Mana question

You'd need a five or six tier amp rack depending on whether or not you wanted to double up the 32.5 and Hi-cap on one shelf.

You could then add Soundstages under the rack to improve the performance of everything on the rack. Visit the Mana forum for more info. The products section has photos of the various components.

Regards,
John

http://www.mana.co.uk/menu.htm

Oh God, sorry..
I'll get me coat

Rasher

375+ posts here and you don't know anything about m*n* ?

Try their website - they will tell you all you need to know.

Geoff

Rasher,
I went the Mana route a couple of years ago, purchasing a 5 shelf unit and sound stage underneath for my electrics, and placed a sound frame underneath my SBL's. I upgrades from an Appollo Aria modular support. The differance/improvement in sound was well worth it IMO.
Also if you do buy new Mana will refund if you don't like the effect it has on your stereo. Mana does seem to polarise opinion tho - some do like it and others don't.
It does seem to fetch reasonable prices second hand as well.
My missu likes the look of the Fraim, but until I have listened to it at home and founf out if there is an improvement I'll stay with what I have.
I also agree with dozy re sarcastic comments getting in the way of useful information that copuld be passed on this forum.... there is a right place right time for such things me thinks...

Chaps

If rasher asks this question on the Mana forum, he will be advised to buy loads of the stuff because it is good etc.

If he asks on this forum, he will get differing views, which is to be expected.

All we need is for the comments to be sensible.

Regards

Mick

Rasher,

Mana is very much a question of polarised taste, as I'm sure you know, but also of equipment IMO. My Rotel/32.5/110 might very well benefit from the extra speed, dynamics and perceived clarity that Mana affords. However, by adding Mana to my other system, which already had speed, dynamics and clarity aplenty it over-egged the pudding somewhat and became very leading-edge 2 dimensional, so I got Hutter.

Most Mana believers believe it works for everything, the more the better, most detractors think it screws everything up no matter what. I'm in the middle.

Alex

Thanks for the advice guys. Marco & Dozy - that was exactly the stuff I needed - Marco - you are a star.

I honestly had no idea that this was such a touchy subject, and now looking back through previous threads I can see that this has been covered many times, although to someone like myself who is unfamiliar with the stuff, its way over my head. I had tried the Mana forum, but again its a foreign language to me. It was no help.

May I suggest we end this thread - Marco has answered all I need for now.

To those who like to flame - if you bothered to look you would have seen that I apologised at the outset when the penny dropped. Funny - for a subject you groan at, you find the time to participate so much!

[This message was edited by Rasher on WEDNESDAY 13 August 2003 at 14:58.]

Christ don't let Marco get the last word. If you had tuned in this time last year he was putting down anyone with a scrap of iron in the whole room, let alone scrap iron under the kit.

I know Marco, but it wasn't for want of trying. I followed bub's latest advice: gained Phds in psychoanalysis, psychoacoustics, psychobabble and became a complete psycho. I stopped the Earth's rotation and became a rotarian. I levelled my listening room before levelling my Mana. I honed every spike, spiked every drink, double glazed my expression. I tuned the glass 94 times with the left dorsal fin of a mermaid. Every time I must have got it wrong.

Alex

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

love it alex

Oh bugger it....getting a Fraim.
Sorry

Marco,

I'll come back in a few days when you've told us all the 'real issues', again.

Alex

quote:

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Originally posted by Marco:
Truth now...

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Er, Marco, only now....?


If I could just make an observation here (and taking advantage of your absence while you have your "boozy lunch").

On another thread you state that the validity of your opinion as to what works and what doesn't is based upon what you hear and what you feel works for you.

Now, don't get me wrong here, but why can you not accept others opinions based upon the same criteria.

Marco, my point is that you are absolutely correct that this is the criteria by which any decision should be made. So, why argue so vociferously against anybody who may dsagree based upon similar criteria of evaluation.

The subject of Mana has been argued so many times before that I cannot see much new ground being covered here. Certainly you made your own case for choosing Mana on numerous occasions. However, just because you like it doesn't mean that others don't. That's just the way of things...

Rather than endure another gruelling Mana slanging/evangelising thread, I'd much rather we moved on. OK?

Richard

P.s. Marco, Happy Birthday.

Browning

To be fair to Marco, nearly all of his comments/conclusions are based on his own experiences, so you cannot criticise him for that.

Yes, he has done a U turn on the Quadraspire/Mana or Ferrous v Non Ferrous issue but he is, at the end of the day, only giving an opinion. It would have been very easy for him to have kept quiet, but he did state several times that new circumstances forced him to change his mind. That is what happens in a changing environment.

On another subject of fuses or rather no fuses, I am diametrically opposed to Marco but we have discussed it and have agreed to differ but because we both stuck to the issues rather than cat calling, we remain on good terms.

There is nothing wrong in having a strong opinion as long as it can be backed up with facts and or experience which in most cases, he is able to do so.

Regards

Mick

quote:

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Originally posted by Richard Dane:
Rather than endure another gruelling Mana slanging/evangelising thread, I'd much rather we moved on. OK?

---

Richard,

You are spoiling all the fun!

Matthew

quote:

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Originally posted by Browning:
Marco ..
Are your conclusions scientifically based or just what you hear or think you hear.
I know my experience with Mana was only what I heard or perceived I heard and I did'nt like it.
If you like the Mana sound so well and good, you've found something you like. At the same time other people prefer different supports as their ears tell them they are superior to Mana

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So..If you like it, it's personal choice - If you like others, they must be "superior".
Thanks for clarifying your position.

Just a quick question, does owning mana do this to you?

Worrying

...or is it drug related?

Matthew

quote:

---

Originally posted by Browning:
I have stated why Mana did'nt appeal to me and hopefully some will take the advice and listen before buying and not slavishly follow those who only advocate Mana as a cure all for all HiFi ills
Happy listening
Paul

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Now, that is a good point & you are right. Nobody can argue with that (can they?).

Paul - Subjective/objective

Alan, I'm confused as to which writing course you're on, bub's or Marco's. It seems to alternate with each post.

Alex

PS Oh dear, Marco seems to have choked on his penne.

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan Ball:
Richard -

Move on at your leisure. No-one forced you to post and you certainly wern't moderating the thread

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Eh??? Well, I was moderating the thread. A look into the crystal ball showed me just where this thread was heading so comment was appropriate. Your contribution along with subsequent replies seem to bear this out.

For some reason arguing the respective benefits and drawbacks of various hifi supports seem to bring out the worst in everybody - especially when it comes to Mana. I just want emotions to be kept in check otherwise it's another thread with some worthwhile snippets of information unfortunately consigned to oblivion....

By the way, it's nice to have you posting. I hope you haven't got rid of the anorak....

Richard

"But you have to keep your Mana in balance as well. You can end up with a weird sounding system if you don't take a step back at look at the system as a whole. Just shoving tons of Mana under your CDP for example may indeed push its performance way beyond what the pre/amp and speakers can successfully reproduce."


I'm trying to follow the logic of the statement above. My understanding of the principle is that additional levels of mana improve performance. Why then would an improved front end offer a poorer overall system performance?

I have experienced improved amplification showing up front end issues in a bad way but have never heard a system sound worse because of a superior front end. Could you expand on this? Cheers.

Mana. Hmmmm... I've been on both sides of the fence on this one, and basically all I'm saying is 'suck it and see'.

Worked wonderfully under my old kit, completely failed to work under my current kit. I think that says as much about how a product is constructed and the materials used as it does about the relative qualities of various stands.

Mana did many things very well indeed. However, in retrospect I feel that under some kit it was a case of missing the wood for the trees...

Under an LP12 - well, now that I'm back with a Linn, I'm sorely tempted to get some s/h Mana, but that all depends upon how it gets on in practise with my current stand.

John

TC '..'
"Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a Muffin..."

Here's what I think of Mana (obviously based on my ears, mainly my system and my listening room):

Pros: Its fast, dynamic and clear.

Its modular-ish and upgradable if its your thing

Cons: It emphasises the leading edge of notes to the detriment of the rest of them. It takes mid-bass energy and turns into deep bass and/or sub bass energy.

Its too tweaky even for me: if an elephant farts in Africa it needs re-tuning (the Mana that is); you need long spikes, no short spikes, no long spikes; you need to change the feet of your LP12 and your Naim CDP, no you don't, yes you do; it needs to be double glazed, no triple glazed, no single glazed etc.

Whether you like it depends how you want music to sound and what kit you have: got that mid-bass hump in an LP12? - Add Mana, presto, its gone. Find your Briks a bit sluggish? Add Mana, presto they've quickened up. My system has plenty wrong with it but a lack of speed and dynamic range weren't 2 of them.

Drawing up a balance sheet, I prefer Hutter for my ears and system.

Bye, Alex

Sorry to get involved at this late stage, But having owned both for a long period of time there is no comparison in my opinion.
The FRAME gives an infinatley better, more real sound with my Naim equipment FULL STOP.