But that’s to miss why the likes of SME and others now produce these TT packages, as people in general want plug & play.
Many TTs can be upgraded beyond purchased spec.
I think the point being made (a good one IMO) is that if you are selling what purports to be a “reference” package, it might be expected to contain the best you could do.
Yes, it would be surprising indeed if including a superline/supercap would not have made the overall price not inconsiderable dearer. However, a top-line LP12 Klimax/radikal/urika is a fair bit more than £16k and I would have thought that was the most obvious rival.
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Plus, I think the fact that buyers are already upgrading their units with improved components kind of answers that question
It clearly wasn’t the best Naim could do without a limit on resources – and to my recollection it wasn’t marketed as the very best in a wider market context. The marketing mix (6Ps and all that stuff) dictates the numerous considerations, and price must be one of them.
The fact the TT alone can support better performance isn’t a surprise but at what cost?? You can buy an inexpensive car and pimp-it (as the saying goes)
It would have to me!
Some buyers! I tried different a Phono (about £4.5k value) and carts (About £3.5k) but preferred the synergy of the original package
I think that’s a good point. The tweakers of the forum were probably not the target audience.
The Solstice wasn’t a lifestyle product but it also wasn’t aimed at maximising everything. That will be the new Statement TT
That’s fair…certainly not all. But I’m still stuck with a reference product from Naim not coming equipped with the best they can do at that point in time. It’s like the 552 (pre Statement) coming with a dedicated PS that can then be immediately upgraded after you bought it with a Supercap. Anyway, I don’t want to labor the point and I’m not saying it isn’t an awesome deck.I love my LP12 and would, I’m sure, love the Solstice too
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Not sure where the idea that Solstice is a “reference level” item comes from. I was not here when it was first anounced but it comes with a Power Line light not a full PL and a basic lavender din. I would say that puts it in the classic line up. I would also say, since the ND555 and 555PS is £26k that the pricing of the solstice puts it at the top of the classic range.
Remember a Klimax LP12 with Urika comes in at over £26K
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It reads from your words that, in car terms, you want a top of the range Mercedes 500-series long wheelbase limo for the price of a basic (without all the extras) 500-series model?
I don’t recollect any of the marketing material (or even discussion on here) stating the Solstice was Naim’s Reference level TT?
If you read post 1 onwards on here from when it was announced, it’s very clear what the offering is/was:
New from Naim – Solstice Special Edition turntable - Hi-Fi Corner - Naim Audio - Community
I took it from Chris Bell’s post #69 above. I don’t think he meant it definitively/literally though, and I haven’t been paying enough attention to know exactly where/how Naim were positioning it in their product suite.
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Ah I see. Bottom line it is a great TT that can be made even better if you throw money at it (sounds like an idea Linn could use 
). It is a real pity they are not making any more. For me it has that synergy with Naim that no other TT I have heard can manage.
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See my late edit in my post above – the other thread is a good read, and questions started early doors about positioning against competitor offerings and how the bits & pieces of the package compared e.g. motor PS/Phono PS and the cartridge.
Have you heard it Chris? I was amazed when I did (I have the 222 and 300PS on loan for a bit) I felt the uplift was greater than going to a radikal on an LP12
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My dealer just got a NPX power supply. I need to arrange a home demo soon.
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Marketing = the art of creating demand for a product or service the customer doesn’t yet know they need.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
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Does anyone actually know how many are unsold?
How many reduced examples are actually out there?
Obviously I don’t know everyone who has auditioned one but I get the impression, perhaps inaccurately, there is a bit of sniffiness from folk that haven’t heard it.
I absolutely love mine and I love the LP12s I’ve heard. Sixteen grand is a lot for a TT but it’s £8-£10k cheaper than an Linn and that’s a lot cheaper than other brands available.
The Solstice was marketed as a run of 500 and we will never know the rationale behind that. I get that it’s good to ponder why but to use that as a stick to beat it, by folk that might not have heard it, seems a bit harsh.
I was having a look earlier, and I can find a few ex-dem and new Solstices for sale, looks to me like fewer than 20, although I accept there may be many dealers who didn’t show up. If they sold 450-480 to end customers in the timeframe, that looks pretty impressive to me, that’s a lot of high end turntables to shift in under 2 years.
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In terms of quality of product and replay, I don’t think anyone has beaten it with a stick (so to speak).
What’s limited its attractiveness to many is a number of other things – the fact that it has been sold as a package is one, if you have already got a decent TT with a Superline et al.
There must be a few ex-dem out there in the UK alone, and if you scrub the VAT off etc and be charitable as regards dealer margin, a break-even exit price would suggest there are bargains to be had, which might influence those who initially dismissed it on purely £’s grounds – especially given the news about how it can be upgraded.