Solstice or MG-1

True, true I know, I’m not thinking straight, help! The Solstaice is beautiful though :slight_smile:

Oh no more confusion, I’d just looked at a fully leaded LP12 at £23k and decided too expensive!

“True, true I know, I’m not thinking straight, help! The Solstaice is beautiful though”

…but how do you know when you’ve not actually seen one except in an advert and that ain’t the same thing?

Please - do yourself a big favour. Call Peter, ask him to set the Solstice and MG-1 aside for you AND ask him to set up an equivalent LP12 on your budget - it may not take the full-fat version to win your heart, ears and ultimately your wallet and if an LP12 is your dream machine, don’t you owe it to yourself to hear one, even if it doesn’t make the shortlist in the end?

4 Likes

I went out in 2009 with a pretty firmed up view as to which TT I really wanted. 6 weeks later I ended up with a very different model. You have to demo.

3 Likes

Good advice

This strikes me as rather silly.

The OP needs no more than an hour with the dealer to listen to both decks (or all three, if a high spec LP12 is to be included in the shoot out) in order to decide. Take along two or three favourite LPs. It’s not difficult at all.

2 Likes

To be fair Jonners and respect to Peter it’s not in his vested interest to promote the Solstice. He’s a very accomplished guy at setting up an LP12 ( an excellent turntable) and has a successful business not least because of that (putting mildly) Any admission that another turntable achieves even parity sonically just doesn’t make business sense does it?

However Naim have missed a trick IMHO by only offering the Solstice as a limited edition complete package. The deck and arm are superb and deserve a better cartridge and phono stage. Not that the SE is bad but I wouldn’t choose it over a Klimax LP12. The marketing is very strange. It appears to be very short sighted. They obviously didn’t intend to take on the likes of Linn head to head long term.

The good news for the OP is all three of the decks that he seems to be considering are worthy so all good fun!

2 Likes

I’ve heard several Vertere decks and by far…, they the very best performing IME.
Never heard Solstice.
Ask yourself would you buy a Clearaudio or a Vertere.

2 Likes

Ironically the op currently has a clearaudio. Not even going to comment on the assumption that the solstice is a clearaudio product, that has been done to death already

1 Like

What a fabulous problem to have!

2 Likes

Cohen1263
I have always found Peter to offer impartial advice - but only when asked. Yep he has spent his career with much emphasis on LP12’s, but he also offers other record players, including in this instance the Solstice, all of which are stock for sale.
Simplest thing I could suggest, would be to arrange an audition of three record players, the LP12 being a wild card specced to budget by Peter. Don’t ask his opinion, listen to the three decks to establish which you think sounds best. Then you can ask any technical questions and decide which way suits you best. Who knows, you may conclude your existing deck is more than sufficient for your needs!
Good luck to nasty with your decisions but I think everyone is in agreement, you ought to audition a record player before committing to buy.
Peter

2 Likes

I believe the Soltice they have is their old demo model.

1 Like

I asked my dealer to upgrade my then lovely LP12 when he suggested comparing the upgraded LP12 with 2 alternative turntables. All 3 decks were fitted with identical cartridges, feeding the same Naim amp and speakers.

Convinced that I’d keep the upgraded LP12, I agreed.

My upgraded LP12 came in second, so I part exchanged it.

All 3 turntables that have caught your eye are excellent. Neither the Linn nor the Vertere are end of the line products. Best not to leap for a bargain without audition. Have the audition, after which you will know which is the right turntable for you.

Happy auditioning, BF

2 Likes

I’ve not heard the MG-1 and cannot offer a comparison. The Solstice is a very special turntable and I believe its sound is unique among the competition. It is worth an audition.

4 Likes

I agree that Cymbiosis are an excellent dealer. In fact one of my hifi friends who visits me for listening days has his heart set on an LP12 and my advise was if you wants a Linn consult Peter S.

He was blown away by my deck after hearing it last time over. But to achieve this level of sound with Solstice he’d need to buy a DVXV1t or a top Lyra and Supercap/ Superline and then he’d be looking at spending @ £25k. I’ve spent @ £30k after adding a couple of top Chord cables. I prefer it to Klimax LP12 now and it’s still no more than what I spent on streaming/ CD ripping.

So my friend’s budget is around £15k. He already has a Rega phono stage. So he could buy a nice S/H LP12 and have it fettled and upgraded by the skillful Peter S. Or buy one of the mid level ones new. Then there’s the ex dem Solstice SE a Rega, Well Tempered or a Veterre. Acoustica are advising SME. Not sure about that! But there are plenty of very good music makers to choose from. Spoiled for choice just like the OP :+1:

2 Likes

Well we could confuse everything for the OP by really opening up up the not so short list. Avid anyone?

1 Like

Great views and advice, brilliant issue to have :slight_smile: I think now I won’t rush and I’ll demo the Solstice rather than buying on a whim! I bought a Lotus Exige on a whim as it looked nice and at the time couldn’t afford it as a toy so it was my daily drive come rain or shine, the missus said surely you need to test drive it! Ny answer no it’s the car for me, anyway two years of suffering a noisy and bumpy ride to work every day and too proud to admit it was hurting, I thought of a way out, I said I needed something bigger to fit my bike in, so should have been a lesson learned lol

4 Likes

Glad you’re taking a pragmatic approach Nasty. It’s a big decision and sometimes it doesn’t help to consult Forum members as everyone has an opinion. I think it’s also important to bear in mind that expensive doesn’t mean better, not in the hi-fi world at least.

2 Likes

I certainly would not want to part with £13k on a new turntable without hearing it and doing at least some basic comparison with other options in a similar price range.

1 Like

Act in haste, repent at leisure, as they say. We all make duff decisions; the thing is not to make too many expensive duff decisions

1 Like