Lyra Etna Lambda SL 
Run it through a Sutherland Phono Loco. Excellent result with the new, lighter counter weight.
I like the Solstice just fine but sometimes ponder a different deck…maybe I should bite the bullet so to speak and replace the OEM cartridge. I have the new weight, and Im sure that the Superline/SuperCapDR will hold its own . . .
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I almost jumped on one here in Australia (had it in the shopping cart)…previous supplier has (still and it’s been discounted for ages) a new one at $A14,999 vs rrp of $34,500. I had a post running in the community and got the feeling that those who purchased it ended up swapping out the pre/PSU for a superline/supercap (which I have) and also changed cartridges (I’d have done that too so would’ve had to order the non standard weight)…would’ve been a lot of doubling up so I went in another direction…the forum comments were extremely helpful and there’s lots of info (that requires a bit of digging). Happy hunting…
You know what to do 
Call my and Mark’s dear friend and have him fly over.
As for phono stages - don’t be surprised what a top end one can do. I was floored by the improvement which came from the internal phono stage of my DarTZeel.
Mikey Fremer uses it for his cartridge reviews
@Varyat - Mark what happened to the Allnic?
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This is actually my old one.
I think Paul states it has less than 50 hours on it - and I’d say that’s overstating it. VERY occasional use - no more than 30 hours I’d say. Barely run in.
All the boxes and cables and even the book are with Paul. And the deck, the PSU and Phonostage are pristine.
It’s a bargain - and I’m sure Paul would do a deal, as I traded it in about 3 months ago now - If you want a Solstice.
@CraigDal - feel free to ping me if you want to discuss at all.
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Hi Gregg! Allnic is running with my Dohman with a Mutech Hayabusa cartridge- not bad 
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I’m not sure I can ping/DM/email you?
We were talking about that on Zoom last week . . .
As you know I had that plan in place but then covid cancelled it.
If Dave B who lives just like 10 miles tops from me wants some attention given to his, it could make sense for your friend to visit the Boston area.
And I need to decide which build-out / how much to spend, but his judgment of cost vs. performance of course will be taken into account! Back then it was going to be some slightly used parts and a new PU7 arm . . would probably go a bit upscale if I go this direction.
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Ah - I don’t use this forum so much anymore (I’m no longer much of a Naim user) and users used to be able to DM each other I think.
Let me know if I can help with the providence of the Solstice at HiFi lounge - as I said, it was mine (bought from Cymbiosis) and traded in with a very small number of hours on it.
I was at HiFi Lounge on Saturday - and it’s still there - looks great - and I’m sure Paul with both demo it and do you a nice deal.
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So esoteric I had to Google this one😆
Have you relocated yet?
What cable do you use from the Solstice to the Sutherland?
Yes we have! Finishing up my new room- this has been a real challenge!
I use a Lyra PhonoPipe IC from Aro2 to Sutherland . This was a custom cable due to the weird angle required for the DIN connection in the tone arm base. Also using a Lyra IC from Sutherland to main pre amp.
How do you like the Lyra PhonoPipe? I may get a chance to audition one that is phono DIN-XLR, but I also have a Siltech Classic Legend 380i phono cable coming next week (and plan to order a 2nd if I like it). I’ve been asked to try the PhonoPipe and give some feedback vs the Siltech.
The $20K Solstice is essentially a $10K Clearaudio turntable. Add the phono-stage and power supply for $7400 MSRP and the cartridge for roughly $2K (?) to get it to about $20K MSRP. The Ovation with a Tracer tonearm is $12K and the Ovation with Universal 9" tonearm (what I had previously) is $15K.
I put the Solstice as a lower spec than the Ovation if you go by the numbers. The Performance DC AiR with a Universal arm is $9K. So I would put the Solstice somewhere in the middle of that and the Ovation, if one goes by the numbers.
I have not heard the Solstice, but I have owned the Ovation/Universal and heard the other Clearaudio TTs I mentioned. They are all the real deal. The Performance DC with a Tracer arm is one of the best bang for buck TTs I have heard, if you want to keep it under $10K.
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The PhonoPipe was a clear step up from the Naim supplied . I have never heard a Siltech cable but am aware of their reputation as an excellent cable.I needed a Din/XLR as well.The Lyra cable is priced well and sounds great . Curious to hear your evaluation after listening to both…
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I believe you ask @Richard.Dane to share your contact details with the member you want to talk with. Assuming they agree, I think.
Not a related question but what’s the benefit of getting balanced from the tonearm if it’s unbalanced to the preamp? Is it just the case of getting a din-xlr cable for the tonearm?
I have a Boulder phono-stage. It only has balanced inputs. I didn’t want to use RCA-XLR adapters since that is a non-optimal connection that can add noise, especially for the low output (0.25mV) cartridges I’m using. Using a DIN-XLR phono cable from the tonearm is much better.
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Bit of logic here:
Solstice is made by Clearaudio.
Clearaudio will want some profit.
Then sent to Naim…who will want some profit.
I looked…Clearaudio has a wide range of TTs…
…maybe a good place to start would be by looking at Clearaudio TTs in the same price range?..if you want something ‘along the lines’ of a Solstice
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