I hope its worth it?

Jonas Olofsson posted:

@Wenger: Yes. I have heard it on “all” surfaces and it’s always better with chips. Had a very cool demonstration at the Chord factory that blow my mind (and ears) away years ago.

//Jonas

If you have carpet where the Fraim(s) is, can the Chips simply sit on top of the carpet or is it best to make a small incision in the carpet and put the chips under the carpet and the spikes from the Fraim go through the carpet onto the Chips underneath?

I guess it depends on the carpet. I heard what Silent Mounts did on top of a carpet. Hearing is believing you know..,

I had a chat with Alester from Quadraspire the other day and amongst other things he spoke about their QX7 floor protectors. Although designed for hard surfaces they’ve had many reports of them being used on carpet to great effect. I guess it makes sense as, for example, the spikes on my speakers don’t sit on the top of the carpet, but go through it and the under lay, straight into the wood flooring. I’m going to give a set of QX7s a try on my rack I think. 

JRHardee posted:

In your system photo, you  have the dust cover on your TT. Taking the dust cover off an LP-12 makes an improvement that's immediately obvious. Had you tried that with your TT?

My LP12 used to sound a lot worse without the lid, due to the liberal build-up of dust, cat hair, and other unmentionables that used to accumulate on the platter. Perhaps if they made one you could easily lift off when in use, I might have gone for it.

Silent mounts, Chips, or QX7  floor protectors interesting observations.

I’m thinking I now need to get hold of a set of each and have a demo, I will be effectively upgrading my full Naim Fraim which I didn’t think was possible ...

will have to dig a little deeper into my wallet 

Hi

you won’t be disappointed at all. I made the jump late last year and was astounded at the difference ‘a rack’ made to the system.  

Just spend the time setting it up and you will be v happy 

Rob

Jonas Olofsson posted:

From performance perspective it’s a no brainier, you really can’t go wrong. It’s one of Naims best products IMHO. 

//Jonas

PS. Use Chips under the spikes! Very important. 

Chips? - do Chord make these?

Mort2k posted:

Hi

you won’t be disappointed at all. I made the jump late last year and was astounded at the difference ‘a rack’ made to the system.  

Just spend the time setting it up and you will be v happy 

Rob

Hi Mort2k, 

yes i have read it’s a lengthy construction process... and correct set up is key.

Its reassuring it’s made such a positive difference 

Congratulations Wenger! I have been struggling with this decision for the past few months, and the leap of faith is not getting any easier. I would love to hear how you find the improvements.

Boom

boom posted:

Congratulations Wenger! I have been struggling with this decision for the past few months, and the leap of faith is not getting any easier. I would love to hear how you find the improvements.

Boom

I understand completely, I have been considering this upgrade for a long long time.... 

Its just about the only piece of equipment you just can not demo..so hopefully I will have some positive comments to make when the time comes.... 

Everyone so far has given you positive comments,when I added my Fraim,I would describe the improvements as more subtle,nothing night and day.Cable management and looks are a big plus,and I can sleep well at night knowing my equipment is sitting exactly where it should be...but I would not put it on par with a box upgrade,sorry,just being honest.

Hi, No Quarter, 

searching through some of the threads on Naim Fraim , their are a few comments similar to your own experience ... which is one of the reasons I have deliberated about this upgrade for so long.....I’m reasonably confident that their will be an improvement, it will be interesting to find out just how much

Hey,don’t get me wrong,I do not regret getting my Fraim,mine was way less than normal price,and I just don’t want you to get your hopes up TOO HIGH for the improvent it brings.

No quarter posted:

Hey,don’t get me wrong,I do not regret getting my Fraim,mine was way less than normal price,and I just don’t want you to get your hopes up TOO HIGH for the improvent it brings.

I shall certainly keep my expectations in check..

I notice the Naim Fraim chips are sold at £20 per chip, but no mention of any sound enhancement, more about floor protection.

If you search the Forum, there are some words (from either Darke Bear or TonyM - IIRC) to the effect that using the chips upside down is best...although I'm not sure on what type of floor surfaces, and this could be for speakers?

Happy Listener posted:

If you search the Forum, there are some words (from either Darke Bear or TonyM - IIRC) to the effect that using the chips upside down is best...although I'm not sure on what type of floor surfaces, and this could be for speakers?

Interesting.....maybe it’s as you say floor surface dependant??

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...build-the-naim-fraim

FYI, above is the link to the Fraim building guidance under the FAQ tab, should you not have come across this/wondered where it had been placed of late. I suspect between you & FinkFan you have all the bases covered - no pun intended.

One tip from me (obvious as it may be) is to layer the kit on the shelves and cable-up as you go (all mains off). I don't use the sticky-backed plastic retaining rings on the shelves (just don't like them) and this avoids, as far as possible, having to reach/overly-bend behind a tall-ish Fraim stack and hearing ball bearings bouncing across the floor if e.g. one of the burndies resists engagement. 

I've not tried the chips inverted as I've not got a solid floor and don't want material impressions being left in my wood flooring.

Happy Listener, thanks for the advice, all construction tips appreciated.

I have a carpeted floor, concrete underneath, so not initially thinking about using chips, but if it makes a difference may well just experiment .... just mean spending another £120 or so...

wenger2015 posted:

I have a carpeted floor, concrete underneath, so not initially thinking about using chips, but if it makes a difference may well just experiment .... just mean spending another £120 or so...

Surely after all the cash you’ve spent, your dealer could lend you a set! Remember that if you use them on carpet, they will have the opposite effect to what was intended, as they will leave a round mark on the carpet which may not disappear if you move the rack. 

Yes I would not use them on carpet. I did this and found that that rack (not fraim) was effectively “floating” on top of the carpet and susceptible to movement. Much better to have the spikes locate on the wood floor under your underlay to give it a firm and reliable platform. Plus, as others have said, the chips ruin the carpet by creating inch wide round indentations when the rack is re-located and these may never recover.

Regards

David

The Naim Fraim stacks are an excellent investment in your system IMO. The system will sound more detailed, have better timing and darker backgrounds with better bass definition with the Fraim is my experience.

Chips for hard surfaces improve the Fraim, but definitely do not use them on carpets and anything that can introduce a resonance - I found they sounded awful on carpets and it is better to have the spikes into the carpet onto the floor. In the end I removed the carpets around my HiFi Fraim and speakers so I could place onto a solid surface and it is much better.

Try first with just the spikes if the carpet has to be there and you should already get such a lift in performance from the Fraim that you will have time to later consider any other options.

DB.

NigelB suggested earlier to make a small incision in the carpet and put the chips under the carpet, might be the answer if it is a useful thing to do.

I really wouldn’t bother about chips, given that you have a concrete floor. Just make little slits in the carpet so that the spikes get a good contact with the floor. You will get such a big uplift in performance over the current rack that you will be delighted, I’m sure. 

Hi DB,

thanks for your comments, the improvements you describe are exactly what I am hoping for.

It was mentioned earlier in the thread about using chips under the spikes, I did think maybe ok on hard floors only? 

My Son in law, Finkfan has recently spoken to Alester from Quadresphire with reference to his own new rack and organised a demo of a set of his newly designed floor protectors, a combination of chips and rubber by the sound of it. 

So that’s another option, but possibly not necessary in my case.