How good is Stageline N?

My set up is on 24/7 :grinning:
Naim components are some of the coolest (literally) I’ve ever owned, why turn them off…

I wanted to thank everyone here again for responding with their thoughts and opinions.

Now that I had lived with the Stageline for a week, I can already say with confidence that it’s very special indeed. In combination with MoFi Ultraphono and Ultratracker cart, the sound signature is unmistakably a Naim - the expansive soundstage, dynamics, transparency, and energy are all here and not much is missing. The sound is addictive and begs to be cranked up. Obviously without any adjustments this phono is simple and effective when integrated with other Naim gear. It’s also inexpensive, which is a bonus.

The only negatives I can point out at this point are a) the sound is a bit on a brittle side (but perhaps it will get fleshed out more with additional break-in) and b) the soundstage is not as three-dimensional as iFi iPhono 3’s. Besides that, I very much prefer it to iPhono 3 (which sounds much too muted in comparison). Considering iPhono also costs more and requires a separate power supply, between the two, the Stageline is the keeper. I’m still thinking about trying out Graham Slee Reflex M but want to give the Stageline more time to break in first. Perhaps that won’t be needed.

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The brittleness could be a result of the high capacitance, as just before the roll off there’s a peak in the freq. response. Could be interesting to experiment with different capacitance cables if you have any others lying around.

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Thanks for the advice. I have recently switched to Gotham GAC 4/1 interconnects after liking their sound vs. Blue Jeans LC-1 I was using earlier. I think I sold off all Blue Jeans interconnects since then but I might have an unaccounted pair somewhere. If I find it, I’ll see if it makes a difference.

I haven’t any experience with the Stageline N, but I’ve read some pretty good things about it.
And if you end up leaning towards Graham Slee, I’d put out the extra few quid for a GSP Ref!ex M. And the PSU1 power supply is a must.
When I get back into vinyl in a few years I’ll be re-buying a Reflex M. I can’t believe I sold it.

What’s keeping you from getting back into it right now? :wink:

And yes, GS Reflex M with PSU1 is what I would likely get unless I can keep the Stageline. I’m not convinced by it yet - it has a noticeably harsh top end, probably due to the high capacitance as discussed above. I read in a professional review of Stageline S that changing capacitance resistor to match the cartridge is not a bad idea in this case, and am trying to get my dealer contact Naim North America to see what they think.

My Phono Stage of choice the Trichord Dino has two settings for MM Hi and Low not sure exactly what they are but the MM carts I have and have owned have all preferred one or the other so there is something in differing loads with different MM carts.

I’ve always wanted to try an MM stage with lots of different loads something like the NJC with switchable loading on the fly via a dial would be fun to try.

Seems that’s the input sensitivity and gain, I found this in its specs on some site:
Cartridge Type Sensitivity
MC Very Low: 100uV to 250uV (74dB)
MC Low: 250 to 400uV (70dB)
MC Normal: 400uV to 1mV (63dB)
MC High/MM Low: 1 to 3mV (52dB)
MM High: 3 to 5mV (48dB)

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We’ll be moving in a year or 2 and there’ll be a lot of changes then, and in the meantime. I’m not even sure where I’d set it up at the moment.
I’m actually thinking of doing a separate tube amp system (maybe Decware), with vinyl only, in a separate room and using my Kef R107s for the tube system and replacing them in the main system.

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Certainly sounds like something to look forward to.

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Ortofon OM 5E update: while I’m waiting to hear back from the dealer if replacing the capacitance resistor is possible, I run a quick experiment by mounting an old Ortofon OM 5E cart. OM series is rated at 400-600 pF and match the Stageline’s capacitance perfectly. Though the sound became a bit less transparent (it’s a very inexpensive cart), more importantly, the top end harshness is gone completely. And because the highs are now tamed, the bottom end is allowed to shine as well. Even with OM 5E the sound is excellent - noticeably better vs. a superior Ultratracker cart feeding into MoFi Ultraphono.

Long story short, my experience with Stageline N shows that it’s best to stick with MM carts that have high capacitance. Otherwise, the sound will not be ideal. I’m now waiting on Hana EH high gain MC cart to get delivered. It matches Stageline’s 2mV and 47kOhm specs exactly, and being a moving coil, it does not care about capacitance. I’m hoping it will become best friends with my Stageline.

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Hana EH update: this cart matches Stageline N (and MoFi Ultradeck tonearm) perfectly. Lovely analog sound, very musical and detailed, superior in most aspects to everything I have heard on my system thus far (analog or digital). If you don’t mind sticking with high output moving coil carts (when Hana gets worn out, I might also try a moving iron), this preamp should be high on your list. And if you factor in a very reasonable price, and how cleanly it integrates with the rest of the Naim gear, it’s an easy #1 pick for me.

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I think you will not be disappointed, my new Hicap DR Is still warming up but it’s a great upgrade from Flatcap XS for the Stageline and the Grado Sonata.
Some may find the pairing a bit too polite but personally I really love the musicality and warmth the Stageline-Grado is bringing. Despite many would consider the Stageline a bit too “dark” for a Grado, I tend to disagree, at least for the Reference Line.

You may have already. Ortofon 2M is technically Moving Iron, they just choose to market it as MM. Not sure if the same is true for the OM though.

I recall that all Ortofon carts were Moving Iron… As were Goldring.
But Shure were genuine MM.

Goldring do both MM (e.g. the 1042) and moving iron (e.g. the 2500). That also have nice animations on their website showing the difference

Maybe they do now… But the classic G800 series were all MO.

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Thanks for the info - indeed, OM series appears to be closely related to Ortofon VMS MI design. Curriously, 2m series list fairly low capacitance 150-300pF (vs. OM’s 300-500pF)

I’d say Hana sound signature is also fairly “polite”… I was looking at Grado as well but gravitated towards Hana because of its lower weight and compliance. Ultradeck tonearm is very heavy, thus MoFi only recommends low compliance carts.

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