Isoblue, Hutter and Ash

I'm not sure that you will find much on Isoblue here. I have heard an all Linn system on some but I couldn't say whether it enhanced it or not. The dealer seemed to be pretty convinced that it was a good stand. Being modular it can be easily re-configured to suit yor system. Its simple design and relative good looks give it a high WAF.

Have you already eliminated Quadraspire from your list?

Willie,

I started a long reply and it got lost So, I have Ash, and I'm going to Hutter. Mostly for better aestetics, quality control, and modularity. I have not had a chance to demo it's sound quality.

Peter

User34 at Laposte dot net

Much depends on the space you have available, and the details of what you want to accomodate.

In common with Fraim, Ash stands use wide bits down each side, so the total width of the stand is a quite a bit wider than the width of a standard box. They don't have a reputation for sounding awful, and a "how it sounds" opinion would only be truly valid if one has heard the same system on something else. I've heard two systems on Ash, and they both "worked" for me, so it did no harm and seemed reasonable value.

Hutter is more versatile -- there looks to be a terrific variety of widths and heights, and you can add bits if your box count increases. Naim on Hutter usually sounds excellent. I can't tell you if it's absolutely the best, but a couple of most thoroughly musical systems I've ever heard happened to be on Hutter. It's quite energetic and weighty, but not slow.

Very limited exposure to IsoBlue, but my impression was that it did a very similar thing to Hutter. It's cheaper overall, but without the same range of sizes and finishes. Like Ash, this is a "much wider than the box" design, so you need to calculate available space carefully. You can add more to accomodate more boxes quite easily.

The effect on music-making ability of a good support cannot be underestimated. Although most support systems are expandable to accomodate more boxes, Mana is the only one to allow you add more of what caused you to choose it initially, with the downside that adding shelves to support more kit is more of a hassle. It is also the most space-efficient of the lot, as it is designed to occcupy only a very slightly larger footprint than the stuff it supports. You either can't live with how it looks or you love it, but being black and glass, it's arguably the least obtrusive of all of them, especially against a non-white wall. I suspect that if you like how it sounds, you will find a way to like how it looks. Superbly made, and excellent post-purchase assistance.

Best;

Mark

Willie,

I have 12 levels of isoblue - 2 stacks of 6 - and it looks great and the kit sounds excellent on it.

Smike

Thanks for all your help - away from computer most of yesterday followed by superb live concert - Bill Frisell & Djelimady Tounkara in small setting. WAF rules mana out - she wants wood and so need to follow this if I am to buy more kit. Probably down to versatility of Hutter or unobtrusiveness of Isoblue

Willie

save yourself a fortune and buy a ikea corra or two £20 each superb lightweight and look nice too.