Just drove by it 10 mins ago, bathed in sunshine, on the outside anyway.
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Don’t be so certain about that, I think I spotted a USB on the back!
No spare vinyl either, sorry!
This has been in development for several years - more than 2 years of solid development, too. But was kept SUPER secret, for obvious reasons.
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Hi Richard,
I don’t suppose Rega would see themselves nowadays as primarily a turntable manufacturer given they also produce fine amplifiers, phono stages, CD players, cartridges, and loudspeakers. I take the point Rega outsource some component parts to many engineering firms, just as Naim do, however they still design and assemble everything in house, and a lifetime warranty against manufacture defects.
As I said before good to see new product, which no doubt it will trickle down to more soon.
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Interesting new product - congrats to Naim - and being launched through challenging times…
Also a solid excuse to use those various inputs on those NACs 
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Hi Claire, will the phonostage be abvailable separately in the future?
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Some more thinking. The Phonostage is powered by the TT PSU. I was wondering if the Phonostage was was released solo how it might be powered? And performance wise how would it compare with a SL powered by a SC?
Design wise is this now the lead in to a redesigned classic/500 series but still fitting on Fraim? Perhaps the much heralded 272-2/372/572 will be the next stage, who knows?
My own conclusion I’m surprised that Naim have gone this way given their commitment to Digital over the last few years but greatly admire the initiative. Myself I’ve committed too much to my Xerxes to make the change except that the Aro if more widely available could tempt?
Regards,
Lindsay
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Interesting - and I get this stance - but this is exactly why I’m happy to move away from the LP12 to the Solstice, even unheard.
As I said a little earlier - I’ve grown increasingly frustrated by the Glasgow Gravy Train, but also by how damn hard it is to get the LP12 sounding at its best, and with the layers of tweaking and upgrades making that optimised product seemingly more and more hard to access. Just so many things that need to be “just so” the chances of them being so are less and less. The perfect LP12 is made of solid unobtanium - or maybe I just don’t have the patience - either way, I’ve had my fill!
I’m not so naive to think that the Solstice will be tweak or maintenance free - this is Naim after all - but the integrated nature of it is a massive part of the appeal. And ClearAudio make bomb proof products anyway - so this all bodes well for eradicating the “something doesn’t sound right” worries that have tainted my Sunday morning Vinyl sessions for far too long.
I’d actually been looking at SME for a while, again on the basis of desiring a “fit and forget” type solution. So I love this solution from Naim. And I’ve bought one.
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Rega however still design and assemble everything in house…
sure there has been a lot of competition, but surely a Naim turntable has got to make the weather at Linn Factory, a little less sunny than usual
they had the monopoly with the Lp12, but that is now broken, and Naim’s new turntable will rightfully take away quite a few sales on Lp12… anyone who is a fan of the Naim sound and is in the market for a turntable at that level would not go for the automatic default option of buying an LP12. Anyway there’s a lot of wealthy people in the world, for whom, it’s just a matter of taking out the black AMEX card and placing an order…as we speak.
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Genuinely no decisions made yet on the separate elements.
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Are those RCA/Phono sockets on the rear, rather than BNCs?
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Sure, but I replied to “Rega who do all their stuff inhouse”, which they don’t. And as far as design goes, it seems that most of it is designed by Naim as well, and the black boxes are built in-house.
If the space is not there in the Naim factory, it seems reasonable not to install capacities for a limited run
Well done to Naim! Although, to me, the platter is not, erm, pretty, I am pretty confident that the TT will sound really good. This is important…good music reproduction is alive and well, despite the predominance of MP3 etc.
What is shocking is that a small number of form members seem to see this in a negative light…and deem it appropriate to rain on Naim’s parade.
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Congratulations to everyone at Naim!
Always so exciting to see a new product, it looks amazing 
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Yes, funnily enough to an LP12 - which also has a Clearaudio Arm
I bought my LP12 in 1994. Added cirkus in 1996, different cartridge in 2010. Then prefix in around 2015 or thereabouts. Then in the last 18 months did a trigger’s broom on it, with karousel, keel, kandid, urika, radikal klimax power supply, ekos 2 SE, tangerine audio top and bottom plates and a simplinth. Could the timing be worse for me? 
To be fair though having done all of that means I have no pressure to dive in to order one of these
But if it sounds better than what I have I will consider it seriously - though might be tricky to compare. Oh, and I don’t really like the super tall platter, visually.
Not terribly fussed about having one of the first issue so if I end up missing out on that it wouldn’t bother me too much - assuming that they will make more in the future.
I do rather like that Naim have gone to the trouble to do this though - what an excellent company 
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Despite blanket coverage in the UK hi-fi press, Linn never had a turntable monopoly, even at the height of the ‘flat earth’ movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and even in the UK (and certainly not abroad). It has always been a divisive bit of kit, attracting as many detractors as it does acolytes.
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Looking at an SME is certainly more satisfying than listening to it. I’ve always found them to be incredibly boring turntables…
I’ll get me coat
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