It’s their first turntable, so some teething troubles are to be expected. I can imagine if they were to create more models in the future they would learn from these issues and try to prevent them.
I wouldn’t assume they deliberately made it a challenge.
Let us know please:)
Looking forward to hearing about your visit.
Lack of support to fit a slew of well-known, mainstream high end cartridges to the Solstice without resorting to unsupported modifications seems rather more than just a teething issue to me. How could they get it so wrong when just about every other TT in that range gets it right. For $20k I would expect to be able to fit something like the higher end Dynavector or Lyra cartridges without major issues or resorting to hacks.
Yes, but let’s remember that the original ARO didn’t even have adjustable cartridge overhang, just fixed holes. Lack of conformity to accepted practice is a key “charm point” of Naim.
Guessing the ARO was designed around a specific cartridge - or cartridges having a certain geometry…?
Linn Troika back in the day.
Only had had three holes and no slots . 
Yes, the Linn Troika was “the package” when Aro1 was released.
Since then, owners of the Aro1 have used a wide range of cartridges successfully even with its’ limited flexibility to set overhang. Funny…very few detractors criticizing straying from “the package” with the Aro1 . Aro2 has not been received with the same open mind , imho.
My bad. I assumed the Soltice was s modern TT. Now I understand. It’s meant to evoke the allure of legacy TTs with legacy design principles. Good to know.
As i said right from the start, when i first saw the solstice. If you want to mess about changing things then i think other turntables are much better options and the solstice is more a, this is what naim feel is it approach.
Because once you start changing thinks and you run into fitting problems etc, you can never be 100% certain that what’s been done is correct and you’re not compromised it in some way.
Thats why having a great arm that is fully compatible, has all the adjustments and can be adjusted whilst being used is really a must at this level.
I have found this out to my cost over the years and even the famous sme V arm doesn’t cut it for adjustments and is floured in this area.
The adjustability of the Aro2 can be simply resolved by Naim. They just need to offer a few different counterweights and perhaps a few different magnets for the bias control. Easy fixes. I hope Naim do their part in getting these items available for the end user sooner than later… Otherwise, the Aro2 is a very easy arm to set up .
I’m sorry, but in 2022 if the tonearm on a $20k turntable cannot accommodate well known, mainstream cartridges in the same range, and forces you to their vision of what the proper cartridge should be, then something is definitely amiss from where I stand. It’s just silly that it’s otherwise, and makes me glad I never considered the Solstice (not that I was going to), because if I had I would have wanted to mount my DV XV-1s on it.
Where does the Solstice’s cartridge compare to the standard line from say Clearaudio, Dynvector, Lyra and others. Is it a $1500 cartridge, $3000, or what. Certainly it doesn’t compare to a $5650 DV XV-1s or a $9000 Lyra Etna, right.
My Clearaudio Universal handles them all, and it really isn’t that complicated or fussy a tonearm to setup and fine tune. Ditto for the less expensive Clearaudio arms I had previously.
Isn’t the solstice turntable supposed to be a one off thing? Or has there been a formal announcement that it will continue? What about cartridge replacements or will they be covered in the future?
See around Post #30 from Naim Marketing i.e. yes replacement cart’s are available. The Special Edition is limited to 500 and what follows remains an open question.
I do agree with you- it should work with various cartridges straight out of the box.
I am disappointed that it does not. Fortunately, making it compatible is not an arduous task- just a few additional bits that Naim can easily supply if they want to. I hope Naim recognizes these omissions and supports this new market ( turntables ).
Thanks. I guess if this is a healthy partnership with clearaudio then it should continue. I guess we need to wait and see where it goes from 500 on then
I don’t know why members on this forum are saying this TT should be able to use all sorts of cartridges etc etc and be adapted for this and that
The fact of the matter is ( Naim we’re quite upfront about it) this was designed and marketed as a whole package
If people want different cartridges, different weights etc etc , then they should purchase another turntable, it’s as simple as that
Maybe Naim will bring out a more “adaptable” TT in the future but this one is not it . Leave as is
I do tend to agree with you on this. As to me this was a turntable that you needed to think “i like the package and sound” its a plug and play turntable with no messing about, that will sound the same at home due to its set up design as just about anyone can do it.
Plus it looks like naim has made it in a way that changing things are not straightforward
My feelings are more aligned to that of the Solstice owners who have changed cartridges and phono stages than those in the last two posts. The deck and arm are more than good enough to support much better cartridges than the Equinox.
I’m actually on the Waterloo to Salisbury train as I write this so it won’t be long before I’m looking for answers to the Solstice anomalies from someone in the know. Roy George would be nice but he might not appreciate being disturbed as he is now retired 