The Good The Bad And The Ugly

You just have to look at the two systems featured on the Mana Forum this morning, under the title "A few shots of another system".

James Jong's set up is in my opinion lovely and the other is definitely a matter of taste. Either a bold Bauhausian challenge to the bourgiouse and narrow minded aesthetics of the average female dominated Hi Fi enthusiast, ....................or not.

I wonder which one sounds best.

 

I wish I could take decent photos. It looks great. Honest!

James Jong's setup looks very nice, too.

 

To my eyes, adjective 3 definitely applies in both cases. Had I decided that Mana was the way to go, I would have gutted my cupboard and hidden the rack inside (JW said that he could make one to fit). Fortunately, Mana did nothing for me, thus saving me considerable amounts of money and DIY - and helping James on his way!

 

tones,

I knew that you were going to reply, I knew what you would say and I knew in what general tone you were going to say it.

Does that tell you something?

 

Nothing personal to the citizens of Switzerland, but....it has to be said that it is the most boring country in Europe, and forsooth, it's up against pretty strong competition from both Wales and Belgium for that honour.

 

Getting steps/standing on tip toes to cue up a record seems a bit, well, committed. I have a bit of Mana but really seeing that I am very, very surprised at the levels people go to.

If the Mana effect is so essential perhaps just buying some kit that sounds like it's on Mana from the off would be the way to go?

Seems to me that I could get a sharpening of leading edges and the other Mana effects by getting a better TT than a Sondek.


I know that this may seem a flamer but it's not. I just wonder if each level has an additional effect the basic set up must have been a bit off to need 10 layers?

 

I can cue without the aid of tiptoes or steps.

There isn't any kit which sounds like it's on Mana, when it isn't, AFAIK.

I have got a better TT than a Sondek.

Each level brings a higher resolution, IME. Sort-of like a magnifying glass.

 

I could live with either system - Mana looks better than the Target (shhh!) stuff I use Mind you, someone else can set the damn stuff up - I don't have anywhere near the patience

I'd take the Devil's system any day - that room is huuuuuge! Nice ATC speakers that don't dwarf the room too...

PS - how tall are you, Devil? At 6ft3 I'd prefer my turntable at that height so my feeble eyes can see the grooves better for cueing up

 

My reference to the steps was in regard to another couple of systems I was looking at, my mistake.

 

See Paul's answer below your original. I may repeat my best lines, but you gotta admit I'm consistent! Anyway, each to his or her own. If James, Paul and yourself like it, that's fine by me.

 

'S OK Jools. I remember that you couldn't be parted from your Mana soundframe, so you do have some idea what Mana does.

I'm six foot nothing, the TT is currently at just below shoulder height. If I decide to go any higher, then I will be enquiring about library steps. The idea amuses, and I may well do this!

 

There's a lot to be said for living in a boring country - boring absence of strikes, boringly reliable public transport, boringly small government with boring low level of scandal. The Swiss are very interested in foreign affairs, because nothing interesting happens in Swiss politics.

 

http://manaforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=462298155&f=172298155&m=1804076603

This is what I was looking at and I must say it seems a bit ...well I'm not sure what but certainly expensive.

 

Yes, that's a good one. In fairness, I think the steps are only needed for setting the stack up, rather than everyday use! My wallshelf had to be mounted slightly higher than Ians because I have ridiculously high skirting-boards.

 

My experience has been that the. larger and more full range the speakers, the more that system benefits from more Mana. For instance I used to have a second system to play with which consisted of a Naim Nait2 and Royd Edens (LS35a/Kan size}. That system just clicked at phase 2 Mana, with the Kan stands, which supported the Edens, on a soundbase each. More levels for that setup over egged the pudding and IMO tried to squeeze too much bass out of the Edens, which stressed both the amp and the little drive unit.


This would suggest to me that Mana works largely at bass frequencies, you know how when you clean up the bass, the mid and top sound clearer too, with each level cleaning up the bass a degree more than the level below. The more bass capability a speaker has. the more it benefits from large stacks of Mana, which may go some way to explain why so many of the very large rigs use Linn Isobariks. Love em or hate em, I don't think anyone would deny that those Briks have serious bass.

My own system of compact Dynaudios driven by a Densen DM10 seems to optimise nicely at around phase 4, or so, any more seems to put a bit more work on the Densen than I feel it really likes. Thus those of us with smaller rooms and speakers can have great sound and spend less money on kit. A very wise man once told me that clean deep bass costs a fortune. By the time you have forked out on the large speakers required, the powerful electronics required to drive them, the levels of Mana to keep things clean and finally the large structurally sound room required to sustain all this he wasn't wrong.

 

This would suggest to me that Mana works largely at bass frequencies, you know how when you clean up the bass, the mid and top sound clearer too, with each level cleaning up the bass a degree more than the level below.

Yes, I agree that that is what it does.

My 'magnifying glass' analogy isn't quite right, as it both 'cleans up' the sound, particularly in the bass, and drops the noise floor.

When the 'muddy' bass is clarified, this leaves the mid and top end cleaner, too.

 

[..

".When the 'muddy' bass is clarified, this leaves the mid and top end cleaner, too." .

Absolutely right, and because it's cleaner you can play a lot louder before realising it, after a few levels of upgrade you find the power amp getting stressed and buy a bigger one, a few levels more and the speakers blow, you buy bigger more capable speakers, now more Mana is needed.

Does the Hi Fi treadmill ever end?

 

LOL. I think I'm at the end of it.

 

Spread the gospel far and wide. You have Zero to Gain by preaching to the converted on your own patch.