That’s probably your best move. You can then upgrade to a Supercap later 
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Well Ian @Toon
His Indian Rosewood high gloss Simon Price plinth looks very impressive to me I must say
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Agreed re the Prefix/Supercap - along with a Urika, best VFM stages out there IMO and both great.
Obviously, the latter only makes sense if you also have a radikal…!
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For me, my old SC2 was preferable to HCDR with Superline so I’d recommend hearing both. With HiCap the sound seemed more ‘hi fi’, impressive but a bit much compared to the SuperCap which was more ‘musical’ and involving - to my ears (similar difference as 282 vs 252 to me.)
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Yeah - I see where you’re coming from for sure. Cartridge choice is obviously a major factor and the Cyrus does a great job, especially if you have the PSXR2 power supply too - do you?
I had my Cyrus for about 7 years with a DV XX2 cart and it was magical. But my move to Ekstatik meant a required step up in the phono stage to get the best out of it. The Aura outpaced everything else I listened to and I reckon I’d have to go >£10k with a Whest or a Accuphase to better it (which would be a step too far)
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‘78 Sondek Cirkus / RB1000 / 2M bronze with custom motor PS and phono stage.
Suspension just refreshed with springs & grommets renewed, belt cleaned, armboard screws nipped up and a couple of drops oil in the bearing. Sounding very good 
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Yeah, Phono Signature with PSXr2.
Currently running Apheta3 on RB880.
Not envisaging breaking the £1.5k mark on replacement cartridges going forward.
Considering Lyra, Dynavector, Hana or staying Rega, so Phono Stage to match😊
Thanks for clarifying aims…
Did you also say you didn’t wish to stretch to £4k +, on budget ?
Because the Rega Aura is defiantly a viable option. Particularly if you stick with Rega cartridges (great synergy). Tony has one on permanent demo’
Before commenting further, just wish to understand your thoughts on budget?
KR
R
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I know he does 
and yes £4k is definitely beyond my target budget 
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IMHO, think the Cyrus phono a decent solution.
Although I’ve heard it in the past, haven’t had the chance to compare with other options A/B comparisons.
Looks like @Toon has done that. So, better placed to comment. Judging from comment seems the conclusion was SuperLine offered a gain…
Maybe @Toon can expand on that bit…
In our case…
The start was an idea that our newly refurbished LP12 had more to offer.
A better or best phono might be required.
At the time, we had options to use with internal phono cards in a NAC72, or a separate Rega Aria phono. However, the Rega Aria really needs to go back with a RP6 we have.
Over time, we considered Linn options, as well as Naim and the Rega Phono’s
Using our own LP12 as source, our start point was the Rega Aria, which we use at home.
We auditioned Rega Aria, as a start to the demo’. (As the reference point).
Then SuperLine. Then SuperLine with HCDR. Then Rega Aura.
At that point, backwards and forwards several times between SuperLine + HCDR and Aura.
SL maybe needs an external psu, at least HCDR, to compare with an Aura. (But, guess maybe budget wise, that seems fair and reasonable).
The SuperLine and Aura are both good, but subtly different in presentation.
There are many things the Aura does well.
SuperLine works really well - on its own - with the Naim SuperNAIT 3. (One box solution)
Adding a HCDR improves SQ a little more. (Two box solution)
In the end, we decided to add an external power supply, as our use case envisages using with both SN3 and also NAC72, (which would require the psu).
For clarity, deliberately didn’t add SuperCap to the demo’, (avoidance for obvious reasons)
Only mention this, as obviously can’t now comment on this option. But others have said SL + SC is an entirely impressive combination. So, that’s also another option. (Or at least, maybe in time).
Tony and myself also considered the new New Classic NVC TT with its own NPX TT psu, later, when that appeared too. We felt the SL offered more.
As always, go and listen to the options and develop your own thoughts.
Hope all that helps?
Good luck
R
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I have a similar setup to @philiprst and have just had an NVC TT and NPX TT installed. Straight out of the box, it sounds excellent. Much more than I intended to spend but having heard it, there was no going back. Briefly, I will say everything is better. There is a synergy between the 222 and the NVC to my ear that works. I have heard many other phono stages at this level before and liked the Aura but not enough to go for it over the Aria. But for me, this combination gives me exactly what I wanted.
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Great to read you’ve added NVC TT to your NSC222.
Think that would be my choice too, if start point was a 222.
The NVC TT is a really nice phono. Easy to change and use too.
Naim have done a decent job on the new NC option.
Good luck
R
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You have a NSC222, NPX300, NVC TT and NPX-TT?
Can I ask why you added the NPX TT as well as having the NPX 300? I thought the NPX300& NSC222 combination effectively provided a dedicated feed for any attached NVC TT when used together?
Are there basically 3 levels, NVC and NSC with no PSes, then add the NPX 300 for a dedicated feed for the NVC, then add the NVC TT for ultimate power supply goodness!?
Edit: answered my own question by a quick search, The Naim New Classic Range - Part 2 - #262 by 110dB
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You’re lucky. Mine has been “set up” by half a dozen guys in the 40+ years I’ve owned it. Every time I had to re-do the job myself. Never perfect but better than the “jobbers”.
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Hi Toon,
I assume you also listened to Linn’s own Urika?
I’d be interested in where you’d rank that option vs Aura.
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Yes, I auditioned Urika, Stageline, Superline, Roksan RPP and Aura over a 6 month period.
Results:
- Aura
- Superline
- Urika
- Roksan
- Stageline
My previous phono was Cyrus Phono Signature with PSXR2 power supply. Cartridge is a Linn Ekstatik.
HTH?
As always YMMV but in my system in my room with my ears that’s how it turned out.
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Agree, if you want something done right, it’s usually better if you do it yourself, no guru will ever put the same level of TLC.
Some naughty chap has been polishing rim of the platter. I have just done that to get 30 years’ worth of airborne grime from mine. Hard work, but worth it.
I can’t tell from the monochrome print what your plinth is like, but a couple of soakings with Danish oil will do wonders for the wood - but do not, for goodness sake, get the oil on the metal top-plate of the LP12.
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The NSC222 can power the NVC TT phono preamp. As I understand it, the NPX300 is an external power supply for the NSC222 but the NVC TT is still powered through the NSC222. The NVC power supply connects directly to the NVC TT. I asked Naim what their recommended “upgrade” route was for someone with a NSC222 and a NVC TT (which I have). They suggested adding the NVC power supply first and then the NPX300 rather than the other way around. This makes sense given their source first philosophy. However I have wondered if the NPX300 first would be a better option for someone who is not completely dedicated to vinyl replay.
Since I was kindly mentioned as someone who went with the NVC TT I will share my impressions that I got from demos (although not as extensive experience as Toon). The Aura sounded very good to me and sounded better than the NVC TT alone. But the proper comparison, at least from a budget perspective, is between the Aura and the NVC TT powered by it’s dedicated power supply. Once we added the power supply to the NVC TT I found it to be marginally better than the Aura but it was very close. I could have gone either way but decided to stay in the Naim ecosystem and this has the advantage of doing an upgrade in two steps rather than one.
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