New from Naim – Solstice Special Edition turntable

[MattCray]

@varyat

Matt- you are the perfect candidate for the Solstice then- no need to worry about setup. Use the Naim cartridge with the three mounting bolts and your alignment is automatically done and will have no need to worry that your set-up is off. You will hear the best from that cartridge and enjoy the music rather than worrying if it is optimized.

EXACTLY why I’ve bought one! ….and yes - the simplicity and lack of uncertainty of everything being optimised together and at the same time is a major factor in that choice!

[Suedkiez]

@frenchrooster

It’s quite unbelievable that the arm scale of the Rega P10 arm indicates 1,60 and the weight is in fact 1,72. It’s a huge difference. I could not thought it was so much imprecise.

Did you actually zero-balance the arm to hover 1 mm above the platter?

[n-lot]

Strange, my Technics is actually very precise. Always spot on. (To the extent an analogue device can be, i.e. 0.001 is not really possible)

[jlewis]

Getting the arm to hover is virtually impossible…low friction bearings and residual bias are the conspirators!

[Suedkiez]

FR has a P10

[jlewis]

Yes…a very fine arm…very difficult to get a static balance though.

[blacksheep]

Setting the tracking weight with my Ekos SE / Kandid I just set the dial to 1.75 the adjust the counterweight until tracking reads 1.75 on my digital scale. The dial can be used for fine tuning if required. Saves trying for a perfect balance when the dial isn’t accurate anyway.

[Suedkiez]

Exactly, hence the reading on the dial being off by 0.12 does not necessarily mean that the dial markings are so inexact, but rather more likely that the zero was never dialed in all that precisely, unless it was really made to hover.

[jlewis]

…when I had P9/RB1000, I removed the printed values from the dial. … but, the arm had to go back to Rega for a minor repair…it returned with the printing restored!

[334578]

@Naim.Marketing Given the release of the Aro 2, does this mean existing Aro 1 owners will be able to get their hands on the super secret silicone lubricant that is used to lubricate the pillar bearing? I am sure mine could use an oil change after all these years. I am to understand there is no real alternative and no one knows what it is. There was a discussion but it was moderated, links removed, and no response was given on the secret lubricant name.

Any help out there to ensure I don’t buy snake oil.

And yes, it turns smooth, but I am sure it could use some added as there was residue present in package when received many years ago.

Scott

[Richard.Dane]

Hi Bart, not having had the opportunity yet to get hands on with the Solstice or the new ARO 2, and with some comments that it appeared similar to a “Rega alignment”, I decided to go straight to the horses mouth and ask Roy for clarification on the geometry and alignment used.

The bearing to spindle measurement of the new ARO 2 is 212.5mm, so very similar to the original which was 211mm +/-1.5mm.

In the ARO 2, the Evo cartridge alignment is a very precise version of the Baerwald alignment. Roy considers this is the right choice for limiting the maximum values of tracking error and tracking distortion across the entire music playing part of the disc.

Hope that helps.

[frenchrooster]

Yes, I zero balanced the arm first. Then adjusted the cart with the protractor as you know already on my other thread.

[frenchrooster]

There’s no difference with your P10 arm between the scale of the arm and the real weight with the balance ?

[Suedkiez]

@frenchrooster

Yes, I zero balanced the arm first. Then adjusted the cart with the protractor as you know already on my other thread.

What I didn’t know was how precisely you balanced it without weight. You mentioned the difference between dial and gauge before, but I can’t recall how much effort you spent on balancing

My point is that if the stylus does not hover at 1 mm about the platter for an extended time (and who does that really, certainly not I), then the zero on the dial is not really zero and the difference between dial and gauge is meaningless

@frenchrooster

There’s no difference with your P10 arm between the scale of the arm and the real weight with the balance ?

There is, but it does not indicate that the dial and the spring are this imprecise, all it means it’s that my zero baseline was never really zero. Because why bother, that’s what the gauge is for

[IanRobertM]

@Richard.Dane

The bearing to spindle measurement of the new ARO 2 is 212.5mm, so very similar to the original which was 211mm +/-1.5mm.

So… if ARO 2 is very similar to ARO 1 - as these quoted dimensions suggest - then ARO 2 is a potential (easy-ish) fit on an LP12, then…? And its NOT ‘Rega’ geometry, then…?

I must be missing something… Can’t be this simple, surely… ?

[n-lot]

@Suedkiez

the stylus does not hover at 1 mm about the platter

AFAIK it needs to hover level. Whether that’s 1mm or not depends on VTA.

[n-lot]

@Cymbiosis explained the issues here: New from Naim – Solstice Special Edition turntable - #1629 by Cymbiosis

[Suedkiez]

I guess that’s true. But still, my nerves are not built for extended hovering (and getting there!)

[frenchrooster]

The weight is too big , from what I think to have understood

[Bart]

Thanks Richard - interesting!