My advice? I am a young paduan in the ways of Naim. 
But happy to share my experience.
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Ah, I see your path clearly now. ( just checked back on your posts)
If you stick with the 112/150 then a flatcap makes it sing and imo is needed. The hicap will be even better and will then give you a path to future upgrades if you should want them, and you will for the force is strong. 
My path was via a 202/200 before seeing the light. The hicap/202/200 is a fine combination if you are stopping there, but I wish I’d skipped the 202 and gone straight to the 282 or 82, even with the 200. The 202 just wasn’t a big enough step up from the 112 for the price difference. If you get to the 282 then the nap 250 becomes another step worth taking. I could have stopped there for a while but a 300 came along unexpectedly at a price too good to refuse. Enjoy the journey and meanwhile stop and listen to the music from your already excellent combination.
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Ok…so, skip right to 282/250 or 300… I hear you loud and clear 
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Go big or go home. I read it on here somewhere. 
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I am weighing up options for a rack, including the Isoblue Special Branch as we really like the design.
Isoblue isn’t sold in stores in Australia so I cant view one in person, but I can get it shipped out.
Does any member have one in the pippy oak finish and could post a photo of it - very few images on the web of pippy oak and not enough for my wife and I to decide if that is the colour for us - thanks
We have a pippy oak Isoblue. It’s rather lovely, and nicer than the standard oak, and it has solid edges rather than polished MDF edges. It’s made by the people who do fittings for Sunseeker yachts, here on the south coast.
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Many thanks - that does indeed look good - will see what my other half thinks
I had seen your photo previously but assumed ( incorrectly on my part) that it was natural oak
My other half concurs - its Pippy Oak for us - thanks for helping
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The Isoblue Special Branch shelves use higher quality veneers than the 60 Series range. If you want to save a bit of cash, get the cheaper 60 Series rack, with just one Special Branch shelf to put on top. This is where you really notice the higher quality, whereas the difference is not really noticeable on the lower shelves.
I bought my Isoblue rack second hand, and this is what the original purchaser had done on the recommendation of his dealer.
Good idea Chris - but doubt mixed finishes would pass the test with my wife - she has largely led the redesign of our home over the past year and done a great job - I just have to make sure I don’t order items that don’t fit in- ie don’t stuff it up
Hence the Isoblue range rather than the more typical metal components of a hifi rack- plus I too like the look of them
My rack is cherry rather than oak, but nobody would look at it and say that the top shelf doesn’t match the others. You just see the nicer grain pattern on the top shelf. But sure, if you have the budget for the more expensive shelves I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
On balance, I do think Isoblue looks more like furniture and less like commercial shelving than any other rack.
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The pippy oak is quite a bit darker, and overall rather different in grain pattern from the standard oak. Each sheet of veneer can cover a batch of 11 shelves - my five are from the same batch so match very well. The other thing to be aware of is that the Special Branch has real wood edges and grooves, whereas the standard range uses polished MDF, stained to match the veneer, so it’s a plain smooth surface. The standard is simply an MDF sheet with veneer top and bottom, whereas the Special Branch uses solid wood edging and has two solid wood strips where the grooves are cut, so that no MDF is visible.
My advice to you is that you should not mix and match it. You would save a little bit but you could really spoil the look.
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thanks - I pulled the pin earlier and ordered base plus 3 shelves all in Pippy Oak.
How does it compare to the Fraim? Have you noticed any difference in sound quality?
I’ve certainly not felt that it sounds worse, and I may even prefer the sound. The guy who is Mr Isoblue said that he felt the rack was perhaps more organic than the Fraim, which I took to mean that it holds everything together. It certainly gives a very nice free flowing sound. The main thing to me is that it looks better in the room, which was the real objective. The fact that I don’t find it sounds worse is an unexpected bonus. It’s worth remembering that my hearing is severely challenged these days and I’d never suggest that Fraim isn’t better. Back in the day when my ears worked well I felt Fraim was better; that said the quality of Isoblue is better than the very early version I once owned.
All of which is a long winded way of saying that I’m really not sure.
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It sounds to me like you’re content with it. That’s all what counts.
Placed an order 6 weeks ago and still nothing. Retail has no answer on when. Are there production delays even in FraimLite?
Perhaps there is a shortage of wood chips:joy:
Chip shortage is affecting everything else‼️
CK
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I guess “chips is not chips”–sorry I could not resist.
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I ordered a Base a month ago and was told there might be a delay due to holidays. Does the factory close, or is it just the numbers away in August? Regardless, less than a week later a shelf arrived. Still waiting for the Base that I did order, current expectation is ‘sometime this week’ but we’ve been here before, and I’ve had a surplus shelf sitting here for the last 3 weeks that someone probably wants.