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Mana Acoustics Soundframe/Soundstage Question

T

Tomd

Member
Just purchased a Mana Acoustics Sound Frame on an eBay auction.Unfortunately it’s missing the original glass or mdf board.Was wondering from those who own these Sound frames and have had to replace either the glass or board the best source to find a suitable replacement?
 
Hoping to find a close replacement for the mdf board I know the original float glass is no longer made anywhere
 
I don't think the boards were MDF. Perhaps HDF, along with a very hard top layer of something like Aborite. You could potentially get something suitably from a local kitchen counter supplier.

I have a number of Mana racks myself, but unfortunately no spare boards. Otherwise I would offer to sell you one.
 
Where are you based? I have some original Mana glass for a Soundframe that you can have, you would just need to collect it. I may have a board as well, but it would require some moving of stuff in a cupboard to find it!
 
Mana glass never existed save for its chamfered and smoothed edges. John Watson himself told me to buy float glass, the cheapest glass you can buy, the stuff that appears green when you look into ots edge. He had tried the hardened stuff etc. and it was worse. Regarding the boards - the cheapest plastified veneer material - after all the spikes were supposed to eventually pierce the veneer and settle into the material underneath. He even recommended the use of mdf slabs under the racks which were bloody heavy, once loaded with their glass shelves.
 
From what I understood, the glass itself wasn't the magic part. They needed those two damping strips to make things work as intended. Of course, all of this is conjecture. All I know is that it really helped with my Naim gear, and has housed most of my equipment since then.

I'm getting ready to transition to a DIY wooden rack in my main system. I'll be using a couple Mana Sound Frames for the turntable on the top shelf, and IsoAcoustics Orea feet for some of the other components. (The Cary tube preamp really jumped ahead with the Orea beneath.)
 
I have a few bits of Mana glass (smoked) you can have. I am in Bromley, Kent. I am in contact with John and he informs me the glass is 10mm plate glass polished (not tempered, laminated or toughened)
 
The glass is float/plate glass. You can make the damping strips with bits of bitumen damping available from DIY speaker shops, you might get it on eBay. That's what the original strips are.

If you only have one Frame you don't need a board. The boards were only used when more than one bit of Mana was stacked together. The board goes in between them and glass goes on top for the component to sit on. The exact makeup of the boards varied. Some were MDF, some chipboard. Some were laminated on both sides and some only on the top.
 
The main problem with Mana is that your other half will hate it. It looks like an oil rig and is the ultimate dust trap.
 
Given the preponderance of white home interiors echoing laboratories and clinics, I would think that Mana racks would suit them quite well. They do like to get dusty, though. :)
 
The only reason I get away with dusty Mana racks is because it's used with the system in my office. No chance it'd be allowed in any of the other rooms.
 
Appearance is a matter of opinion. My wife doesn't mind, but she's all the more in favor of the sound.

Any glass is possible, simple flow, satin or colored. Only the 10mm thickness should be adhered to, with 8mm or thinner this won't work. Haven't tested thicker. The dark glass in my setup have been all replaced with uncolored ones.
 
Hermann said:
Appearance is a matter of opinion. My wife doesn't mind, but she's all the more in favor of the sound.
Click to expand...
With the Mana stuff it's not even really about the appearance (although that is a factor as it ain't pretty), but more what a dust trap it is.
 
I wonder if laminated glass might be an interesting option from a technical perspective.
 
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