Which way to go...Fraim or XPS2?

Andy

I would go 282-XPS2-250mk2-fraim-Supercap.
Actually I have done this.

Emil

Hey to me the Fraim's a no-brainer. Looks and great sound to boot.

And it's made for Naim too so why fight it??

XPS2 has a different effect of course. To me it made the CDX2 blacker and much more refined, with gobs of scale and after a while had me simply in awe.

The Fraim tightens up what's already there, better defined and timed bass, cleaner and sweeter treble better mids (all musically appropriate of course).

Close your eyes and point. You can't go wrong.

Joe90

Hi Andy

I'm another Fraim convert. An XPS2 probably seems like a better way to spend your money, but I don't think so.

Get Fraim whilst you have a relatively simple system, and it can be added to, in affordable steps.

You will not realise the full potential of your Naim kit without it. It layers and presents the music in a very special way.

I also think that any steel framed rack has a negative effect on sound quality.

OK; my head is now down below a stack of re-inforced Fraim, waiting for the incoming 'flak'.

This year I have done 250-2, XPS2, Fraim (and had my SuperCap and NAT01 serviced and new SBL tweeters put in). My system used to be housed on Mana and no doubt the Fraim is in the same league as the other boxes. It fixed all of the things I thought was room issues but was actually issues with old stand and aspects of its presentation that I did not like.

regards

Dev

I would have thought that a Fraim is a great improvement if the current rack system is a bit iffy, but over a Mana - surely it can't be that huge a leap, can it? Interested in your findings Dev. I don't doubt what you say is true - I have neither myself so wouldn't know.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rasher:
I would have thought that a Fraim is a great improvement if the current rack system is a bit iffy, but over a Mana - surely it can't be that huge a leap, can it? Interested in your findings Dev. I don't doubt what you say is true - I have neither myself so wouldn't know.

---

Hi Rasher,

I sort of held your view, but the Mana does truncate the bass quite a bit, which robs the music of body and weight. In my room this was disasterous! The Fraim brought he balance back but made everything bigger and made everything more revealing in a natural way. This last point is the best thing about it. It reveals more from every source I thought the XPS2 made the CDS2 more revealing and musical but tthe Fraim did it again. I am sure there are many ways to reach the same goal and if you are happy with the system, leave well alone but for me the changes I made this year were pretty big.

regards,

Dev

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patrick Dixon:

quote:

---

no doubt the Fraim is in the same league as the other boxes. It fixed all of the things I thought was room issues

---

Maybe they _were _ room issues. Maybe the Fraim just fits your room better than the others? Surely stands/rooms interact, and so what works best in one room, may not in another? Or am I completely wrong?

---

Who knows Patrick? I am not an expert in these things, but I suspect everything interacts wih the room to an extent, but none as large as the way speakers do. My listening room is large and potentially quite bright. I also sit about 12 ft away so my system needs to be able o fill the room with sound withou colourauion of any other bad effects. The system does this now, when I had otehr stands it did this less well. In other rooms I can't predic the results but I am sure that all products have a certain level of performance and I think the Fraim has a high level of performance. IMHO of course!

regards

Dev

Dev,
I'm very interested in you replies. Did you have your kit on the Mana before converting to the Fraim then? As such did you do a side by side comparison?
I have tried searching the forum for Mana v Fraim comparisons and have given up....
I will be borrowing Fraim to try at home but It will be a right pain swapping back and forth.

thanks for any replies...

I owned Fraim and Mana simultaneously with extensive A/B comparisons made over a five week period (search my old Mana posts). The differences Dev mentioned are on the money. IMO, the Fraim makes Mana-supported equipment sound as if it's filtered through an *improperly-adjusted equalizer.

FWIW, I've listened to three Mana'd rigs involving three different brands of gear, rooms/flooring/furnishings,and setup personnel/techniques--they all exhibited this same "unique" sound.

The Mana Effect can be quite interesting at first (different frequency bands highlighted resulting in different detail perspectives, wider dynamics compared to previously owned rack, etc.),however many of us have found those initially "exciting" traits wear quickly and soon become distracting... and ultimately destructive to the tunes.


regards,

dave


*Electric guitarists: Imagine filtering the hifi's output through the bridge and middle pickups of a Fender Strat out-of-phase...you've just experienced The Mana Effect.

quote:

---

Originally posted by andy c:
Dev,
I'm very interested in you replies. Did you have your kit on the Mana before converting to the Fraim then? As such did you do a side by side comparison?
I have tried searching the forum for Mana v Fraim comparisons and have given up....
I will be borrowing Fraim to try at home but It will be a right pain swapping back and forth.

thanks for any replies...

---

Andy,

My experiences mirror Dave's. Put Simply if when not on Mana your equipment sounds thick, slow, muddy, unexicting the Mana will work very well. However Naim equipment does no sound like that off Mana when it is working well, if your Naim boxes need it something is wrong in the room or the system elsewhere.

The Fraim is totally different to the Mana. It takes the fundamental character of your Naim system and enhances every aspect of it (most other stands either make it faster, smoother or one aspect only). It is also by far the best support for the LP12 also. I did A/B but to be honest the differences were so clear the comparisons were pointless.

I do understand the Mana effect and for sure some people will like it but it's not for me.

All this IMHO (my system, room, hearing, etc, etc)

regards

Dev

Dev,

I have my Naim kit on Fraim and LP12 on Mana.
Would you please inform how did you arrange your whole system on Fraim?
Thanks.

Adolfo Aguiar

Ignore the above, Mana works.

cheers

Nigel

Dev made a lot of effort to describe his findings specifically within the context of his system and his listening room. At no point did he say that 'mana does not work.' Why anybody should ignore his findings after living with both solutions is beyond me, especially given the lengths he has gone to to remain impartial and remain focussed on his individual experience.

Sorry, but from where I am standing you seem to be the one making sweeping statements whilst at the same time deriding the input of a measured contribution to the forum.

Like Adolfo, I too have my LP12/Prefix/Armageddon on Mana. Has anyone tried this combination on a (non dedicated!) Fraim?

quote:

---

Sorry, but from where I am standing you seem to be the one making sweeping statements whilst at the same time deriding the input of a measured contribution to the forum.

---

Simon

OK Mana works for me in the context of my system; it also works for thousands of others.

cheers

Nigel

Nigel

I looked at my previous posting and apologies if it comes across a little beligerent! Anyhow I agree that mana is an excellent product which is the right choice for many. Just in Dev's case his preferences were best served by fraim. Different strokes ........