I’m already on my second XX2 and will definitely consider the Rua when its time. Agree that this brand is superb.
Guys,
As I understand it if I ask my dealer for an immediate replacement or even upgrade there is a trade in value but if I’m willing to send my current cartridge off to Dynavector Japan for rebuild (about 8 weeks) there’s a bigger discount. @Cymbiosis might advise.
But the real question relèvent to this thread do Naim/Clearaudio do similar for the Equinox?
Regards,
Lindsay
Interestingly, having checked correspondence with the dealer I bought the Solstice from (and Equinox replacement) back in Jan ‘22.
The issue of counterbalance and replacement cartridges was raised with Naim (as the dealer didn’t have a loaner cartridge of sufficient weight, as an XX2 was fitted but obviously wouldn’t lower) who advised them that they would be producing different counterbalances to accommodate a range of cartridges.
As I subsequently went for the XV I didn’t follow it up.
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I spoke to North West Analogue some time ago about repairing an Equinox and was told Clearaudio are not repairable/exchangeable.
That’s not to say they’re not through other channels……
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I have never heard of returning a Dynavector cartridge to Japan for a rebuild. It may be possible, but it is not something that the UK importer (Pear Audio) advertises. And even eight weeks is a long time to have to put up with not being able to listen to LPs at all.
In any event, I’m more than happy to get a brand new cartridge with a sensible discount.
So - @SilverHornet 's Naim dealer said - in Jan 2022 - that Naim would be producing different counterweights…?
Seems not to be the case., sadly… 
I wonder if the powers-that-be at Naim ever wish that they had left the building of a turntable to those chaps in Glasgow that they used to be on such friendly terms with once?
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I doubt it……they probably moved on from the project a year or two ago.
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Graham55
Perhaps they do but you can’t chaange past decisions. The only issue right now for Naim is whether they are going to do the right thing for their dealers and customers and fix it, or whether they are not going to do the right thing and just leave everyone twisting in the wind.
This situation can be turned around. Naim has a great turntable in the Solstice. But it is a dead end without fixes.
Yes, it had a Naim badge and Roy George was heavily involved, but it was built by Clearaudio. They, rather than Naim, are the people who need to fix all these problems that customers who bought in good faith are experiencing.
I was never remotely interested in buying a Solstice, but I feel for the 500 or so punters who have paid upwards of £15k, only to be plagued by constant niggles.
No….Clearaudio did what they were asked to do……as signed off for sale by Naim and their designers.
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It’s no more a Clearaudio turntable than Superlumina is a Verteré cable. Graham55 takes this LP12 fanboy thing to new heights 
. It certainly is good fun reading his turntable posts and completely harmless. Good to love what we own I suppose.
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….not that easy to pin down to the cartridge alone, as I also replaced the speakers and cables within 10hrs of play time of changing the cartridge.
Listening to vinyl is my ‘me time’. Clichéd as it may be, it simply brings a smile to face. What I can say is that it sings with any good pressing, but anything below par can be unlistenable (Stone Roses, Sally Cinnamon EP B side for example).
With over 400hrs on the Solstice (250hrs on the XV-1s) I swear the sound is still evolving. The bass in particular seems to be becoming more prominent with time.
The (failure to) launch and the debacle of the cartridge marriage aside, I do wonder if I should have gone for an LP12. I’ve never heard one, but then again I hadn’t heard the Solstice, but it just seems to work. The Solstice is great, but I hadn’t expected to fettle so much. I came from an RP6….so simple in comparison, yet a different league.
That said, the cartridge has been changed, headshell weight/spacer added, magnet added, tone arm positioned correctly….it’s all working nicely. But only because of other members on here who have come up with solutions……
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Jas, just for clarity, and because things tend to get so lost in amongst all the noise on the thread, could you just specify here what you feel is broken on the Solstice and requires fixing? Thanks.
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Good post Richard. There’s nothing “broken” about it unless that word describes a lack of easy upgradability.
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Jas doesn’t own one . . . and honestly no matter how good the intentions no one hired him to advocate (meaning, whip up a frenzy on a forum) for us Solstice owners. But the forum is free to participate in subject to the rules of engagement and I’m not proposing that any have been broken.
At least a heavy counterweight was produced for the Aro 1 and looking for one now is like looking for hens teeth.
A new run of counterweights by HQ could possibly help all Aro users…
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Thank you for your piercing insight into my personality!
Relax man I wasn’t judging your personality. You have for some reason taken every opportunity to post negative comments about the Solstice. It’s your right to do that of course and mine to point it out. For what it’s worth I feel that you own a terrific turntable
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That is correct Lindsay and the big DV’s weighing a similar amount to the standard cart fitted to the Solstice make them a viable alternative choice. The DV’s are big and used to cause a few problems on the Ekos SE as there was little space so most were not aligned correctly I found as the cartridge was pushed back in the head-shell as far as it could go and then left (miss-aligned). A series of complex/hazardous tag bending and 55mm tag-wires could just allow fitting of an DV XV without the left positive tag (white) shorting on the SE head-shell. The head-shell was never designed with such a cartridge in mind and that’s what the problem was. I pointed this out to DW of Linn with pictures back in 2012 and shortly afterwards we had the Ekos SE/1 with a headshell 2.0mm longer and a complementary shortening of the titanium arm tube and so no more mounting problems… We even got the extra heavy counterweight too after showing DW a pic of my DIY add on mass ring so as to enable the counterweight to be as close to the fulcrum as possible = Better sound in the main!
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