which expensive hi- fi Rack ?

I have HiFi Racks Ltd which is based in Burrough. I live in Australia, yet I spoke to them and ordered a custom rack setup to suit the size of my Naim kit, including cutting a recess for an antenna, and custom speaker stands. It all arrived perfectly made and sized, so when I ordered another couple of shelves 6 months later I was concerned the spikes wouldn't EXACTLY match and fit. They were the exact size of the originals and perfect again. It is an awesome company and one which puts our (Australian) lot to shame. My kit looks superb and the rack supports a lot of weight with ease.

Claude, that's exactly what I wanted to know, how and why.......I suppose the point is...it's just b...... good

I had a steel and mdf rack I bought off Ebay in 02 or there abouts, OK when I had Rega gear on it and a CD5x but the CDX2 when it came , following 282/hi/250, sounded bright (upper piano notes were particularly unpleasant) and didn't time compared to the 5x, no sign of the famous boogie. I got Fraim Lite and things were much better, CDX2 now showing its worth. I'd baulked at the cost of full fat Fraim but the CDX2 ended up on a single shelf of it after a year or two and the improvement over the Lite convinced me to exchange the rest of the Naim bearing shelves. If you go for Fraim don't get the lite if you can stretch to the FF, the 282/250 warrants it and you'll only have to change it later. Is there anything better for upper end Naim gear? Possibly and the Tq might increase the likelyhood but getting a demo on racks is rare.

Fraim has to be setup properly, rebuilt every so often and collects dust (it does in my house anyway).

Yeti142,  thanks for your observations, I was possibly considering the Lite, but may well leave that now, as you say may be best to wait until funds allow for the FF. Thanks to this thread other options are available as they say..

Fraim but with Sonority roller shelves instead of the glass is a great option that I use myself. 

Makes the Naim equipment sound even better 

//Jonas

Jonas,  I like the roller shelf option, is it easy to use the roller shelves or do the cables cause a slight problem, some cables can be less forgiving in movement?

Fraim isn't an option for me due to it's size. My rack sits in a rather shallow alcove, and Fraim is very deep, so it would look ridiculous, and the modern styling wouldn't work in our old house. Other options I considered based on sound quality recommendations were Hutter, Isoblue and Quadraspire, all of which seemed to have a decent reputation. I went for Isoblue, partly because a used one came up at a good price, and partly because it's shallow enough to fit.

Chrissu, thanks for recommendations, will take a look.

If you have your system between the speakers, the Finite Elemente MR Pagode is nice.

Tobyjug,   I unfortunately have to have rack to one side, but a nice looking rack for sure..

Where I come from, the phrase "nice looking rack" would earn you a slap round the face...

Either that or you just might get....lucky

I have no problems with cables (Chord Sarum) used with Naim electronic. I also have trained the rest of the family to never touch the hifi...

Fraim is great since its modular and looks quite ok, same thing with Sonority. Together they sound awesome (to these ears). 

If they sound awesome, that's what matters most.

Loki posted:

Fraim's best, forget the rest!

Said with conviction.....but was contemplating alternatives

I have been a Naim user for 25 years based on one thing: Awesome products!

That doesn't say there's even better things out there. I'm amazed by some Naimes with full blown systems who never would dare to try an Chord Sarum Power Line for an example, despite the possibility it's clearly better then Naim Powe Line (and it is by a far margin)

Im very impressed by Naims management who has created a modern company with world class products but by challenging some products, because there is better offerings out there, Naim will step up in every area. 

Half the story regarding Super Lumina is because of that if you ask me. 

Being a Sheep won't improve Naim IMHO

//Jonas

I've also been told the chord Sarum power line is exceptionally good, in fact most of the chord range has extremely good reviews..

There is no question that Naim offerings today is fantastic. I tried SL against my Sarum Tuned Aray and could have lived with any of them, fantastic interconnects if you ask me. 

Still, Super Aray is a clear step up. To my ears Sarum XLR-Din is a no brainier and the Sarum PL comes in as the second cable to change. IC is another story together with speaker cable. 

//Jonas

wenger2015 posted:

I don't think the picture does it justice, with all those black boxes in situ, it must look absolutely stunning.

I am thinking the same.  Has anyone got a picture with Naim equipment on it?

Without commenting on SQ, the main drawback I can see over Fraim is the lack of flexibility (number/height of shelves).

 I made the jump to Fraim a year or so ago.  There were so many changes (room etc.) it was hard to say SQ improved.  I wasn't that sure of the Fraim look, and the footprint is certainly large, but the look is growing on me.  Fraim certainly has the bonus of encouraging you to look at and pamper those cables!

Yes, lack of flexibility is an issue, especially as the number of boxes keeps growing....it's that upgrade bug!!!

Jonas, have you auditioned any cables from the Tellurium range?

Although not a Fraim, anyone else using or consider Isoblue an expensive hi-fi rack ? Having once owned a Fraim, it is indeed a stunning work of art but I also like the minimal look of Isoblue and how the 272/200/XPS looks to be right at home within it's shelves.

I used Isoblue for a while, and had two stacks before I downsized the system. The only issue I have with it that it's very low, and the Burndy lead would sit on the floor. In order to increase the height one either has to add an empty shelf, or use the extension pieces, which make it look very odd. I've found the sound quality of the Quadraspire SVT to be at least equal to the Isoblue, though I've not tested them side by side so this is just a hunch. However, with the SVT I've managed to get the Burndy and interconnect off the floor simply by getting some longer legs, which still look ok - and getting them off the floor is well worthwhile. 

Does anyone know the footprint size of the lsoblue compared with Quadraspire SVT ?  One issue with the fraim is the need for space, especially if you're requiring two racks?