Hi, could anyone please tell me what wood the Naim Fraim units are made from. Thank you.
They are MDF, veneered in ash, black ash or cherry.
âFraim material selection is as significant as the arrangement of its components. Super hard stainless steel, toughened glass selected following intensive listening tests, large section anodised aluminium extrusion and veneered wood composites all contribute to equipment support that both performs to perfection and perfectly complements the Naim Audio aesthetic.â
From the Naim website too. Veneered wood composite. Iâm not sure if the exact nature of the composite is known in any more detail? âWood compositeâ about as equally helpful/unhelpful if the detail is important to you? Plus, not all MDF is created equally.
Welcome to the forum too! What are you up to with Fraim shelves?
HI, not Fraim shelves but something a bit more substantial to support my Naim amp and cd player. I could never get Fraim platform past the wife so this is a compromise. Have a cabinet maker coming this evening to have a look at what I require. The cabinet they are in is quite solid the shelves not so.Hope he can help me.
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Iâve never seen Fraim components up close, and had not appreciated that the âwoodâ is not real. Fraim unit prices are extraordinarily high, and Iâd feel conned if I had bought them and discovered the veneer. Not Naimâs finest product, in my opinion.
Does anyone know why wood isnât used? After all, itâs good enough for Linn to use for their LP12 plinths.
No doubt someone will explain if Iâm missing something here.
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Iâve not seen them close either. By all accounts theyâre expensive, but I havenât heard that people feel short changed that theyâre âveneered wood compositeâ. That, plus they seem to put up with dealer abuse, age generally well and retain their value.
I suspect the material properties are more easily controlled being composite too. Less sample variability etc.
That wasnât supposed to be an explanation either, sorry! Just my assumptions written out loud 
Probably for the same reason that speaker manuâs donât use âreal woodâ, other than for decoration/veneering. âReal woodâ would be prone to movement & shrinkage with climatic conditions and the internal structures of âreal woodâ can be very variable, not something you want with say a 25kg amp on a shelf.
Wood composites (of which MDF is one) have known engineering capabilities, noting the Fraim shelves have cut-outs and are shaped.
I have an hifi podium rack which is oak veneered mdf. You canât get them now only solid oak. As I remember, the main benefit was that veneered mdf was less likely to warp than solid wood and was not as susceptible to expansion and contraction. It was also much cheaper. Maybe this is part of the story.
Hi Paul, I think you are right as this is what the cabinet maker has explained to me regarding the mdf versus solid wood argument.
I think it is, in that I was told by a small-scale speaker manufacturer that they had to be especially careful with any kit destined for the Far East given the higher humidity levels i.e. it had to very well sealed.
I had a friend who bought real wood kitchen units and after a while the doors started splitting, hence many kitchens now are wrapped/veneered MDF (or something similar).
Veneered composite board is not a cost saving, itâs used for its consistency and dimensional stability, which solid timber cannot match. Itâs pretty much universally used in loudspeakers and hifi racks at any price.
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