I’ve recently purchased a Rega P6/Ania setup to add on to my current 552DR/500DR system. At the moment, I’m using the Stageline E powered off the Aux2 input on the 552. I’m quite underwhelmed by the sound as it sounds thin and doesn’t seem to have the groove that i expect with Naim equipment.
I’m considering making a jump to the Superline but I’m unsure how much will it improve on the Stageline.
Has anyone had the chance to do a similar upgrade from a Stageline to a Superline, powered off a 552DR?
If I were to go for a Superline, would the normal flavour or the “E” model be more preferable?
Home audition is essential with SuperLine - try as I may I didn’t work for me although same unit sounded superb at my dealer’s. With your setup, I’d try Rega Aria stage as an alternative if SuperLine doesn’t work for you.
I agree with you. I’m checking with my dealer on a demo unit, but I would also like to hear from fellow forumers on whether it’s worthwhile going the Superline route or with something else. I’m also quite wary that a Superline may inevitably lead to a Supercap which is another black box.
I am currently using a Superline (powered off the 552) with a Rega MC cart - use the 100ohm plug and maybe a touch of capacitance if needed (leave off if not) and the sound is superb - very fast and very groovy, but with excellent insight too. Just ensure that you lock the Rega RCA Phonos very tightly onto the Next Gen sockets on the Superline to get the best contact, and also make sure you give the Superline enough space from any transformers - then it’s super-quiet for such a high gain stage. Although I use a slightly lower gain “E” version of the Superline, you should be fine, maybe even better, with the standard one. Bottom line - I can highly recommend a Superline!
Hi Richard, thanks for your input. It’s great to hear your opinion on the Superline with the Rega MC cart. I’ve 2 stacks of Fraim - a Brain stack and a Brawn stack. The Superline will be where the Stageline is at the moment, which is on the Brain stack. I’ve the ND555 on top and the 500Dr below the level. Hopefully it’s good enough space for the Superline.
I’m a little torn at which version of Superline to go with as the E version seems to be more accepting to a wider range of MC carts.
As Christopher hints (regarding the overkill) you should as other suggest andie dorse try the Rega Aria, and you will be very surprised by how good it is. If you want to future proof yourself then the Aura is in the same league as the Superline.
Nautilus, well I have to say I agree with Chris above, the Stageline E is really for carts with at least 1mV output - i.e. Medium high output MCs. With a fairly low output MC like the Ania, it will lack drive and sound a bit anaemic. The loading isn’t ideal either. A Superline S or K loaded to 100 ohm would be much better, but would involve your dealer getting out the soldering iron, and is perhaps outside of forum AUP here.
The Superline E is a little different - it’s still for low output MCs, but has slightly less gain to give a bit more headroom to accommodate those Low output MCs that are just over 0.5mV to around 0.65mV. The Superline will work well with the Ania and will be all the phono stage you need for further TT and cartridge upgrades into the future.
Thanks for the suggestion Phil. I will consider the Aura but the problem is that in Singapore, a home trial of the Aura is almost impossible so if I go down that route, I’ll be almost buying blind. How’s the Aura compared to a Superline/Supercap combo?
Laxton, yes. Only thing with the standard Superline is that some of the higher output Low output MCs, such as some from Clearaudio which have a 0.6mV output or higher may be pushing the available headroom. It is however, one of the few stages that will work really well with some of the ultra low output MCs out there at around 0.1mV. The reason I chose the E version was that I generally use MCs that range in output from around 0.25mV up to around 0.6mV. The Rega MCs are 0.35mV, IIRC.
I’ve another question with regards to the placement of the Superline on the Fraim. I’m thinking of placing the Superline beside the Neo PSU, on the same shelf. Will it cause the glass to tip over since the weight of the Superline is to one side?
The Aura costs £4K so it depends on you. The first time I tried it I was truly amazed. Massive soundstage with backing instruments and vocals no longer sounding recessed. A real foot tapper. The second time I had moved a very noisy smart meter power supply close to the HiFi. What with going away I didn’t realise which change had messed things up. Therefore the longer trial was not a success.
The bottom line is that you get what you pay for, and I have no doubts the Aura will deliver. I just need to decide where I want to spend my money, which may be on a 552!
Noise is the enemy of HiFi whether it be on the mains, RFI, vibration through shelves, touching cables etc. Largely these matters are at the heart of why there are many opinions. Of course rooms, cables and speakers are the other!
So it’s not ideal that you cannot have a home demo. I’d try the Aria though.
I’d also keep the Neo TT PSU as far away from the cartridge, the phonostage, the preamp etc as possible. Experiment with different positions. An AM radio can be used to assess RFI but it won’t tell you the impact. There is lots on the forum about these topics.
