Stacking kit

[admin_exported]

Hello all, i have recently purchased a Naim DAC and a flat cap for my nait xs. I am struggling with rack space and with the best will in the world can only really accomodate two more boxes (having their own shelves). I will need to stack two components. So, what i was thinking is having the nait and the flat cap on their own shelves (nait above the flat cap?), with the dac on the top shelve and my rega apollo placed directly on top of the DAC...... i was reading a little about not stacking naim gear so thought i would gather some opinion on the above....

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

sorry that should read "i can only accomodate 1 additional box on its own shelf".....

 

[Anonymous]

anyone?

 

[Anonymous]

I don't see any reason not to stack kit, apart from blocking ventilation vents. I think it's aesthetic issue more than a practical one.

 

[True Blue]

Apollo Top shelf or second shelf (if you can get the lid open)

DAC ideally on top shelf but if not 2nd

XS

then flatcap on floor

 

[True Blue]

Buy a granite chopping board and put the flatcap on the floor. I would not stack kit

 

[Shanka]

Hi, I am in no way a Naim expert but would suggest looking at the Naim forums but I did a few listenings to Naim equipment and noticed that boxes were stacked but never more than two so putting a cd on the dac shouldn't be a problem if the dealers are doing it. Out of interest how much difference did you get with the addition of your flatcap, I very nearly bought the xs and liked the idea of upgrading but didn't know how effective the upgrades were in relation to the price. Good luck

 

[bretty]

I've got a similar scenario at my place, I needed to stack my Sky box on top of my AV amp. There's no problem in stacking as long as you give a bit of space for the components to breathe. I bought a set of four sorbothane feet to put in between the components, which gives a good inch of breathing space. The feet also cancel out vibration too, which is an added bonus.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers fellas, will avoid teh stacking.... think im going to have to put the blu ray and virgin box undr the tv and keep all separates...erm separate

 

[Messiah]

I have stacked various kit over the years and never had an issue.

When I first started out in Hifi I had gear stacked on my Kenwood amp as this was how it was displayed in the shop. Never had an issue. It was only when I started reading What HiFi that I read about stands etc.

Personally I would probably avoid stacking items on kit that is likely to get hot but otherwise I think it would be fine.

 

[the record spot]

Same as above - unless there's an issue with requiring a good airflow over an amp for instance, stack away. Never had any problems with this.

 

[Anonymous]

interesting. thanks fellas, will try both stackig an separating

 

[Anonymous]

If your going to stack the units just think about what each part of the system is doing... And Naim kit does sound quite different based on different stands compared to just stacked on top of each other. The right Stand set-up correctly will have more impact than the order of the units though - a good example of this is how different a high end CD player sounds when it it's out of level.

The CD player is the biggest source of vibration on the rack itself - The DAC is almost certainly the most sensitive to vibration so i would suggest you keep these apart.

The other thing to consider is the separation of the "heavy" parts of the system from the signal, so you might want to get the power supply away from the DAC and Nait.

I would suggest the Apollo on top, then the DAC on top of the Nait, then the Flatcap alone on the bottom, but it's worth experimenting because you may find there is some synergy in stacking differently.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers mate, will take that on board. have an atacam equinox, so stand wise i think im good......

 

[Anonymous]

kit is now in situ..DAC only connected with rca to the amp due to a cable issue...........but it rocks on a huge scale!!!! my system now comprises of neat motive 1's, nait xs with a flat cap plus the naim DAC and it hoofs. No doubt it will get even better once i have it linked up via din. Anyone considering getting one, go and do it, its awesome. :bounce: