I know there have been numerous discussions around variations of Cherry Fraim finishes. Specifically that there are known tinted and non-tinted options available.
I’m curious specifically about Fraim LITE which is just shown as having a single Cherry option on the . Com product page.
Everything I’ve seen in marketing photos and product details appears to show Fraim Lite Cherry in a more traditional, non-tinted finish. At least to my eyes.
Are any actually tinted? As a natural product there will be variations, and cherry in particular is prone to colour change on exposure to light and air, darkening and possibly taking on a redder colour (people sometimes refer to the aged wood as orange). Some wood species do the opposite to cherry and lighten over time. The speed of change with different woods can vary greatly, from hours after initial cutting to many years, my understanding is that with cherry much of the change normally happens over a few months, much faster than, say, oak. Both colour and rate of change varies even within cherry.
There were, and maybe still are, both tinted and non-tinted versions of the full Fraim. I’ve never seen tinted Fraim Lite but maybe Naim are now supplying it. That would make sense, as Fraim and Lite are interchangeable.
It seems you are already doing the sensible thing, and hopefully your tinted shelves can be replaced with non tinted versions. The challenge with cherry is that it can go very red, so there’s no guarantee that the non-tinted cherry Lite will actually match the speakers. It’s often best to have a completely contrasting colour, and you may find that the darker tinted version is actually a better option.
I understand that wood by nature will not be exactly consistent. Nevertheless, Naim has offered two versions of the Cherry finish. Tinted and non-tinted. Supposedly this photo is from Naim factory to help identify the finishes.
