Solstice turn table setup

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hi,
Does anyone have a more in-depth set of instructions for the ARO tone arm on the solstice?
I find that the manual supplied does not cover anti skating, azmith and only brushes over the VTA.
Any help would be appreciated.

2

I don’t have a Solstice but AFAIK you need to ease off the little set screw at the rear of the arm base to allow setting of the VTA. Once you have the Azimuth right then set the VTA to level using the bubble as detailed in the manual. Then set the VTF and double check on VTA, as adjusting one can effect the other. Once that’s done you can adjust anti-skate for minimal deflection of the cantilever, although some adjustment by ear is usually a good idea.

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3

Great choice of tonearm! Mine’s on an LP12, so the little screw at the base of the pillar with the sapphire cup is all that’s required. Once upon an eon ago I spent overly many hours trying various angles, but found that good old horizontal, parallel with the record, perhaps with a small lean back was best. As for anti-skating, Brokkr told me to discard the small side weight. He also forged a heavier counterweight, which was a revelation.

4

There is a youtube video of unboxing and set up which might help.

5

Loki, this is an ARO 2 on the solstice - rather different to the original

6

Oops, sorry!

7

Thankyou for your advice on this Richard.
That was the problem. Once I loosened the set screw i had no problem adjusting the VTA. It was doing my head in.
NAIM - A bit more detail in the owners manual would be a great help.

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8

Thanks Gazza. Unfortunately it is no great help on the finer details.

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9

Thanks Loki.
It is the Aro v2. On the solstice.
Good combination the LP12 and the Aro.

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10

Sorry not a TT owner

11

Would love to hear that combo some time; a trip to the wilds of Leicestershire is in the offing methinks!

12

Is there any chance the ARO 2 will be made available as a general product? Probably not imho.

Was the Solstice ever anticipated to continue as a product beyond the initial run?

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13

I found nothing about setting anti-skate in the instructions or set up video so asked Naim for support. Their prompt reply was:

to set the anti-skate:

You will see a screw and a nut on the top of the arm. You will need to loosen the nut and screw so the Arm starts swinging, you can then tighten the screw (the outer of the two silver fixings) till the Arm stops swinging. You can then lock off the nut until finger-tight.

14

That sounds very counter intuitive….the ‘skating’ force (which needs the anti-skating force to balance it) does not exist until a record is playing. This instruction sounds like an invitation to stylus kaplonk. In fact, who wrote this….would you explain yourself.

15

There’s a lot of differing opinions on setting anti-skate, especially if you look at YouTube. Without a graduated dial the best approach is probably using a test record but I’d be interested in other opinions

16

I guess that a graduated scale would be a starting point…

…but…

…there seems to be no agreement on the concept underpinning anti-skating in the first place.

I am clear in my mind of the following: stylus offset in the groove is a minor factor in skating force and is self-cancelling accross the arc traversed. The major contributor to skating force is centripetal force (of the tracking force) perpendicular to the rotational force of the platter.

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