Hi, you all often talk about Mana and it sounds great.
But i don't know much things about that...
I have a cd3.5/nac102/hicap/nap180.
Which Mana's should i buy?
Do you if there are Mana's retailers in France.
Thank you all.
Bye

Charles

ps: i intend to buy Martin Logan Ascent's speakers for my system.What do you think about that? Do you any better ideas?

Charlezz,

As a minimum, you'd want a 4-tier rack for your electronics. If you intend to add more boxes, consider additional tiers for the future.

Preferably you should place your CD player on it own separate stand. Either a Mana Table or the Reference Table will make it sound better than sharing the stand with your amps.

I have no opinion on Martin Logans, but I hear there are compatibility problems with Naim amplifiers. If you like electrostatics, try Quad.

James

Resistance is Futile

Thank you James, but could give me all the exact references in order to help me more.

CHarles

Charles,

If you are serious about Mana, give them a call or visit their website (www.mana.co.uk). I have found them very helpful and courteous. Both John and Damian will be able to give better advice than I can in relation to their stands. I don't think Mana has a distributor in France though.

In my setup, I have my amps on a 5-tier rack, and my CD player and TT on separate Tables and Wall Shelf. The primary reason for separating my source components (partucularly the TT) is to isolate it from the transformer-induced vibration of the amplifiers and power supplies. How Mana works is a mystery to most of us, but it has been suggested that there are both isolation and dissipative effects at play.

As for loudspeaker choices, you really need to elaborate more on what you are looking for and what you have tried, liked and disliked.

James

Resistance is Futile

Would it be ok with ?
1 amp table
1 flat top
2 sound stages

It is a 4- tier rack ,isn't it?
the flat top and the sound stages are just here to increase the quality, is that true?
How much does that cost?

Thanks.
Charles

A four tier rack is a single structure with four separate shelves holding four separate components. If you don't have anything else, then it's at "phase 1". If you add a single Sound Stage under the rack, then everything on the rack gets boosted to phase 2 (also known as "reference level"). This is probably a good place for you to start.

If you wanted to boost the performance, then you could add a couple more Sound Stages under the rack, to get everything to phase 4.

Hypothetically, you could add more isolation to the top component on the rack (for example, adding two Sound Frames between the top shelf and the CD player would take that single component two phases higher, leaving the rest of the gear on the rack at the original level (e.g. phase 6 vs. phase 4).

However, with a rack it makes more sense to put more Sound Stages under the whole thing (until it gets too high and/or too ugly). As far as cost goes, I'm not exactly sure how much the various pieces are. Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Charles,

Comme le monde est petit...

A mon avis, garde ton blé plutôt que de claquer un max. dans des supports coutant la peau des fesses. Avec leur politique d'upgrade, t'es mal bar. Achète d'abord tes enceintes. Les Ascent sont un excellent choix mais essaie les Dunlavy SC III (même zone de prix).

Jusqu'à un certain point, de bon meubles vallent le coût mais il ne faut pas déconner. Un système à 10kfrf sur du Mana ne vaut pas un système vallant dix fois plus. C'est qu'ils vont te faire croire.

Une "Reference table" ou une "Reference shelf" pour la LP12 d'accord, mais de là à aller à la "Fase 13" voire plus encore, c'est le délire le plus total.

A les lire, on pourrait presque croire qu'un meuble seul sonne déjà bien.

Ugo,

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing (Duke Ellington)

Bien surpris de trouver là!!
Comme tu vois , je flane ça et là le dimache soir quand j'ai rien à faire!
Je suis bien d'accord avec toi que ça parait bien louche tout ça... mais je n'ai aucune idée du prix que ces meubles coutent et c'est pour ça que je me renseignais.
Mais de toute façon, le prochain achat c'est clair que ce sear des ascent ou des Sl3 si j'ai pas suffisament de brouzoufs.
Ne t'inquiète pas, je ne jette pas l'argent chèrement gagné par les fenêtres papa...
A+
Charles

Si j'ai bonne souvenance, un 5 tier rack doit coûter £600 et tu rajouttes £100 par étage supplémentaire. Un soundstage doit coûter £200 (t'imagines une Fase 13 ou 200 x 13).

Visite le site http://www.tnt-audio.com et cherche le meuble flexy table. Il coûte trois haricots à fabriquer et fait son effet.

T'es pas intéressée par mes Aérius i alors? Elles fonctionnent bien pourtant. :-)

Ugo,

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing (Duke Ellington)

Charles.

I owned a Soundstyle rack then built something along the lines of the TNT Flexy, but better: mine was non-ferrous and had isolated shelving (I tried without and the extra platforms were a big improvement). To make it better, however, you need to spend considerably more, particularly because of the much higher cost of threaded aluminium rods (vs. steel). The success I achieved relative to the old Soundstyle convinced me I would never buy another stand again, until I tried Mana. It may seems expensive when you compare the price to other makes, but it's an outright bargain when you hear what it allows your system to do. If you like, you are welcome to try/buy my old rack, though shipping would make the proposition rather silly, unless you are a card-carrying member of the Larry school of hi-fi ;-)

Maybe a kind American or Canadian would be nice enough to help me get this wonderful rack out of storage from my bedroom into a proper home.

Vuk.

Charlezzzz, go for the 4 or 6 tier rack (depending on what if you will OR WON'T be upgrading boxes after Mana) then start adding Soundstages and maybe a few Soundbases to your speakers.

A single rack on its own, or at Phase One is overwhelmingly good, Phase 4 really hits the spot, Phase 7 is heaven !!!, beyond that it just gets better.

Sorry Hutter Nutters, Base Bandits, and Quadraspire Queenies but you guys can stick with Phase One equivalents.
I'd say post this to the Mana forum but your are using all Naim gear...

naheed...

Yo Naheed

Thanks for the system demo yesterday - and to all those out there a quick report.

Naheed's system is a joy to listen to, active SBL's on phase 3 mana and phase 7 six-tier main system. I guess you can check his profile for the full list of gear.

I do not have the experince of a non-mana similar system - but it is clear that the system as a whole has stacks of dynamism (I think that's a word) and seriously 'rocks' in many spades.

So when he talks about what Mana can do for your life - he quite probably knows what he is talking about. Interesting to also hear a 'low-level' (relatively) active system.

I can't say too much - as I can't really compare against a similar non-active on mana, or a active on the mana etc ... but it is a GREAT sound.

I'm still set on a CDSII as the next upgrade .. but after that I'm going to check this mana business out.

And, OK, it is ugly. I don't care but I know Mr Parry is not a fan.

Naheed - thanks again. I thought whilst driving home that with a system with that much 'punch' we should get a very good idea if the super-purifier does rob some dynamics at the expense of the noise reduction.

I must gat that Mass disk.

Cheers
Jonathan

Glad you liked it, well aside from my taste in music (progressive hard house), but that Lee Retinoure (i think that's his name) CD is really busy.

To me Mana enhances what Naim is all about for 'me', to others maybe it goes to far (i'll do another thread on this).
As i have always said over the years, the IXO is one of naims lost-jewels, and sorely misunderstood, and should be given more credit.

That cds2/xps has you mate, don't fight it, it just gets more painful, swallow the pill, and chill >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I'' be replacing the Silencer with the Super Purifier this weekend (waiting for a spare Mana screw to arrive this week - as one of my sbls is only on 3 spikes !!!)...
so late next week should give me a good idea (there's a good write up in Hifi + about all this mains lark).

naheed...

Guys,
Whilst were on the MANA thing again - can I pick your brains.

I have a suspended wooden floor and non-too-solid walls can the mana effect still work?

Also Does the CDI benefit from something like the Seismic sink (inflated platform) more as I believe its got a less effective suspension system than the CDS / CDS2.

Simon,

quote:

---

I have a suspended wooden floor and non-too-solid walls can the mana effect still work?

---

Me too, and yes it does. My Mana seems to reduce losses into the structure of my house (less vibration of the floor and wall) with a concommitant increase in acoustic energy. Mana Soundbases under my stand mounted speakers also tightened up the bass and cleaned up the trace of treble harshness by lifting the whole caboodle 3 inches into the correct height.

quote:

---

Also Does the CDI benefit from something like the Seismic sink (inflated platform) more as I believe its got a less effective suspension system than the CDS / CDS2.

---

I have no first hand experience with the SS, but my CD2 was transformed by a mere Sound Table (Phase 1).

Jame

Resistance is Futile

Simon, i have sbls on Phase 3 Mana against a none-to-solid wall, suspended floor without any problems just spectacular improvements.

If your going for Mana go for the whole treatment, i.e. a rack first then maybe soundbases for speakers.

There are rumours that the original cds was designed/optimsed on a Mana Stand, and the cdi is similar.

Either way the cdi or anything benefits from a good quality support be that Mana/Base/Hutter.

naheed...