Stageline, I have been reading a lot on the old forum before buying it and I was surprised to see many different and often contraddictory opinions on this phono stage. Some says it is good some say there is a lot better (and the latter is most often true in hifi…).
Anyway, I now own one paired with a Flatcap XS and I am really positively surprised about the performance in my system. It plays very well, tonally correct, good soundstage, dynamics are ok as well. It might not be the most refined phono stage but it’s a pleasure to listen to it.
Am I among the few to appreciate the Stageline or other in the community agree on its qualities?
Getting the cartridge match right is key to getting the best from a Stageline. It tends to be on the dark side, so matching with a a cartridge that’s on the brighter, more exuberant side works well, whereas a cartridge that’s smooth and controlled can just sound dull and bit flat through through the Stageline.
Love my Stageline N, used a Linn adikt with it first and now a Dynavector DV20x2H both sounded great to me.
I power it directly with Supernait 2, tried it with a Hicap but it was not a good result… even that well respected dealer in Leicestershire thought it had lost it’s boogie.
I also have a 1990 LP12 upgraded in 1992 with the Lingo 1 and most recently upgraded with Cirkus in 2005. Actual configuration is Ittok LVII-TKable-Trampolin-Cirkus-Lingo1-Adikt and I must confess that I still have to explore the possibilities of this configuration with the Stageline because I parked the Linn temporarily in order to check the tonearm.
In the meantime I restored an old Yamaha YP800 (1974) on which I mounted a Clearaudio Concept V2 and this set really shines with the Stageline. Believe it or not I am surprised of the results…embarassing for more recent turntables.
Right…“boogie”… this is what I liked a lot of the Stageline and is what it’s easy to detect. I am using it with a Flatcap XS. It’s weird that with a superior power supply it loose the boogie…
Alessandro
I wonder whether a recent vintage Stageline-S would be any improvement over the 523-S cards in my 82. It’s tempting to grab one from that well known etc…, and I do have a spare “olive” Hicap lying around somewhere
Hi, this is something I cannot resolve, so to say. I might agree in principle but then I have to consider we are tallking about a 575 € device that require a 1390 € power supply to work… It is not an easy concept to explain to non Naim devotees.
Or, reversing the reasoning, If this is so, what kind of power supply do use similar priced unit? As far as I am concerned the combo Stageline-Flatcap makes for an excellent phono stage whose q/p ratio require a different way of thinking.
Alessandro
good morning an a Happy New Forum. I little bird told me that you wouldn’t despise an AT95 with a Stageline, for the reasons I suppose you just listed. I have a Grado Prestige Blue, which – I still suppose – is far from ideal with the Stageline N I have (with its own PSU), in your opinion.
I’d like to try different options – in my twenties I spent an insane amount of time fiddling with TT regulations and tweaks – but the recent accident in which I, replacing my wrongly connected pins in the Grado have torn off all four tonearm wires and had to have the Pro-Ject completely rewired by the authorized lab has somehow taken the fancy and pleasure away…
Anyway, I admit that the Grado/Stageline combo isn’t the most thrilling in the world, but the Nait XS2 and the S-400s more than make up for it. I play a lot of vinyl, which is something that one year ago I wouldn’t have thought possible. I’ll keep that AT95 in mind, for the day I feel like if my hands were still those I had in 1978.
that’s relieving Graham, no need to upgrade from Flatcap XS…money saved for better cartridges or preamp.