Quadraspire Supports
Posted by: Leigh on 26 December 2000
I am one of those Naim enthusiasts without a dedicated listening room and therefore constrained by the niceties of having the system 'fit in' with the decor of out living-room /lounge.
At the moment by 72/140/cd3.5 sit next to each other on top of a large wooden cabinet, with the hicap on the bottom shelf inside the cabinet (along with 100-150 CDs!).
I am considering moving the equipment off the cabinet and onto a Quadraspire Q4 table with 4 mdf shelves.
I like the look of the Quadraspire and its wooden finish would fit our decor better that a metal stand.
Does anyone have experience with the Quadraspire and Naim equipment?
You're bound to get some strange advice, but I was faced with a similar problem & did the same as you are suggesting.
CDX, LP12, Nait all on a 3 tier table that my wife is happy to have in the living room.
Hope this helps
Lerxst
"Here is my take on the three most popular stands here, though the only dems I have done is Mana vs Quadraspire, and Quadraspire vs Hutter. I have not managed to get all three into a room at once.
- Quadraspire
Easy to listen to presentation, ambles along with a nice laid back swing, and portrays musical flow well. Sonically it sounds a bit shut in, mushy, compressed, and undynamic, to my ears it very obviously rounds off the leading edge of transients such as a stick hit on a cymbal. Seems to loose low level detail such as a realistic sense of acoustic space / some reverb etc. - Hutter
Good sense of instrumental timbre, good resolution of low level detail, and quite good dynamically, though definitely lost out in the groove and swing area in the dem where I heard it against Quadraspire. To say this surprised me was an understatement. - Mana
Very dynamic and detailed, large, open and airy sound allowing truly excellent pace rhythm and timing. Excellent control from extreme top end right down to extreme bass. Can sound absolutely horrible when not set up right in a headache inducing hard, forward and relentless way. When set up correctly its absolutely the opposite. For me it gives the best of the above with none of the negative aspects.
The above is my own personal take, based on the dems I have heard, plus hearing all the above stands in different peoples home systems. On what I have heard, I am very happy with my choice. The stands above can all work well, and they all concentrate on very slightly different aspects of musical performance. Listen to all of them if you have the chance, certainly don't be talked into buying the first you see. Accept no pseudo scientific babble."--Tony
Hope that was useful.
Vuk.
P.S. Could you please let us know your full name next time? Thanks.
[This message was edited by Vuk Vuksanovic on WEDNESDAY 27 December 2000 at 00:12.]
It's made of wood and glass, is essentially non- ferrous (apart from the hardened spikes that link it to the floor), it looks great, and is in a different league to Quadraspire(Uninspire) when it comes to sound.
The only problem with this stand is that the top shelf doesn't work - but since you have a drawer loader this shouldn't be a problem
At c. £1K GBPs it is not cheap. But to me the effect is priceless (well nearly).
Regards,
Chris.
I WAS IN EXACTLY THE SAME SITUATION AS YOURSELF
WITH NOT HAVING MY OWN LISTENING ROOM.THE SUPPORT
STAND IDEALLY HAD TO BE A PIECE OF FURNITURE WHICH
ALLOWS THE NAIM EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM CLOSE TO ITS BEST.
2 MONTHS AGO I SAW & HEARD A QUADRASHIRE. I WAS
IMPRESSED AND SO WAS MY WIFE.
WE PURCHASED A 5 TIER Q4 IN MAPLE WITH POLISHED ALLOY SUPPORTS. I'VE TURNED THE SHELVES UPSIDE DOWN WHICH NOW MATCH THE REST OF THE FURNITURE...
......A LIGHT BEECH COLOUR......
I'VE SINCE ADDED ANOTHER SHELF.
THE GREAT NEWS IN OUR ROOM IS ITS PART OF THE FURNITURE & SOUNDS BRILLIANT AS WELL.
YOU WON'T BE DISSAPPOINTED
DAVE
I've also heard the Quadraspire and was suitably impressed. It gives a nice warm glow to the music. I was amazed how poor my CDX sounded with the my SBL's. The sound was too bright, edgey and many tracks were unlistenable on my old Target stand.
When I placed everything on the QS it was like playing around with a graphic equaliser. The treble had been lowered and the bass more pronounced. In general the sound was much smoother, better integrated and easier on the ear.
I was intending to buy the QS, however I have since placed an order for a Mana 4 tier stand.
(which I have been promised should arrive by courier today).
The reasons why I've ordered a Mana stand is,
1: I am finally realising the importance of set-up. I have heard cheap hi-fi sound better than much more expensive hi-fi. Why is this? I believe the choice of stand( and correct set-up) play a significant part in overall enjoyment.
2: I like the options of upgrades. This was one of the reasons I choose Naim, therefore over the years I will always be able to add additional soundstages.
3: Re-sale value remains comparatively high. This is another reason why I choose Naim. If ever (God forbid) I am forced to sell the Naim and Mana I am confident of receiving a good price.
4: Finally, I have always thought that the claims made by Mana were exagerrated. Therefore I am keen to make my own level headed judgements. The option of a return if not satisfied has also swayed me towards Mana.(nothing to lose).
Merry Xmas everyone
Lance (doesn't post much but lurking for years)
Some members have spoken highly of Hutter; I'd advise you to try to check out their stands as well. However, cosmetics aside, QS is significantly inferior (in sonic terms and also in stability terms) than a Mana rack of the same size. I would urge you to try to hear some Mana before making any (IME) expensive mistake with lesser racks.
On the plus side, there is a reasonable secondhand market for QS racks, so I got 75% of my money back on my 3-month old, 6-tier QS rack (when I moved to Mana). This will be some encouragement if you choose QS and then realise what Mana can offer.
Sorry to be so anti-QS - I'm not, but Mana is so far ahead in sonic terms, to not consider it first is a grave mistake...
John (a happy Mana owner)
I think, to be fair, you ought to point out that you havn't actually heard the Quadraspire with Naim equipment.
Allan.
I take on board the comments about listening to the stands before buying, but are Mana stands as aesthetically pleasing as the Quadraspire supports and what price range are they in?
Regards
Leigh Silcock
I believe the Mana is a bit more expensive. As for aesthetics, it's best for you to judge for yourself (see pictures below).
Quadraspire:
Mana:
Vuk.
quote:
I think, to be fair, you ought to point out that you havn't actually heard the Quadraspire with Naim equipment
Partially correct - only a CD3.5, not Naim amps or PSUs.
How're the stands going, Allan?
John
Since table auditioning is not easy, they were chosen somewhat 'blind', but I have had no regrets.
For confirmed tweakers they also provide an excellent opportunity to try small, relatively inexpensive upgrades, for example the recent addition of modified PowerPoints to the top isolation platfrom has provided greater authority to the CD player.
Mana is not the only route!
It is good to see that I am not only person appreciates this stand.
This is the most uncoloured stand I have come across, which has made the setting-up of my system sooo much easier. Once the amps and PSs were in place on the RFS, it was a relatively simple matter to tinker with the set-up my CDS to achieve the sound I wanted, without having the problem of the signal being coloured downstream,.
My system now sounds superb, just as I thought it should sound in my 'minds ear' - without any of the gremlins that have afflicted all SBL ended systems that I have heard previously. I don't think that I could have achieved this by upgrading the electronics.
My set-up currently includes the standard spec RFS with the isolation slab. I have been in contact with Bob Huntsbach, the designer regarding an upgrade path. He has suggested Power Points for the isolation slab, Basis feet between the isolation slab and the stand, and Basis feet for the CD Player.
Have you tried any of these options?
Good to hear from you!
Regards,
Chris.
quote:
How're the stands going, Allan?
John,
I wish I could tell you, unfortunately they still havn't arrived. I'll just bite my tongue and wait patiently.
Kind of a shame really, just when I get three weeks off work and have plenty of time for messing around with this kind of thing. By the time the stand turns up I'll probably be back at work and be rushed off my feet again.
Allan
i am very happy with my QS -- a definite upgrade from my sound style, especially visually. i havent observed any negative effects on dynamics or attack. my QS houses Hicap(for Prefix), CD2, NAT02, NAC52 (so there is a spare slot for upgrades). i have got my 250, supercap on a Projekt, again 4-tier- which also looks quite nice, but doesnt quite 'go' visually with the QS. Sounds OK to me though.
i have promised myself to try out mana under my cd2, but i have other upgrades i am considering right now before then. for example cdsii, and nap135's. perhaps nbls's when i have had a chance to hear them.
my theory is that, assuming your have reasonable manufacturer recommended stands, you have to be happy with your system first before considering changing supports. i strongly suspect that even some mana based systems with umpteen phases may not be working optimally at all, negating whatever potential positive effects the support may bring. i dont doubt that stands make a difference, and in a lot a cases, positive differences, but i think you have to make sure sure the system is right in the first place. sounds like catch-22 doesnt it?
enjoy...
ken
can someone remind me why JV(and a few others, including yours truly) use BASE? i haven't tried any of the others.
are there better stands for different units...anyone ever try Mana for cd players/preamps and hutter for power supplies and NAPs?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
shahreza
Thank you for the photographs recently posted. Given my previously mentioned constraints, comments made in this thread and finally your photos, I think I am going to try my system with a Quadraspire support.
Thanks for your help.
Leigh Silcock