Brain v Brawn left or right

Gary - your current configuration is the preferred one as it keeps the transformers at maximum distance from the 'brain' stuff because they are usually housed in the right-hand side of the black-box when viewed from the front.  So swapping them round would be sub-optimal but whether you could hear is difference is the real test.  

I can understand the desire to save a bit of money on the length of the speaker cables. I've done the same in the past but later regretted it when I realised that I had limited my future options.  I think I'd be inclined to go for a length of speaker cable that gives you a bit of flexibility and future-proofing.   

M

You’ve opened up an interesting forum though. What is the optimal space between brain and brawn (box edge to box edge).  Surely this can’t be the maximum as the burndies are stretched. Mine are around 10”

Phrase that last line carefully.

With 552 and 500 [ i guess the same applies to 300 ] one of the XLR leads may not be long enough to reach if the power supplies are placed to the left.

Yes, you need the power supplies on the right or the 300’s XLR leads won’t reach. 

When I got my 500 I emailed Naim on placement - and their view was that the power supply unit radiated sideways far more than vertically, so I have the PS on the shelf above the 500 (on the right, natch) with a  blank space directly to the left of the PS. Mind you, having six levels of double-width Hutter does allow me to do that more asily.

Thanks MDS, I think you are right and i’ll Stick to the brain on the left and just suck up the extra cost of Super lumina 

thanks for replies

Gary

Hi Fathings Cat,

My system has evolved from a single stack Tower of Babel, via two stack with brawn on the left to two stack with brawn on the right.

Switching from brawn on the left to brawn on the right made the system sound a little calmer and less tiring. For HH’s benefit, the inky blacks were inkier .

It was one of those changes that, once heard, grows on you, delivering long term satisfaction. Recommended.  

For you, Swapping back will increase system noise levels and is likely to create gnawing dissatisfaction.

Hope this helps, FT

Thanks FT, yes it certainly does. I’ll be sticking to brain on the left. 

Thnak you

Gary

If you have the NAP300 on the left lower shelf and the 300PS on the right lower shelf, don’t you find that one, if not both, of the burndies are touching the floor? Some users find this to be detrimental. Personally I’ve moved my 500PS up a number of shelves in an effort to avoid this, but I do now have crossing burndies, which some also consider detrimental. It all seems to be a compromise and what sounds best (or least worst) in your own situation. 

I started with my 500 Burndy’s on the floor, I then moved the ps up but that put the 552 head adjacent to the 500 and 555 ps which was is no goog either, moving the 552 up ashelf did the trick.

Recently had a reshuffle to make space for the 555ps again having not needed it for a while, this put the 552ps on the bottom shelf which made the music fall apart, plenty of dynamics but the timing was all over the place. Swapped it with the supercap and redressed the cables and all is well again.

Quite drippy mucking about rebuilding Fraim stacks at the moment.

Quite correct Clive, both 300 burndies  are touching the floor.....

I currently have left stack:

NDS top

gap

552

gap

300

right stack:

555ps

552ps

300ps

is this not optimum? Asthtecially I can live with it but I accept it does look a little uneven!

Gary

I would leave as is Gary, you don't want any of the PSU's on the left hand side interfering with the head units.

Sometimes people over think and lose track of the music 

If you’re happy with the sound leave it. The 500ps effect was revealed when I sent the amp off for service and DR and put the 250-2 where the head unit had been. I found I enjoyed this more than the 500 but put it down to buying a 15 year old 500 in need of a service but when it came back freshly DRed the system lost the spring in its step again and it didn't come back with run in. My CDX2 was above the 552 so I swapped them tound and the system regained its mojo (and I’m not refering to a Chord).

HI Fathings cat

I have a similar system to yours and have been looking at how best to stack the boxes on Fraim.

Based on what I've read and now heard I've opted for...

The 552 really benefits from being at the top and with space below. Ive also read that its best to place the 552PS at the bottom, indeed one poster stated they had been  told by Naim to do this. Well it sounds great to my ears !

552             Melco

Space        Space

DAC           300PS

300            552PS

I'm sure I read somewhere that Naim recommend 13cm between cases as the distance from which they stop interfering with each other and that this is how the standard Fraim spaces were devised. 

Of course I cannot find this text again for the life of me and the pics of the gear of Fraim looks like a lot less than 13cm between the top of one case and the bottom of the other. If that's true then left or right, assuming cables reach (which we've established they don't always) should make no audible difference. Certainly in the Statement range, power supply section is not mile apart from the upper brain but I am sure Naim considered the distance very carefully.