Max, your message is not conforting…
… I have a Grado Reference Sonata 2 waiting to be installed on the tonearm and of course I will be using the Stageline N… I hope the result will be different than you report but thank you for posting your opinion.
On the other hand, since the beautiful result with the Clearaudio Concept V2 I am also seriously thinking about trying another Clearaudio MM, may be an Artist V2, I will decide shortly.
Bye
Alessandro
Hi Max, good to see you here, and “ouch”, that sounds like some kind of bad dream, but one that I have also done in my time, although usually just the one connector or wire - how did you manage all four??!
The AT95 is great little cart for not much money. In some respects I think the AT110E was rather better, but it’s no longer available, although I do see a new AT95 replacement has appeared that looks rather interesting. Anyway, yes, I think that the A-Ts match the Stageline well.
I’ve been using a Stageline ‘K’ with my Linn Krystal for quite a while now and have been perfectly happy with it. It never felt lacking in any way to me. It’s only when you listen to something, usually far more expensive, more aspirational that you realise what can be achieved. My dealer wasn’t too enthusiastic about the Stageline originally but I bought it anyway. I have since auditioned a Superline, which people generally heap praise upon, and wasn’t impressed enough to upgrade. I have, however, recently auditioned a Cyrus Phono Signature with the PSX-R2 power supply and really enjoyed that, so I will be changing. But that combination is over 5 times the cost of a Stageline, so it should be better.
I would imagine that, with a Flatcap, the Stageline would sound great. It certainly would get my vote.
Alessandro,
you unwillingly ‘misread’ my post: I actually like the sound of the whole system with the Grado. It has not too much ‘body’ and to my ears is fast and clear enough. I simply reported an opinion I have heard more than once, but opinions are subjective and not absolute by definition. Try your cart lightheartedly, and decide for yourself.
Best,
Max
Hi Richard,
it was a classic case in which one does a major disaster to avoid the risk of a minor one: the pins in the Grado are perhaps a tad ‘fat’, and the connectors in the P-J’s tonearm wires are very tight. So, remembering the force it had taken to insert them, I feared that leaving the cart bolted to the shell and pulling strongly I might risk doing something bad to the arm’s pivot and articulation. Then I had the idea to unbolt the Grado and hold it with my left hand while I precisely pulled with tweezers in the right one. Then, after a lot of try with controlled force, the first pin came out – but the recoil was so strong that the other three were torn off. I was left with a Grado with three golden connectors and no wires, and four wires tilting down sadly out of the arm’s end.
For now, my plan is just to upgrade the Grado stylus, which can be done easily and upgrades the whole cartridge with a simple single operation.
I didn’t say anything when I found myself with the wireless cart. I thought nothing. Age teaches something.
M
I’ve been very pleasantly surprised how well the stageline N works with a London Decca Maroon, and how well the Maroon tracks in an Aro (once I’d reseated the cartridge in its plastic bracket and got more than the occasional click out of it) even with the overhang >2mm too much.
Hi Alessandro,
I was using an Ortofon 2M Black, with the moving magnet version of the Stageline.
I think it is a great piece of kit at a very reasonable price. I’ve owned mine for over 10 years. Now powered by a SCDR via my 252. I purchased an Audionote QIII MM about 2 years ago. Sounds just great.
Hi Max, thank you for you message, mine was a light hearted post… I see your point.
Saturday I am supposed to confirm an order for a VPI Prime TT then I will mount the Grado and I will judge by myself. Thank you for encouragement… 
My two cents.
Very very nice my Stageline N powered by a Supercap non DR with a Reson Reca (a 1042 derivative too).
Vincenzo
I used a Grado Signature with a Stageline - it sounded a bit dull.
Wow, Supercap… that’s tempting but also financially challenging… I’d like to give it a try
I run the ‘N’ type with a dynavector 20x2h and a hi cap and to me it sounds pretty pretty good in that Larry David kinda way. 
I used step up transformers for many years until I switched over to NAIM about 15 years ago. I went with a Stageline K powered by my 252 for my Lyra Argo. A little more detailed than the transformer step up devices (to be expected given their generally limited frequency response) and I’ve never felt the need to upgrade.
I have a backup Stageline N now as, being retired and on a fixed income, there will soon come a day when I cannot afford luxury MC cartridges (and probably won’t be able to hear the difference anyway)!
Nothing wrong withe the Stagline I run mine with an Adkit and until recently powered it directly from my XS2,however just acquired a spare rail on my Flatcap XS (it was powering both the XS2 and my CD5 XS but the addition of an Ndac spared up a rail) so the Stagline is now powered by the Flatcap.
It’s still early doors but the combination seems to work really well.
I wanted to audition a Reca at the time but could not find a stockist that had one in
Well - you asked the question!! Don’t blame the messenger!
I have bought and enjoyed numerous Naim products for two decades or more - they all have uniformly been excellent - except one.
You guessed it - the Stageline.
Powered by my old Supernait - it lacked any dynamism, soundstage or boogie factor. It was soon replaced. This was on the end of my high spec LP12 with Dynavector mc.
I was so disappointed I thought it was faulty and had it checked by my dealer.
Suggest, as always, you audition before purchase.
Did someone compared the Stageline N with the Lejonklou phono stages (Kinki, Gaio, and Slipsik)?
M.
Hi Numptyhead,
What did you replace it with?
Keith
You’re welcome. I do really like my Grado cart. It must be said, though, that I have spent some years with no term of comparison. But I also have a pair of Grado headphones that my brother gave me as a ‘give away’ present because he didn’t like them, and I find them extremely full and pleasant. My time of speed and detail must have gone forever; now I am for organicity and a mannered presentation. Even, I dare say, for a cultured presentation. It must be the age.