New from Naim – Solstice Special Edition turntable

I meant with a deck that level I would be spinning much more records than that.
I hope they can sort out a replacement when required. :+1:t2:

It doesn’t seem unreasonable to get a nice deck to play a half dozen records every week. That might make it even more special, as rare treat to get fully engaged with a record.

I have a TT that’s at an even higher level. I play a lot of records YOY, but during the warmer months when we have our outdoor deck open I often play that few records.

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Seems to me that the original question is very difficult to answer, as one side of the equation is itself virtually unanswerable at this time:
SQ (many Solstice owners seem to be very happy with this) versus practicality/longetivity (not obvious at this time).
Stating the obvious, I know!

I have a Rega P10/ Lyra Kleos. I spin 3 lps on weekends generally. Around 10/15 on holidays. It’s like drinking a special wine. If you drink every day, you appreciate less.
For day use, I stream locally.

So I don’t think @emrei buying a Solstice is a non sense. I hope that his dealer will be able to set up the arm and cart. Outside of UK, it’s not always the case.

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The half price or less these go for these day’s, have got to be a good deal really, as you get a complete package. Plus that’s a good package as well.
As long as you like the way it sounds, and seeing you are well into your naim, then the sound should suit you.
As for what the future holds then, no one seems to know that.
But if you like its looks, like the noise it makes, dont want to change things now or the future, then i would say why not go for it.
It will certainly tie in well with your system and vinyl could easily become your top source, if so this could then be the start off your problems.

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If anyone heard the sound I make with my Solstice they’d be running to their dealer to buy one. Granted I’m using a Superline/Supercap for my phono preamp, but this is an outstanding turntable which puts my ND555 to shame.

Solstice is Naim’s most underrated product.

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Try to get that one pass the Board! :laughing:

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Did you sell your LP 12?

I would love to compare how a LP12 Klimax or Soltice stacks up to my rig. Just out of raw curiosity.

Sold my LP12 to a local DBL owner. It went to a good home.

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At the risk of sounding like a sales person from Rega I’d try to get a listen to the new Rega Naia. This is even more ‘drag and drop’ than the Solstice. I heard the Naia again at my dealers last week and I thought it was truly astonishing for the money. I’m an LP12 owner myself and thought the Naia was just on another level. Simple in operation, beautiful to look at and with a beguiling sound that you’ll find very hard to forget.

When the Solstice first came out my dealer ran a shoot-out between their LP12 and the Solstice on a full 500 system. To be honest I thought they both had equal merits. The LP12 dug a bit deeper into detail whilst the Solstice had that typical Naim groove. I could easily live with both but if I was starting again my choice would be the Rega.

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I’ll echo the Rega sentiment but with the perspective that the P10 is a mighty capable machine that doesn’t need to be mated with a Rega cartridge. I run my P10 with a Shelter Harmony into an Esoteric E-02 phono and the combo is sublime. No doubt the Naia would be better but not if you’re skimping on the phonostage and cartridge choice in order to secure it.

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Geko, what LP12 was the dealer using in the comparison with the solstice?

Apologies if I missed this but couldn’t see it.

At the time, and this is probably over a year ago, it was pretty much Linn’s top spec. There were around ten of us listening for well over an hour or so while the dealer swapped between the two. It was pretty much a 50/50 split on who preferred what. I felt that the Naim made the music more of a performance, where the Linn was all about the detail. On some music this is where the Linn won and on other music it suited the Naim. It really was the flip of a coin. However, there was quite a disparity in cost, so the Naim was definitely boxing above its weight!

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Thanks Geko, that is interesting - such a shame that such a promising package as the Solstice seems to have made so few good impressions.

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I’d really love to do that comparison again but with the Rega Naia in the mix. And I really hate to say it but I have a sneaking suspicion that neither the Linn or Naim would win!

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Having owned a Solstice in package guise and then fully tricked up I think the route of the Solstice problem is the total lack of consideration made for upgrading it. The issues are well documented in this thread.

I did get chance to hear an almost up to date LP12 Klimax against the Solstice pre and post upgrades. I agree to a large degree with Geko’s assessment (although the Solstice v SME 20 comparison was even more as per his post) The standard Solstice is fast and tuneful but it lacks weight of sound which creates a somewhat insubstantial type of presentation IMO. I actually thought my ND555 pushed it close. When fully tricked up it transforms into a much better deck and shows how good the deck and arm are. I preferred the LP12 Klimax to a standard Solstice but the deck I owned sounded better and I feel was comparable with the Tangerine LP12/ARO that I have arriving in two weeks. I sold mine because I ran into so many snags after upgrading and saw more on the horizon if I had kept it. The Solstice package at £9k is a lot of deck for the money compared with its competition. Again all just my opinion.

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I should add a couple of caveats to my comment above. Firstly, I’ve not heard a fully tricked-up LP12 with the after-market accessories Cohen 1263 is fitting but I can imagine it’s something very special. Neither have I heard the Solstice in anything other than standard guise. Also, it’s worth mentioning that if you ever get to hear a Naia pay very careful attention to the surface used to support it. I believe this is really critical to replay performance. The Naiad has a fully carbon wall structure that plays quite an important part in the performance chain. The one weakness of the Rega is there’s no suspension or mass to damp anything, so support surface structure can be absolutely critical.

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Thanks cohen1263 and Geko, that’s all really interesting. The reason I was asking is because I am wondering about whether to investigate alternatives to my LP12, including the Naia. The Solstice is still possibly in the mix, but arranging a 3-way listen will I suspect be tricky.

Any thoughts welcome, particularly from anyone who has actually heard all 3.

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I have. The Rega is an excellent deck. For the money I’d say that it can’t be beat. Getting over the aesthetics shouldn’t be an issue but I really don’t like its looks. Plus I really like what a unipivot brings to the party. ARO all the way for Mr Narrow Minded here :see_no_evil:

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