[Review] Mana Sound Frame

I'm not sure if I understand the question. I think my hi-fi does do imaging, it's just that I'm not very interested in it.

To me, music is about melodies, rhythm & emotion. I don't think it matters if you can tell where the various instruments have been placed in the mix, or not.

 

i see what you mean
for me i like to here the full placement
like a live band, where you can really hear the drums are at the back of stage and that a guitar is to the left eyc..

 

Penence, I'm afraid your wasting your time James system does do imaging of a fashion, however It simply does not interest him. WM

 

wierdness

 

Not at all - I'm a bit the same. Admittedly I'm primarily a classical listener, where the ensembles are usually larger and where, in my opinion, it's not so important to have a front-to-back separation. And, let's face it, in a concert, if you close your eyes, can you really tell that the drums are at the back? OK, in a small, intimate setting, yes, but not at a major concert. Hi-fi will always be an artificial creation and I accept it as such and have really no interest in trying to reproduce an actual orchestra in my living room, merely a facsimile thereof. As Bub says, and it goes for me too, it's "melodies, rhythm and emotion", rather than any attempt at reproducing placement of instruments.

 

Tones Wrote.......

"it's melodies, rhythm and emotion", rather than any attempt at reproducing placement of instruments"

I won't disagree, however it is possible to have both WM

 

I wouldn't dispute that for a moment, O Namesake, but it seems that some of us (meaning me) seem to lack the ability to appreciate the auditory clues that others hear as "soundstage". Graham heard it at Titian's and I didn't. Perhaps mine does indeed do soundstaging - it just needs a different pair of ears to appreciate it!

Bub, you're a medical man. I know it's not your field, but have there ever been done any studies into auditory perception and why some people hear things that other folk don't?

 

Tone, i was only jesting
not trying to dig
each to there own as they say.
I must admit that to me the width of soundstage can sometimes be easier/better to interpret than depth
I agree that tonality and pace etc. are important before placement

 

No problems! I guess I'm particularly curious about the whole business in the light of my many abject failures as an audiophile (Mana, LP v. CD). It includes an element of me trying to convince myself that I'm not really a deaf old git!

 

i feel the same, and im not so old (is 33 old??)

i blame motorbikes and chainsaws

 

33??? A child! I was 33 once (only once, unfortunately, and that was 23 years ago :cry: :yikes: )

And I can't even blame motobikes and chainsaws, whether applied consecutively or concurrently, only antiquity (dear Mod, why isn't there a Methuselah smiley?)

 

Completely agree. In a large concert hall it's impossible for me to 'place' instruments without looking.

On the home hi-fi front, I really don't like sitting in the 'sweet spot' (assuming that there is one) because I find that 'imaging' can be incredibly distracting from the music. I used to find myself concentrating more on 'where things are' rather than what they are doing there.

It's the 'what they are doing' that is far more important to me. 'Separation' helps here.

 

Hi,
I have mana, but I originally purchased it for use at my previous house, which had a suspended wooden floor. I used a 5 tier amp rack on a sound base, and also use sound bases under my SBL's.

The 'effect' at my old house was beneficial, but I'm not too sure now I have a concrete floor at my new place whether the 'effect' would be so profound.

I'll be borrowing a Fraim soon to do a comparison...