Thanks - that’s interesting. Personally, I love the look of the Naia (and the LP12 and Solstice), but the thing which has always held me to the Linn in the past has been the Aro - silly I know but I have a real soft spot for my arm and I also love what it does for the music!
Did you hear the Naia with Aphelion and Aura?
Agreed and yes. Very very good. The LP12/Stiletto/keel/ARO/ Urika 1/DVXV1t/ Krad2 really is something though!
Cohen - what power supply have you got for your LP12 ARO ?
I’m not familiar with couple of names there on your system
Much appreciated
It’s the Klimax Radikal 2 Bevo. The Urika needs a Radikal as a power source and I preferred it to Superline. The latest Radikal is very very good so the Geddon had to go as fast as it arrived.
Ahh didn’t see the Radikal 2 there - I’ve got the Radikal 1 on my LP12 Klimax and will at some stage this year upgrade to Rad 2
Got the Geddon on the LP12 ARO with SL/SCDR
Not sure if I want to part with Geddon , it brings a different presentation to the music and I kind of like having all Naim combo, plus I like the half width box
I’m contemplating a change from well-spec’ed LP12 to Naia, having listened to the latter several times now against a Tangerine’d LP12 inc Ekstatik. It’s a case of both have their strengths and I have some practicalities to consider e.g. the sheer weight of the Tangerine’d LP12 might be a challenge for my wall-shelf.
The Rega is very quiet, the LP12 not so much. The latter has more drive, but it’s a bit of a toss up IMHO.
If I wanted a high grade TT and was starting from nothing, it would be the Rega every time – and it avoids the Linn treadmill.
I get that. The analogue Urika and Krad2 is a great combo though 
Did the LP12 have the Linn arm and cartridge. The ARO/ XV1t is a real step up in producing a calmer and more fluid sound. Beats the NAIA IMO. All so subjective.
The weak point of the Solstice package is the NVC-TT phono preamp. It’s not a bad preamp, but it lacks the scale and musicality of the Superline/Supercap combo. This is where Solstice shines and delivers a very high-end experience.
Chrisbell, what did you make of the Equinox cart? Is that not also a weak link compared to Aphelion/Kandid/XV1t etc?
LP12 was top Linn-spec, save for Tangerine bits. For me, vinyl is very much a secondary source, hence the list of pro’s and con’s has practicality on it, and this is where the Rega scores highly e.g. due to having a floating floor, the TT needs to be shelf-mounted and the Tangerine’d LP12 is much heavier than the wood-plinth’d ones.
It’s a classic case of YMMV, and it’s not just about budget.
I’m in full mulling-over mode at the moment!
I haven’t heard the NAIA but having now lived with the VertereSG/XV1s I think that the Dynas are very suited to pivots.
The Equinox is a modified Clear Audio cartridge. Naim definitely put work into it to make it something special. I feel no need to upgrade it, I’m making the best sound ever.
Do you know which cartridge it is based on? The Concept MC?
I use a Solstice / NVC which I find wonderful.
But I don’t use a Naim pre-amp.
I have large ATC active speakers and an ATC SCA2 preamp.
I currently use the RCA outputs of the NVC, with an RCA to RAC cable, into an RCA Line input of the SCA2.
Is it theoretically better to use a 5 pin DIN to RCA cable to connect the NVC to the SCA2?
I don’t want to spend money on a good one unnecessarily.
HELP PLEASE!!!
I really wouldn’t worry about it, and certainly wouldn’t spend out on an expensive din to RCA lead without trying it first. In a full Naim system, din should give better results, but with your ATC it’s almost certainly going to be marginal at best.
In your system - ? Doubtful.
Save your money.
You could try a Milty Mayware DIN/RCA adaptor. Should only cost £10-15 online. I used one to compare the sound of some Linn Silver I/C’s going directly into the RCA connection on a NAC552 vs going via the Mayware into a DIN input socket on the 552. The Mayware was able to show me that the DIN connection was notably better.
It may be that in your case things may be different, but the Mayware would be a cheap way to find out.
