I have the same setup with Focal Kanta 2, I wouldn’t say is the best speakers for it. I only can say I am very happy with the combination. No regrets, it just play all genes of music very well. The speakers looks great as well. What more can u ask for.
That’s good to hear, I have them on trial in early January👍
If you like the looks of your table, keep it! The received wisdom on here is that everything must be on dedicated stands, but turntables and valves aside, there’s no scientific evidence of which I am aware that microphonic vibrations affect the sound of solid-state equipment.
If you do get a Fraim, I strongly suggest you do a home demo!
I’m wary of fancy cables and suchlike (as were Naim, once upon a time), but I’d probably have a dedicated mains installed if that option were available to me.
3 Likes
Sounds right to me, Eddie! The only thing I’d add is that, if you can, experiment with the positioning of your speakers. Getting the best possible compromise between the speakers’ locations and home decor considerations could yield a huge benefit – far more than any hifi rack.
1 Like
Nice feedback, appreciated.
Actually, I lied about only having one thing to add: I recently put some IsoAcoustics Gaia “feet” on my speakers, and these made a clear difference for the better. If you find a used set, you could sell them on for no loss if you don’t hear a difference. (This form of isolation at least has a theoretical basis, since speakers -like turntables- have moving parts!)
1 Like
Perfect, I ordered two sets this morning (no3) so reassuring feedback. I also ordered four of there isolating feet for the Hi-cap. 
1 Like
Ha! Yes, I have the same ones. I noticed a clear increase in delicacy and clarity. They’re way uglier than the elegant brass cones that came with my speakers, but the Gaias are staying. (My wife hasn’t noticed them yet, so this declaration is subject to change.) Most of the reviews mention a general tidying up of bass, which may be the case with me, but the aforementioned factors stand out to these ears.
2 Likes
Don’t be impressed by Fraim suggestions. Your table is so nice that it would be a sacrilege to put the horrible Fraim instead, even for sound quality upgrade.
Get some hrs isolation devices under your electronics and it will uplift considerably your system.
HRS
1 Like
Life is full of compromises.
Your room and table look amazing, domestic harmony is part of the listening experience.
Just stick with it and enjoy the music for a while.
PMC speakers are generally well regarded by many Naim users and should be a great match in your system.
3 Likes
Welcome to the forum!
My only advice would be to just listen to your new system for a few months from the time you purchased it. This will allow all the equipment to have a chance to settle in and for you to get familiar with the sound.
My system is about identical XPS DR > NDX 2 > Hi-Line > HiCap DR > SuperNait 2 > NAC A5 > ProAc D30RS. The difference being I have a SuperNait 2 and went with the Naim Hi-Line interconnect, Naim NAC A5 speaker cables and ProAc speakers.
I started with the NDX 2 > standard interconnect > SN 2 > Ovator S400 speakers. Six months later I added the XPS DR and loved it, really thought the upgrade made a major improvement. Five months after this I added the Hi Cap DR and found it made some fine subtle improvements to the detail and bass. I had both the XPS DR and HiCap for a home demo for a few weeks each prior to making the buy decision.
I had been looking for a pair of the ProAc D30RS after listening to a pair in the dealers demo room the previous summer (2019). This past March my dealer called and said he had received a pair and offered me the chance to demo. The dealer ran them in the shop for a couple of weeks then dropped by and installed them. I was fortunate to have them at home for a few weeks to demo and decided to keep them.
The Hi-Line interconnect was not planned but a used item became available, had a home demo and decided to keep it.
When I first joined the forum a few years back the advice was to move my system off the tables I had it set up on and buy a rack. I could not justify the cost of a Fraim rack so went with a Quadraspire Q4EVO Bamboo 3 Shelf Rack. When I added the Hi-Cap DR, I then added the 4th shelf. So there are alternative out there if you decide to move your system off of your beautiful table to a hi-fi system rack configuration.
Anyway longwinded response while I sit on my couch eating Christmas cookies and listening to Christmas music with my wife.
12 Likes
Indeed, a match made in the venture capital boardroom. I would avoid.
Nice system😉, what are the main characteristics of the speaker you went for, interested as our set up is almost identical as you say?
The rack will be the last thing I tinker with, if at all. My table is as heavy as hell, I’ve isolated the feet and I may isolate each bit of kit before I change. All cables are meticulously separated from each other and of great quality themselves. I’ve been there before with stands and straining my ears and every receptor of the brain to before and after comparisons and I’ve not been able to register any difference, other than the inner demon that I must get a particular enhancement because you just should! I like the aesthetics of having the Naim gear pride of place on a nice sitting place for them. So for now I’ll take the general advice to isolate but first without changing the table. But who knows the demons may kick in again and it might be sat on something different as 2021 progresses👹
Thanks for feedback.
3 Likes
Do bear in mind that it’s not always about isolation. Most good stands, or even the IKEA Lack table that has been used over the years, are pretty light. It’s all about channelling unwanted vibration to ground in such a way that it damages the audio band as little as possible. Something really heavy is often the worst thing to use.
I find it curious that you are happy to spend on these isolation devices that may or may not do anything useful, but seem unwilling to invest in a proper stand that people have found to work well over many years.
Dealers are usually happy to lend you a rack to try. It doesn’t have to be Fraim, which is not to everyone’s taste, there is Quadraspire, Isoblue, Atacama, Solidsteel and all sorts. Getting the large table out from between the speakers will work wonders for the sound.
2 Likes
I agree that table looks great. Being glass and heavy metal there could be a lucky match.
Not sure, but looking at the photo it might be possible to put some sort of shelf between the supporting legs where they cross. You could put the hicap there if the cables allow.
The thing with getting a proper hifi support rack is that you can forget about it once installed, sit back and enjoy the music.
Going down the route of DIY decoupling and isolation on a compromised solution could lead to a long road wondering about this and that. Most of these devices aren’t cheap and over some time trying this and that will add up at a cost similar to a proper support.
1 Like
Ask the forum is asking a hundred experts, you will get a hundred and one opinions.
For what it’s worth , my two pennyworth is that if the table suits the room - fine. Audio systems rarely have a dedicated room - the important thing is that it is hyper rigid .
Keep the speakers unless you are seriously unhappy with them, PMC rarely get bad reviews on his forum - Focal are much more Marmite .
best wishes and welcome to the forum
4 Likes
Nice idea on the shelf:+1:
1 Like
Or put some isolation platforms there, Avid make some at £200 a go.
I checked with a supplier and the turntable isolation platform is the same as the amplifier isolation platform.
I may well put one in next year
One thing I gather about Naim boxes, or some of them, is that they maybe more susceptible to being affected by vibration than may be more commonly the case with other brands, so whilst your past experience is minimal or no audible benefit from a fancy stand, Naim products may be different.
Personally I don’t like the table aesthetics, but it is fully understandable that if you love it, and dislike the look of Fraim (a dislike which some others of us share), then you wouldn’t be keen on changing it and want to try possible alternatives utilising your table. I would have thought that if the table is rock solid, then it is akin to being part of the floor, and all that should be needed is whatever coupling to, or isolation from, the floor that the Naim units prefer - which may depend on whether the floor itself is rock solid (e.g. concrete) or bouncy. Trying different options for feet support from vibration damping to minimise the box vibration, to hard coupling, would seem eminently reasonable.
Is it really necessary to comment on the fact that you don’t like the table. The poor man asks for hifi advice and then gets a discussion on the aesthetics of his home decor. Really.
12 Likes