The point of my question was why Naim decided, before the decks were marketed, only to make 500 units in the first place?
Put simply, why make it as a limited edition at all? Was there a concern that, at its high price, there would be only around 500 individuals worldwide who could afford to buy it? (That has never, apparently, been a concern to Linn in selling their top-of-the-range LP12.)
This being the Keel for Aro which is no longer made?
Quite true and of course this is also confirmed knowing your preferences in art and furniture
The version that I heard as to why production of the (original) ARO stopped was that the person who made them at Naim HQ retired, so no more could be made. (There was also a more prosaic reason given, that production of some of the parts could no longer be sourced, so a decision was taken to discontinue it.)
The first reason may, or may not, be correct, but it is a pleasingly ‘Naim-like’ story, so I shall believe it - at least until someone shows that it’s not true.
Whatever the reason, I believe that only around 1,600 were ever made and sold, so look after yours, if you’re lucky enough to have one, boys and girls.
G – with kit like this i.e. full of various parts (and ignoring the add-ons of the vinyl and booklet), there had to be a minimum number to justify the R&D, Naim’s PS and Phono-amps and, primarily, for Clearaudio to produce (via tooling etc) as a minimum order quantity (MOQ).
As good a ‘package’ as it is, it was always a bit of kit which would appeal most to existing Naimees and being a ‘package’ it was hindered by people already having (say) expensive LP12s and Superlines. IMHO, it is a decent product but venturing in to an undefined marketplace only at Naim dealers(?), in that it wasn’t night & day better than the competition price-wise, so you would be looking to sell to people prepared to effect a (costly?) change or those who want to spend a fresh £16k on a new TT from Naim. Doubtless, the Naimee population is enthusiastic for new product but…500? …and it’s not something which you would see being hooked-up feeding a Nova and, worse, it’s been made in the new livery, before any of the New Classic stuff which would complement it has come out.
I think there’s a case here to say the Solstice egg was dropped too early.
Is that correct? I had heard in the past that Linn would make an additional batch of Keel/As, if they received a minimum order for 25 units.
I think that the ‘concept’ behind the Solstice was great. But I suspect that one of the problems that it faced (maybe still faces) is that most potential buyers have invested time, money and emotion into the record deck (and accoutrements) that they have already.
As a personal example, there is simply no way that I would ditch my expensively assembled LP12/ARO/Keel/Dynavector TKR/Armageddon deck that I’ve gradually refined over the last 30 years or so.
Of course, if I had heard reliable reports that the Solstice blew all LP12-based decks out of the water, I might have been prepared to consider a switch. But that’s not the impression that I’ve formed.
The story as I understand it - in fact as I was told by Naim themselves - is that sales had dropped to minuscule, and as the only person who could make them was going, it made sense to stop.
I get the impression that most of those getting misty eyed about the Solstice wouldn’t have bought one anyway, and misty eyes don’t butter the parsnips. If anyone is particularly keen I’m sure they could grab one of those still unsold, and get a nice reduction too.
We’re very lucky, as consumers/end users of these miracles of audio engineering, that the choice is so wide and so good.
I was simply told no more Keel As and have seen that repeated elsewhere since, although the position might well have changed. This was a few years back although presumably, the market for Aro keels is very much limited by the fact there are not all that many of them around.
Well Naim can’t whistle up any more Keels and the likelihood of them making some more Aros to work with a third party turntable on another third party’s subchassis would have seemed pretty minimal even if the recent return to analogue had gone better than the Solstice “experiment” seems to have done.
That is quite aside from the fact that as has been pointed out by others, Naim don’t have the staff or the parts to make them and could not really sell them even when they did.
Add in the fact that the Aro 2 does not work with the LP12 and I am sad to say that I reckon the only vinyl-related kit we will see from Naim in the future will be the new phono stage.
I’m not misty eyed about the Solstice specifically, and it’s categorically the case I couldn’t afford one when released, or at the discounted prices I see now, or even in years to come on the used market I suspect.
What I’m sorry/upset/confused/bemused - actually a complicated emotion that’s hard to express - about is what the rationale was for it. Of course it matters little to anyone that I understand Naim’s thought process behind it. But it does seem to be a product story a few of us are curious about.
I do not expect the detail to be discussed by anyone officially either, so it’s just mulling over possible scenarios in threads like this that whiles away a bit of spare time
I don’t know why Naim bothered with the Solstice. I kept telling them that they should have devoted the time and money to developing a cassette deck.
Did they listen? No!
Now look where we are.
Or a lovely SACD player?
Even better.
Let’s guess that they made a profit of £500 on each one. That’s £250,000 to keep the venture capitalists happy.
Are there venture capitalists involved in the ownership of Naim? I thought that Naim was wholly owned by Focal now.
So is Focal owned by venture capitalists?
I hope not. Look at the mess that that worm in human form, the venture capitalist Guy Hands, made of his ‘ownership’ of EMI.
Incidentally, is Guy Hands bust now? I do hope so.
[Edit: I’ve had a quick look on Wikipedia, and I’m sad to report that Hands is not bust. Yet]
Naim and Focal are owned by VerVent Audio, who are majority owned by private equity. Of course, not all private equity is venture capital, so it may not actually be VC.
Thanks for that, Nigel.