Hi all,
Apologies for all the phono stage questions…
I have access to a reasonably priced used Superline. I don’t have budget for a Superline and Supercap and won’t for a while. In the interim I would use a Flatcap, or maybe a cheap HC if I can find one.
Do folks here think a Superline/Flatcap combo is an upgrade from 323 boards? Or should I just wait until I have the budget to go all the way to the Supercap?
I doubt anyone has tried running a Superline from a Flatcap…
IMO, 323 boards (or 322, or 522, or 523) are very good.
Looking at your profile, and recalling fondly my experience of hearing an AT-ART1 in the early nineties, I would head for the Superline and FC with your ART9. In other words, if I understand correctly, head for the best phonostage that Naim make.
Edit: My Naim belief is that it’s not which power supplies you have, it’s what you put them on that matters. Ymmv.
Like many, I run mine with a HiCap (DR) and it sounds amazing.
Couldn’t begin to hazard a guess at it’s performance with a FlatCap, but I doubt it’ll be great🫤
With a shoebox NAC id stick with internal cards. I doubt a FC would bring much support for a Superline, and as others have said it really needs a Hi Cap DR as a minimum.
Save your monry and get a set of serviced 323 cards.
Me personally I would have the 323 boards serviced,
Short outlay in cost,
Has the 32.5 been serviced recently?
As phono boards are part of the service,
Apologies if I’m stating obvious,
And you know all this
I’m surprised by the recommendations in favour of the internal boards over a Superline. Is that due to use of the FlatCap to power it? Or that the 323 boards are good enough to render consideration of the Superline pointless unless powered by a HiCap or more? Or that the 32.5 isn’t resolving enough for a Superline?
I run a 42.5 and find my external Graham Slee stage much better than the internal MM - 322 - boards, obviously not the same comparison, just curious what’s making people suggest the internal boards in this case.
I run a Superline/SCDR into my 252/300 and it’s excellent. I used to run a Superline/HCDR but there was very little difference between that and powering the Superline from the 252’s Aux socket. Had I not already had the HCDR I wouldn’t have bought one. The HCDR made a massive difference to the Stageline that preceded the Superline though.
For that reason I can’t see the FC being of much, if any, benefit tbh so if I were you I’d wait until I could fund a Supercap. It transforms the Superline.
Can’t believe the antipathy here towards the Superline and Flatcap.
I’d happily run a Superline from Aux2 on my NAC152XS, with no thought for a Supercap one day. Let’s live now.
I run 42.5 HC 160
I had my boards converted to E to run my DV 10x5 on a rega P2 (wood style)
To my ears it sounds excellent With the kit I’ve got,
I have no experience in sondek and set up, etc,
I would just go and buy some more vinyl instead,
But that’s just me,
Good luck in your endeavour
Thanks all. Fully recapped 32.5/HC/160 here, including the phono boards, all courtesy of Naim North America. Just intrigued by taking the next step on vinyl with a very solid mid range LP12. I really like the CB presentation and not looking to change that. Seems like the phono stage is the thing to focus on at this point, and it has sounded like going all the way to the Superline is needed to see a big step up from the 323 cards.
Thanks, this was the same line of questions I had.
When I bought a 282 I powered it from a flatcap, or rather half a flatcap 2x, the other half powering my CD5x’s analog circuits. Power amp was a Rega Maia. My first attempt to buy a hicap ended with an ex demo superline instead. I think I tried all permutations given the two power outputs of the FC and the 282’s second input. one of those was powering the superline with one of them and the 282 from the other but I preferred the superline powered from AUX2 with just one half of the flatcap, the other back on CD duty. If I didn’t have the option of AUX routed power then direct flatcap power sounds a whole lot better than nothing but I’ve never heard a 32.5 and its boards.
I did eventually by a hicap on the third attempt, an Aro got in the way second time round.
The superline is limited to a fairly narrow range of cartridge output levels but very versatile when it comes to loading and it will live with any level of Naim kit as you upgrade. Solstice owners have been finding it an upgrade to the packaged stage when supercapped.
The Superline is brilliant imho. I have used one with 82 and Hicap, 52 and Hicap, and 52 directly from Aux 2.
This morning, I am very temporarily hearing LP12 and Superline into 102 (!), then Hicap, 300DR and B&W 804 D3s. Even with an obviously mismatched preamp (until Tuesday), we can still hear that the SL is very good - and will sound a lot better when we swap out the pre-amp.
My recollection is that the internal boards, Stageline and Prefix are very similar and sound it. To me, all are less good than Rega Aria or the brilliant Dynavector P75 mk4, with Linn Urika, Rega Aura, and Superline above that.
Otoh, I have never heard SL powered by Flatcap, but suspect that anyone buying a SL should wait until they can add a Hicap to power it.
I have found that the internal boards are better than Stageline.
Both the Prefix and Superline are superb especially with a Supercap.
The cards are excellent but the Superline is better. There is nothing wrong with running one from a Flatcap either. It will sound better with a Hicap but it will still be great with a Flatcap.
I would put it down to Naim snobbery myself. A Superline will sound great with a Flatcap but a Hicap upgrade will be an improvement.
I’m hoping my newly aquired and early example of, a Superline will sound good out of aux2 of my 282 fed by 2 HicapDRs. Any ideas when Superline was released ?
Think mine is a 2008.
