Yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to the Solstice at the distributors listening room.
It was just me and my local dealer left alone with the Solstice for a couple of hours playing various records that I had brought with me.
The deck had had around 30ish hours of playtime before I turned up and it was partnered with a 252 & 250 into Sopra 2s in a relatively small room.
First impressions (all IMHO)- Like many others have already said it looks so much better in the flesh (or metal, perspex and composite rather). The build is top notch - everything feels uncompromisingly well designed, its sturdy, well engineered and oozes quality. The longer I spent with it the more I appreciated its looks.
It always takes me a little bit of time to get my ears into listening mode but from the get go it sounded great and only got better as I got into the zone - the detail the Equinox produced was fantastic and bass response was tight and controlled. I cycled through various genres from electronica to rock to jazz and blues and finally settled in to the UHQR stereo release of Axis Bold As Love. Just brilliant!
There were some little niggles however at least from my point of view and I guess this could have been as a result of the set up. I found the Equinox rides so low to the record that there was a scant couple of millimetres between the records surface and the body of the cartridge so not sure how it would track on anything but perfectly flat even records and it made mea little nervous every time I lined up a new track. Also the arm lift seemed a little on the short side - it simply wouldn’t lift the arm when it got to the end of the run out but I can only imagine this was a set up issue.
All in all a very impressive combination and I would be very happy to own one (it certainly blew my RP10 out the water) however the chances of getting hold of one seem very low - the distributer told me he had secured four in total and that is to cover four separate countries Switzerland being one of them so you guys who are still waiting in the UK - at least you’re getting one even if it will take longer. I am positive the wait will be worth it! I suspect I will have to wait to see if Naim continue production after the 500 or go elsewhere for a turntable upgrade.
Have a great weekend 
Thanks for this write up @Sten. I have a feeling we’re going to start reading more of these first person reviews over the next month.
Yes, thanks for the interesting write up and great photos.
Richard
Great photos!!
The first kit for the Italian distributor was in demo near my home (Milan): I couldn’t miss the demo today!
All serie 500 and Focal Maestro Utopia Evo.
Hi all,
This is my first post, so thanks for an excellent forum! Quite expensive (I have made several upgrades due to this forum and an active sales rep., but that is another story).
I received my Solstice Friday (live in Norway), and set it up Friday evening. Straight forward set up with good help from the video and instruction manual. Only problem was with the tone arm cable, where the connectors were very tight (towards the phono stage). One of the connector-pins got loose, but I managed to insert it with the assistance of a screwdriver. I got a replacement tone arm cable from my retailer today while they repair the original tone arm cable.
It have only played around 10-15 hours, so it is to early for any serious listening. So far the impression is excellent - very involving and very “Naim” in sound (pace, rhythm etc.). The first few hours it was to heavy on the bass, but that is gone now. Detail and soundstage is also getting better.
Thomas
More Solstice Turntables in the wild… a good sign!
Great photos and I like the comparative one next to the LP12.
Also, glad that end user reviews are beginning to flow.
Keep them coming,
Richard
Is this AF Merate? Out of curiosity I may drop by and check.
I’m a little concerned about the comment above regarding how close the Equinox’s body is to the record when playing. I have some records that challenge the Earth’s precession for all the uneven vertical displacement on display when rotated. This has become particularly worse with modern vinyl pressings where probably every 1 out of 3 or 4 has flatness issues.
What does this issue mean re the Equinox being able to play modern vinyl?
It was tested with a huge range of records, including recent heavyweight pressings. It’s never had an issue with anything we’ve spun
Yes. Great place!
I would make better use of the work bench than using it to support the hifi!!
Let’s hope it arrives before you move to Sweden, Matt.
Great pictures Sten. The more I see the new white logo and case design, the more I like it. Crisp and fresh. I look forward to seeing what’s next in the new product releases to use the new look.
Why are the logos white? Sorry if I’ve missed this one.
Apparently because this is where the design is going. Statement, Uniti, this
there is something mildly distracting with the logo dead centre and the large platter off to the left. I know it cannot be helped, but still.
Bart since I am also Stateside I am taking note of your acrylic lid solution. My SSE will also be on top of a Fraim and I want to find a cover for it.
In the spirit of this thread, I reached out to my dealer to see about an update for my tt. I was told October, and am curious if my timeline will be pushed down the road.
Keeping everything crossed!
Word on the street is that UK dealers get their demo stock TODAY - so maybe it’s not so far off