Naim Fraim heights?

Phew! :sweat_smile:

In my experience the best way to do it is to cut a slit with the point of a Stanley knife. This ensures the spike sits comfortably on the floor, but means that if you later move the rack you can restore the carpet with a quick rub with your finger. We have always done this. My SL2s were delivered in the same day our beautiful wool carpet was laid and within hours the knife was out. In my opinion this is far better than drilling holes.

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I’d suggest having three mediums both sides. On the left you’d then have box, box, gap, box. It will look far more balanced and may well sound better.

Config E? This is my favourite of all of them. Looks the best too, for my OCD symmetry.

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Yes, that’s what I was thinking of. I like the symmetry. Leave the glass in place on the empty shelf for best sound.

That’s very similar to my set up, though I’m using tall levels, rather than medium ones in the left hand stack.

As DB mentioned earlier though, it will be worth trying your 552 on top, with your streamer in the middle, though it will mean shuffling power supplies as well … for me, everything sounds better with the 552 in clear space.

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I am currently trying different Fraim configurations including different length legs and spare shelves,
So far I prefer empty shelves without the glass.
So worth trying with and without glass as all systems, configurations and environments are different.
Richard

Is there an accepted limit on the number of shelves in a single stack of fraim before incurring fall off (not off the shelf!) in performance? I have two stacks, no satisfactory room for a third, and look a bit enviously at the Crazy Box Count thread…!!

Peter

With Config. E (and the other Configs come to that), as mentioned earlier, won’t the Burndies between the NAP500 and the 500PS rest on the floor? If so, is an empty shelf at the bottom advisable?

Hi Peter. Richard did mention this at the start of the thread - base plus six standard, or box plus two tall. He didn’t mention medium, but I guess four.

Thanks Nigel - I completely glossed over that bit!

To prove the theory that a little knowledge can be dangerous, I don’t quite understand if there are limiting implications if there is a tall legged shelf in the mix. My total shelf numbers would be two bases plus six shelves each stack however, one of the bottom shelves has tall legs. Does that create a problem?

Peter

It would probably be sensible to check the use of the levels I am proposing, the following going from top to bottom

L6 cd player - record player
L5 dac/ streamer - record player power supply (p/s)
L4 phono amp - phono amp p/s
L3 spare - cd player p/s
L2 pre-amp - dac/ streamer p/s
L1 spare - spare
Base power amp - power amp p/s

I haven’t yet added the sixth levels - these are for the dac/ streamer and associated power supply hence I haven’t got to the point of discovering if any of the above proposals falls short on cable length connectivity.

Any thoughts on the above would be most gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

Peter

I’m no expert, but intuitively I’d be very wary. The maximum height I ever got to was base and six standard shelves and it was a bit wobbly at the top. The tall level is much less rigid and having it at the bottom with five shelves above, loaded with heavy stuff, will be far from ideal. Whether the increased wobbliness equates to worse sound I don’t know. Is there no way you can organise things to have three stacks, I wonder.

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This is very true. The tall levels work best when used as a top shelf with one box atop them and at best IMO with a maximum of another shelf with a not too heavy item on it. I use a tall level on the very top of a Fraim stack - my tallest that carries only the SNAXO (very light) with three NAP500 boxes on two Medium and one Std level with the base shelf empty, as I prefer the sound of the system without the Amp on the lowest shelf (PS are fine on base shelf but not the Amp itself - for me).

Medium and Std levels are very rigid compared to Tall levels which have a lot of rotational twisting modes of vibration when you over-stack them or place too much atop them.
When you build the stack just poke it with your finger at the top corner and if it sways then it is too high and won’t sound as good as a lower stack.

Why I use four Fraim stacks - if I had room I’d use five but I ran out of space.

DB.

Medium legs on my setup with 555DR on the middle shelf allows the burndy to hang loose with the loop 1 inch from the floor.

After what DB mentioned regarding Fraim chips I may have to invest in three.

Richard.Dane - can I assume the Medium “Intermediate” shelf height for two is the following:

Medium level difference from Tall e.g. 254-180 mm (74mm)

757-132=625.

Less the medium shelf difference
625-74-74=477.

Total height inc base (477+132) = 609mm?

Hi Malla,

according to Music Line, the Naim distributor here in Germany, you got it perfectly right. There is a pdf on their website with all relevant dimensions: https://www.music-line.biz/cms/fileadmin/pdf/misc_naim_fraim_draw.pdf

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Malls, maths was never my strong point and I’m not at my computer or near notes so zany double check dimensions. However, two intermediate levels are the same height as three standard levels.

P.s. thank you Mulberry!

Hi Richard,

that one was easy, I’m thinking about exactly that type (two medium level) of Fraim :grinning:

:small_blue_diamond:Hifiman,…I can confirm it as DB said…Buy Chips.

Linn Skeet is only good if you are moving around speakers and racks,then you remove them.
It plays better with your spike directly on the floor,than with Linn Skeet.
But the best is Chips.

/Peder🙂

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