Think it may appear more discreet due to the fact that HH has reduced his box count.
Iāve just measured my Fraim, which is about 640mm* x 450mm*, so the X Reference is clearly much bigger.
ā*ā Measurements are approximate as I didnāt want to get the rule too close to the Radikal for fear of scratching.
Itās 8mm narrower. Not a lot, but certainly not wider.
Iām confused now - Clive just posted the width of the Fraim at 640
The Naim dealer in Bath had the X Reference on show/demo it is wider than the Fraim superb fit and finish as it should for what it costs.
Considering the price, my wife cannot fathom thatās not thought about in the design. I am considering a bespoke workaround to cover cabling or surrounding the fraim with big plants.
I am relativly lucky as my two Naim towers are behind two large armchairs with LSs at the other end of the room. There is corner access to my LP12 and CD player. So when comfortably seated its all behind me and dare I say it: out of sight.
Its a very valid point about exposed cables. Naim could have addressed this I think but with a compromise on sound quality perhaps?
My sister-in-law when first seeing the Fraim set-up said ānot as bad as I thoughtā. Knowing her, thatās a compliment.
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Iām blessed in that regard. My wife actually likes the Fraim look. She tells me off if I clutter it with bits & pieces, though the little Buddha has escaped tidying - so far!
I wish sheād permit two (lower) stacks.
I guess itās a matter of taste. That seems less discreet than e.g. my black/black Fraim. 
HiFi is rarely discreet! For me itās about what blends in best with your decor, and while aluminium boxes covered in lights and buttons never will, putting them on a shelf thatās a mixture of wood, anodised aluminium, steel and smoked glass only emphasises this. A shelf thatās made entirely of wood at least has a chance of blending in.
Thatās the way I see it, but I choose to live in a Victorian house that hasnāt had every last scrap of style ripped out of it. In a modern house I can see that Fraim might be more to some peoples taste.
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Simrak works well for meā¦
I agree with the stack of electronics not blending in, especially now that our TV has removed all the external boxes (no satellite/cable DVR or bluray player, just the apple TV).
That said, our house is a modern-for-its-time 1948 design and build, and the 4 shelf Fraim stack in old-shade maple fits in really well with the decor.
Or maybe Iām just predisposed to think so. My wife likes the way that it looks, and anything that allows me to get away with the stack of black electronics is a plus from where Iām sitting.
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I currently have an older (at least 10 years old) regular Quadraspire rack. My system consists of a SN2 with Hicap DR and an NDX2 with XPS-DR. I was wondering if a Fraim lite or full Fraim would provide me with an improvement in sound quality over the Quadraspire?
I was also wondering if the Fraim lite or full Fraim would be more appropriate for my system?
Spend your money on cables/equipment, rather than a FRAIM. That way, you may actually hear a difference. If you have a good rack now, like a quadraspire, changing to a FRAIM is not a cost effective purchase, in my view.
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The thing is I have gone as far as I can with equipment and cables. I see the Quadraspire stand as the weak link in my system, and the only place to improve my system.
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Not sure about the SQ improvement, but I bought 2 Fraim racks because of the look, and surprisingly they still look good after nearly 20 years.
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I understand. One of the reasons I want to buy it is its looks. It is the best looking rack to my eyes.
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Daniel, the Fraim will be a lovely upgrade in your system, which is effectively the same as mine. Yes itās expensive but once you have it, like with most Naim kit, the layout will soon be forgotten about. I was quite (still am) surprised at what it has brought to my system in terms of overall coherence and synergy. Your system will feel complete. Go for it i say, i doubt very much youāll regret it.
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I bought a used four level Fraim rack a few years ago from my local HiFi dealer because it seemed reasonably good value for a HiFi rack. (I paid just over Ā£300, from ebay, collection only, no one else bid), it is a bonus that Mrs Roog thinks it looks good!
I wouldnāt buy one for SQ reasons as I donāt hear any difference from the Ikea āBestaā cabinet that my gear used to sit in / on.
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When I had my Naim kit and I upgraded to Fraim it produced a fundamental leap forwards in the performance of the system. So much so that if I now still owned Naim equipment I would consider a Fraim mandatory.
With my Moon equipment I use a Quadraspire SVT. Itās cheaper, looks a lot better (IMO), is simpler to construct and requires no regular maintenance.
As far as discreetness goes you are fighting a losing battle with any multi-box system and rack. If you want better looks then buy a one-box system and place it on a nice wooden sideboard or similar with some bookshelf speakers placed on the sideboard either side of it.
I donāt particularly like the looks of any hi-fi racks but the Quadraspire SVT has a certain elegant and minimalist simplicity which appeals to me.