Is it okay to stack Naim audio equipment or do you have to use racks?

I had my 152/155 stacked for ages due to space constraints - eventually moved to separate shelves, made no difference to the sound whatsoever. Despite engaging in it I do think a fair bit of the OCD associated with hi fi is completely unnecessary. You listen with your eyes as well as your ears and a well set up system looks better…

6 Likes

I had 72/140 stacked for a while: it sounded good. Then I separated them, it was that they finally could breath. Much more open relaxed sound.

Obviously you can do as you want, stack it all up if you want too.
You would hope to gain something by racking it all nicely on a proper hifi rack, but only you can decide.
But if you do stack put something between the feet as already been said as it will leave a ring that you cannot remove, obviously this happens over time, but even so worth doing

That’s for sure!

1 Like

For years I used a large record cabinet to house most of my black boxes. The LP12 and CD 555 head unit were on wall shelves. No stacking in the cabinet but separated as far as practical.
A two stack full Fraim early this year just opened up the whole system.

Sometimes in pictures of systems one will see components stacked together on shelves of a dedicated rack. Presumably to avoid the cost of adding onother level to the rack.

Of course you can stack your Naim components if you want to. They will still work, the sky won’t fall in and there will be nobody knocking on your door to repremand you. Some hi-fi components like some from Chord Electronics have integral stands/legs to allow stacking.

Will your Naim kit perform optimally when stacked? No, not at all. Will it perform optimally on furniture from Ikea and the like? Again definitely not.

If you want optimum performance you need a full-fat Frame.

So it comes down to whether you want to get the best possible performance from your set-up or whether you would rather compromise on performance and have the boxes better postioned to suit your living space.

Personal choice - nothing more.

1 Like

I stack my CD5I on top of my Nait XS-2 for space reasons. They both sit on an isolation platform and there are Isoacoustic feet between the CD player and amp. It sounds great to me.
There are people who will tell you that if you don’t have a fraim, NACA 5 (or SL) etc. you’re wasting your money having Naim components but I just ignore them :slight_smile:

6 Likes

If it sounds great to you then it is self-evident that you have not wasted your money. It would sound better on a Fraim - but that’s hardly the point or even of any relevance to you. My system would sound better with £75K worth of JBL Everest speakers - but so what?

1 Like

I think from some of the opinions above, I can conclude that if we measure it scientifically, there is a vibration from the power supply/transformer, which can propagate between devices. Therefore, if it is possible to install / put on a shelf it will be much better even though it all goes back to each individual’s personal preference

Sounds like you have the answer. Just choose whatever fits into your environment and budget and it will be better than stacking. Which is exactly what I did.

2 Likes

I think the vast majority of experienced Naim users will tell you not to stack .

2 Likes

Yes for sure…thank you

Really ?:joy:

2 Likes

Except when the stack is in a right hand corner with the deck on a shelf immediately above it (resulting in the leads being stretched over to the left). 5 x 2m of powerline to loose and excess speaker cable also exiting to the right. I’m sceptical that naim designed it so brain is left, brawn right but I concur position of tx’s does make this logical. I’ve just had to compromise and spend an extra 1k on fraims to put my lp12 and power supply on, which sounds slightly poorer as a result.

1 Like

Are you sure about that? :wink:

2 Likes

The case marking is the main concern, audio performance optimisation and Naim’s own recommendations as outlined in the user manuals already well covered by others.
The top casing will mark and will leave permanent circles on the top casing.
Probably of no concern or even visible during your own ownership but should the time come to resell it in the future you’ll find it’s value will be lower and you will likely put off any target market buyers if nothing else.
Given your kit is vintage anyway and not powder coated like the 5 / XS / Classic series you’ll probably be fine.

Yes of course, practicality often means we need to settle for something less than optimal. We can only do what’s possible.

2 Likes

Well of course. If that was not the case then why would it exist? Unless of course you think that an alternative support can better it. If you do then please tell!

I’d be really surprised if the average member on here could tell the difference between a Frame and a stand at half the price in a blind testing…

17 Likes

A bold claim. Can you tell the difference? If you can’t then you obviously would not buy one.

What leads you to believe that the average member on here could not tell any difference? Presumably you have some reason for believing this, or is it just a groundless assertion?