Quadraspire bamboo vs Fraimlite

We had a demo of bamboo SVT verses the full Fraim by Alester Kelli (Quadraspire product designer). His view is that the former beats or competes with the latter. It certainly acquits itself well. Perhaps the Fraim is more incisive and detailed whereas the bamboo SVT is smoother. Either way, it cured me of Fraim envy and I'm very happy with my Quadraspire. Also, it's smaller and looks much nicer. The bronze cones are very good, by the way.

Keith

Thanks very much for your reply, Keith. Did I see on old threads that you previously had q4 and experimented with bamboo shelves? I was also wondering about the difference between that and the SVT. The smaller rack would suit my space better but the big price difference suggests the larger rack is much better? 

Both the Q4 and SVT are the same width, but the latter is deeper. The SVT is much, much better than the Q4 and looks much more substantial. As to whether you chose that or the Fraim is down to personal choice. 

Mr Halibut is correct. It is a slight pain that the SVT is deeper than Q4, but it looks much nicer, makes the music sound better. It's a lot narrower thanthe Fraim.

Keith

What about the bamboo vs standard SVT? Is there a major sound difference and is the SVT ( not bamboo) that much better than the Q4 or the FraimLite?

I`m asking because i saw several times Q4 and SVT in white and it looks gorgeous to me

Thanks!

The SVT is a step up on the Q4 (in performance, as well as looks). The bamboo is a further step up on the SVT, but a smaller step in my view. The brass isolation spikes for the top shelf lifts the performance again.  I've no experience of Framelite but one thing I particularly like about Quadraspire racks is their low maintenance.  

Swapping a std Q4 for a bomboo top shelf (with bronze) cones as a demo before I upgraded made a bid difference. I rate bamboo, as do Quadraspire, and it looks nice too.

I've gone from a bamboo Q4 to a full fat Fraim, and whilst the Fraim adds more of that typical Naim sound it is very high maintenance. The lowly bamboo Q4 has a lovely organic sound, which even now I sometimes miss.

Agreed, the Quadraspire is more "organic". The SVT is a really nice step up from the Q4 at a fraction of the price of a Fraim.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts comparing these racks. It is very difficult to demo or even see them when you live outside the UK! I currently have a Fraimlite but am considering a change because it doesn't fit at all in the living room where the system is. Hopefully one of the Quadraspires will give me similar performance. 

Geko - could I ask if you can describe what you mean by 'typical Naim sound'? I had assumed Fraim would add more clarity and space between notes?

I have three SVT racks and couldn't wish for better - certainly this side of sensible money. I did consider Fraims but was limited by the width of the space I had for them. The SVTs are also less of a dust trap. I also installed an SVT bamboo wall shelf in place of my old Target for my LP12. This one is supposedly optimised for the LP12 as it does way with the brass collars. It certainly looks less agricultural than the Target and is a perfect visual match for the racks.

The Q4 will not sound as good as a Fraimlite. If you do make the change only do it if you can get the SVT. I've been really pleased with mine, and I've had full Fraim in the past. The SVT is a doddle to set up, doesn't go out of tune, is easy to keep clean and with the bamboo version at least, has much better build quality than the SVT shelves. If you have a good source it's worth getting the bronze upgrade - it sounds better and to me looks better too. The spikes are expensive though. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

The Q4 will not sound as good as a Fraimlite. If you do make the change only do it if you can get the SVT. I've been really pleased with mine, and I've had full Fraim in the past.... 

Nothing like hands on Experience, some will prefer the 4 legged support rack, whilst the physics will support the Tri- pod support racks!

Many Moons Ago, I recall my Friend an Authorized Linn Dealer, explaining the idea support rack.

No Rack, imagine your LP 12 suspended in mid air, not connected to the Floor or Wall.

The Latter appears Trump the Former, being isolated from vibrations and movements, by heavier moving creatures.

Light weight high rigidity support racks, vs Heavy Cement Blocks, and Marble Slabs!

My Sound Factory Tri-pods Support Racks served me well over the last 2 decades.

But the Advantages of Naim's Fraim, forced me to pull the Trigger on it's Little Brother, which can be upgraded to reference standards!

No surprise that some will prefer the Three legged support rack vs the Four Legged Support Rack!

YMMV

Allante93!

PS. As far as looks, I always preferred showcasing the gear.

Black Boxes, Black Shelves, Black spacers, and Naim's logo Gleaming in the Dark, Suspended in mid air! 

Hi AI17,

Yes, the Fraim seems to add more of an 'edge' to everything, kind of more dynamic with less smear and a very solid underpinning bass that makes it very easy to hear exactly what's going on in the mix but sometimes, at very load volumes, it's almost too much and I miss that slightly romantic, slightly warmer and slightly more coloured sound I had with the Q4.

In reality I expect the Fraim is not really adding much to the sound, so you just hear a more characteristic 'Naim' sound from the system as a whole?   

Thanks for all the follow up replies. I'm going to give the bamboo SVT a go - then I'll come back and answer my own question about how it compares to Fraimlite...

Good choice. It looks far nicer when it's in your room than it does in pictures, so fingers crossed you will like it. We have our boxes more or less centred on the rack, which seems to look nicest, and the wires don't touch the shelves.

Yes, fingers crossed! It will be interesting to do a direct comparison.

Btw I'm interested to see that you have the curved edge to the front. I had assumed that it should be at the back to make cable dressing slightly easier? 

The curved front is simply part of the design, and it looks really weird if you have the flat edge at the front. People also put the shelves upside down, which also baffles me. 

Apologies for the question but anyone using the av version of these with a TV and naim on it? Which version you recommend 

recommendation and pics appreciated 

they are expensive but can start with 2 levels and add a third later. 

Thanks in advance 

They are able to custom make if it comes to it along with the size of your wallet!

Of topic a bit....Hungry....is there a massive difference between the SVT and the hutter?

Be aware that access to some non-Naim devices is restricted by the center rear post on the Fraim.  I have a FraimLite and can't access the USB input on my new Autender N10 streamer.

Also the power cord for my Aavik amp plugs in the center requiring that I have to mount it on the top shelf.

i had a Q4 but I think the FraimLite is sturdier.  

Bud

I agree the rear Fraim support's inconvenient at times, but with a bit of ingenuity you can remove it & replace with a suitable bolt.

Access to some Naim products is also compromised by the central rear leg, e.g. NAC52.

Although I am a Fraim user myself, I do think it is grossly over priced.  There's only so long that you can argue that the development costs need to be recouped. Thereafter it's just a cash cow. Until the market dries up that is. Actually I wonder where it fits on a Boston Consulting Group growth/share matrix?

steven2907 posted:

Of topic a bit....Hungry....is there a massive difference between the SVT and the hutter?

 

Both are very good; I wouldn't like to try to say which I prefer.