Shelves or bookcase for Naim elements instead of Fraim

Hi to all
Due to a possible re-arrangement within my flat, I may have to move my Naim elements (mainly SN2, NDX and CD5) on the book shelves of wooden furniture (“rayonnages de bibliothèque” in French), instead of the Fraim I’ve had for many years.
Is this complete heresy sound wise, or is it a possible option? Does anyone have a similar set-up and what are your experiences?
Thank you in advance for your help!

Only you’ll be able to tell sound wise, if you already have the Fraim and bookshelves.

In theory the Fraim should be superior but you never know until you try. It could be a complete disaster or marginal. It’ll be interesting to hear the outcome.

I have my turntable and Nova on an IKEA console table and it sounds great to me. Looking in the system pics threads, many others have hifi sited on regular furniture so isn’t the end of the world but am sure you’ll get varying opinions.

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Thank you Takoyaki,
Actually, I’m in the process of ordering the bookshelves, so no direct comparison is possible yet…that’s why I’m eager to hearing from other forum member’s experience!


As you can see mine are on what looks like a bookcase type thing, it’s made up off 3 base bits and the top is separated by 10 subothane type blobs to take out the foot fall vibration its 14 foot long and solid pine it also has other bits and bobs on top like decanters and sculptures, I’ll be very honest only once in my hifi history have I had a hifi rack it lasted 18 months then stuff went back on shelf on the wall or like what I’ve got now but from the typical Scandinavian place or the old mfi shop, I’ve never really noticed any difference in sound from equipment placement, but speaker’s yes from being floorstanding to bookshelf mounted on different stands or even a bookshelf, I tell a lie only ever once on a turntable avid diva it was did I notice it was on a table and I noticed that footfall came through the Sound so that went on a wall shelf between the chimney brest and wall so it was solid

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Apologies.

I’m a firm believer that hifi generally has to fit in with life, unless you’re fortunate enough to have a dedicated listening room. If your situation calls for alternative furniture then you may just have to suck it and see.

The trouble is, it’s difficult to know exactly what makes the Fraim do what it does as many supports use spikes, glass etc. Would it be possible to transfer the glass/bearings/cups to the new bookshelf?

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Unfortunately, I have to agree. Having two toddlers around made me have to go for height in the setup :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I completely agree that your system has to fit in with life. I have a turntable on a tv cabinet, phono pre amp on a wall shelf and a Nova tucked into a shelf, with speaker placement based on a compromise of the room’s dimensions and my wife’s aesthetic room needs. It all sounds fine and I am happy with it.

Although I’ve never tried a proper hifi rack, I really don’t understand what difference they can make to the music.

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We need another thread for all of us who have hifi sited on regular furniture and are happy with the results :joy:

To be honest I’m still trying to work out what racks do as the marketing guff never makes any sense and often claims the opposite of what they seem to do. My guess with the Fraim is that it’s been tuned to work optimally with Naim components. Either way I don’t think many people genuinely understand so don’t feel bad about it and just enjoy!

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To the OP, I’m sure you’ve though if his, but bookshelves in my mind tend to be quite shallow so bear in mind that you’ll need a fair amount of depth to place the Naim kit with cables coming out the back.

There’s no way I would be able to sell the Fraim idea or even the concept of a dedicated rack to my other half. Indeed, I am not sure I would even want a rack in my living space which is where my hifi resides. It sounds pretty good to me.

I like the idea of a non- hifi rack show us your hifi thread :joy:

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Here you go, on top of the piano currently. Doubtlessly the most expensive hifi rack on the forum. New price 18k euros :slight_smile:

Sounds good, but I need to add the hicap and cdplayer too and it gets a bit busy then.

The cables can be hidden behind the piano.

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That is by far the best hifi support I’ve seen. Bravo!

Makes the Fraim seem like pocket money at £18k.

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I’m intrigued, @RexManning. What is the white item sitting on the top shelf? It looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t tie it down…Air purifier/light show/part of the Millennium Falcon?

Do tell.

Looks like a projector above an av receiver.

I’ve successfully run a SN2 / NDX2 plus power supplies set up in a TV cabinet in our lounge with great results. I certainly agree that in a home living area there has to be a level of compromise for most families. Having said that, I’m in the process of swapping systems between rooms, which you can read about with photos here:

https://community.naimaudio.com/t/swapping-systems-between-rooms/13652/834

It’s my EM Pulse generator. Don’t tell the neighbours!

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Obviously it’s possible to use your Naim boxes on bookshelves and to be happy with the sound. The question is whether it will sound worse, and whether that bothers you. The Fraim is designed to get the best from your equipment but if it cannot be accommodated then so be it. If you can still accommodate the equipment on the Fraim, that would probably be the best solution. It would be a shame to feel that you weren’t getting the best from your system.

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Hi everyone,

My first post here after many years of lurking in the shadows. I thought I’d show my system here. I used to have my system (Mac Mini-Chord Hugo-202-200-Hi-Cap-NAPSC) on a dedicated Quadraspire rack, but in this new house of ours it just didn’t work, so the amps are on top of the sideboard, which is very sturdy, and the rest is inside the cabinet.

It may well sound ‘better’ back on a rack, but it sounds wonderful as it is at the moment!
IMG_0595|666x500

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Naim recommend that their units are not stacked on top of each other.

Could these be put side by side or, a single level shelf used for one unit over the other?

Love the speakers cracking wood