lot more music, and a place to start from when I next add black boxes to the rig. Thanks to Damian for braving the traffic, teeth, and setting up on a miserable friday night.
Rico - musichead
quote:
The hunger for raw meat and loud tube-amped heavy rock will take another 24 hours or so.
Heh heh - -yeah Dave, I know what you mean. I've been placating these 'urges' with just moderate stuff like Faith No More, without getting real noisy - if only to keep the neighbours happy. Truth be known, in such close proximity/small space, I rarely get close to 10-O'Clock on the vol dial from the CDX. Sacrilege, I know, as a Mana user 
. Must get out the Metallica tomorrow 
Rico - musichead
[This message was edited by Rico on SATURDAY 09 December 2000 at 23:42.]
Strange your reactions with the feet on metal footed stock suspension cd players and mana glass. I say that because two friends did the a/b and came up with the same conclusion independently. One used a cdx/52 based rig, the other a cds 1/52 rig, i run a cds 1/102 rig. You know us though, we don't know the proper use for a hockey puck right ?
Hey thanks for the e-mail, I'm interested in this sort of thing. BTW, this will be my last communication for the next 4 days....out of town on business .... no lap-top....arghhhh. Anyway , gotta go perform my husbandly duties you know.
regards,
dave
quote:
Out of curiosity, which other racks at a comparable price level did you audition before you decided to buy Mana?
Sorry Richard, it's taken me a while to respond. The answer is "there is no better, why bother listening, Mana is the only rack!!!" 
Now, shedding my black gothic uniform 
, and to answer your question in a serious manner... I didn't engage in many serious rack-dems this time. Over the past few years, I've listened to the effects of racks in different dems, with Soundorg as a 'control'.
I was 'sold' on the Mana racks many years ago, well before I could even afford kit worthy of placing on top, let alone the price of a Mana table - a sort of 'I've always wanted to own one' purchase. So I finally ordered the beast, and a wall shelf for my LP12, approx three months ago.
I was aware that an improved support was the order of the day in our system, and knew there were many options and possibilities. I had neither the time nor patience to fully evaluate all; and decided to take the plunge as a 'baseline'. When my system reaches a 'stable lineup', I'll embark on a full and care evaluation of 'best rack for the system'. This is why I haven't stated that 'Mana is the best'. It certainly gave me what I wanted, and works in this instance. Value for money? - well, the glass is nicely finished, the powder-coating is better than in the past, and home-delivery and setup currently included in the price for London environs is a bonus - I can't really answer that one.
HTH.
Rico - musichead
Oi Rico – try changing the glass for clear 10mm float! You won't need the damping strips!
(scuttles off narrowly escaping shrapnel wound)
... and congratulations!
Best;
Mark
(I still don't like this
software very much)