Ryder35 I am not making anything up. I am searching for a possible root cause of this situation on the assumption that Naim purposefully did not design this product to not work with 90% of the carts audiophiles use.
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But here’s the thing Jas, Ian and all interested.
The spring bearing on the rear of the arm tube that engages and secures the counterweight creates a situation where any cartridge much heavier or lighter than the Equinox will cause an issue. One side of the counterweight is concave so the threaded contact area is much smaller than we might expect. The bore of the stock counterweight is a fair among larger than the arm tube. Hence the need for the bearing to engage.
Then there’s an equally relevant anti skate issue. Who wants premature stylus and LP wear?
The Equinox is a three point fixing cartridge and the ARO (Unlike an SME V for example) can’t be adjusted for overhang so it’s set on the deck has to be spot on. But mine wasn’t. Whatever Naim might claim the arm on my deck was positioned at least 1mm too far back so that when I checked the Equinox alignment (with all 3 bolts fixed) to the accepted Stevenson and Baerwald node points it was out. Removing the rear bolt to reduce to a two bolt fixing and moving the cartridge out by around 1mm creating the correct overhang and upped the sound quality IMO. But as you may know when we increase overhang the cartridge has to rotate inwards to maintain node points alignment. So now I had an Equinox aligned properly but as a consequence of the reset more inertia (skate) was created. Maybe that is a consequence of the rotation? That I’ m not certain of. But without question at this point the already weak magnet on the anti skate bolt was not strong enough.
So. When I changed cartridge to a two bolt fixing DV and aligned using the correct method I had to come up with a solution. The disc magnet was it and does a job.
Back to the counterweight. Obviously the DV plus 3 small copper washers (which I actually fitted to create clearance because of the headshell fouling the top inner cartridge pin) brought the weight at headshell close to parity with the Equinox so I can use the stock counterweight. I would think that an 8g cartridge would be an absolute mare to get to work with the stock counterweight.
My view is that the deck was clearly designed with little flexibility in mind. I admit that it completely caught me out as I expected something different from a Naim badged product. As you know the sound quality is not the issue. But boy oh boy!
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Cohen
Well described thank you.
Question. Let’s assume that the overhang error on your table is a manufacturing issue and not prevalent across other tables. For the samples with correct alignment would you still have these problems?
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Good question Jas.
What I tried to express was that it was through resetting the Equinox with two bolts, increasing overhang and rotation that the limitations of the arms flexibility to change were revealed. That prepared me for the switch to DV. In answer to your question the counterweight is still only suitable for cartridges close to 14g in weight and the anti skate magnet will be of insufficient strength as soon as change to overhang and rotation from a different cartridge is needed
Let’s face it none of the things that I did are complex. I’m sure that someone like yourself could find similar solutions. But any owner should be prepared for potential challenges if they are considering changes to the original package.
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Cohen
Thanks. As i have said the Solstice is unfortunately a no go for me unless Naim fixes it. I think for others who already have it your guidance will prove useful down the line when their Equinox wears out and they need to assess their options.
If the equinox, with 3 bolts in place, was 1mm out of alignment, then its actually the arm itself that is misaligned with respect to the spindle.
I bet, in retrospect, that Naim wish they had not out-sourced this project.
Jlewis yes i agree but the question on that is whether that is a one off manufacturing defect or if in fact every Solstice has the arm in the wrong place. What Cohen i think pointed out is that this error showed him the issues with the turntable in the bigger context of fitting other carts. It wasn’t pretty but he managed to get one to work with some effort.
I bet, in retrospect, that Naim wish that they had left turntables to Linn!
I added to my reply…
I bet that Naim wish they had not out-sourced this project.
Clearaudio will get clearaudio products right.
Naim will get Naim products right.
I’ll not ask the obvious follow on question.
Jlewis and Graham55 certainly you bring up valid questions. But nobody not even a company as great as Naim can turn back time and make different decisions about entering a market or whether to partner on a project. They can only decide to fix the situation or not. In this case the customers who ordered this turntable site unseen based on their many year relationship with Naim seem to be a literal who’s who of top tier customers with filled Fraim racks of top tier Naim equipment judging from some of their profiles. I can only opine that if i were Naim i would be very careful about how you treat such customers in this situation. But that’s their call.
The Equinox cartridge weighs 14g.
I took the one off the Solstice in the Vereker demo-room and measured it this evening - I wasn’t involve in the Equinox dev so I don’t have any history or other information. Anything specific I can message Roy. All Roy’s design decisions were very considered.
Cheers
Steve
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Clearaudio have been in business 45 years and know what they are doing. The real problem with this package is the ARO II arm, and that’s a Naim design. I wouldn’t put the problems on Clearaudio. They know how to design and build a proper tonearm that isn’t bonkers with lack of flexibility. Maybe Naim should have left the tonearm design to the experts. 
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They sold them all to the distribution network, maybe those sales allowed other projects to develop etc.
Similar with the NAIT 50. Perhaps we’ll see other exciting limited editions in years to come. If the extra sales over and above their bread and butter kit mean they can continue developing, then it could be a good thing. Though I do appreciate, if there are actually issues with the TT, that they should be reflected on. And I’m sure they will be given what I’ve seen from Naim staff posted on here. I would not necessarily wish to see that reflection in public though. Fixes and suggestions, fair enough, but the RCA might be best kept internal 
A bit harsh… IMO.
Naim did design the original ARO, themselves - so they do have form here. What I cannot quite understand is how what appear to be decisions (*) which limit the flexibility of the ARO 2…
(* - its overall weight, such that it will not fit on an LP12 and it being limited to cartridges around the same mass as the Equinox, of around 14 g.)
That was only half serious, but a reasonable reaction to expression of regret collaborating with Clearaudio, who are experts for about as long as Naim are experts.
I have Clearaudio products. The engineering, quality, and fit & finish are second to none, IMO.
I don’t understand why Naim felt the need to re-design the original ARO.
The ARO2 may look similar, but its mass is so high that it couldn’t be used on other turntables, even it were available separately - which it isn’t!
Designing it to be used in other decks could well have been unnecessary if it was only ever intended to be used on the Solstice. And redesigning the original Aro might have been necessary to make it sound as good as it clearly does from the owners who’ve expressed opinions on here.
I think lots of us here would like Naim to be a company they just aren’t. From wanting lots of options to get on the separates ladder, through shoebox streamers, made in the UK, to tape loops on Statement amps. The company is what it is in 2023, and by the accounts of the new kit, that isn’t a terrible position. Even if it isn’t what they were like in the 70s and 80s.
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For the record, I’d happily own a Solstice fronted, Slovakian badged, 300 system. It would sound positively epic I’m sure, and be way more than I ever needed. My current system is already more than I anticipated owning as a spotty hifi nerd growing up in the 80s.
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Some turntables, probably those of sprung design. There’s nothing that should prevent a ARO II from working on my turntable (Clearaudio Innovation), as long as there is a collar for the arm board. The total mass of it doesn’t matter.
I wouldn’t swap a high spec LP12 (such as I have) for a Solstice.
The Solstice is way too limiting. You buy the package and use it ‘as seen’, or you leave it.