Naim Solstice officially unveiled . . .

[david ellwood]

It seems odd to me all the people who feel the need to state that they wouldn’t spend 16k on a record player.

I think it’s fair to say that without discussion this would be the opinion of 99.999% of people.

And that this turntable is not intended for them.

 

[PerF]

You can't compare Naim to Rega. Naim is the Rolls Royce of hifi.

Damn, should I return my Aethos then and put in some Naim boxes again ?
Maybe cancel the P8 order too.

 

[James]

I tell you what, everyone must have a whole lot more money than me if they think £16,000 for a turnatable is reasonable.

I thought the NAC52 was stupidly priced when it first appeared (late 80s/early 90s). Then I bought one, and still feel it was one of the better Naim componentry I've owned.

 

[James]

In the broader sense they are stealing some of eg Linn's lunch...

The 50th anniversary LP12 is yet to be released. The Solstice will give Linn some pause about what to do for their half-century edition.

 

[Charlie_1]

You seem to forget the high end turntable market pretty much finished years ago. I would say around 2010 when most people interested in analogue had already bought their last turntable. There has been sales in the budget area and some mid fi turntables sold since to 40-50 year olds, but not a lot else...

Assuming that a lot of Naim owners will be using LP12's, do you think it likely that many of them will be chopping in their LP12's for the new Naim/Clearaudio turntable?

I just think the global picture for Naim is another matter and would expect them to shift 500 units throughout the World no problem, especially when you factor in dem stock.

 

[fegs]

It seems odd to me all the people who feel the need to state that they wouldn’t spend 16k on a record player.

I think it’s fair to say that without discussion this would be the opinion of 99.999% of people.

And that this turntable is not intended for them.

Not sure why that should seem odd when you consider where this TT is placed from a pricing perspective and the demographic of this forum

 

[Tony L]

It does seem an odd time to launch a TT after all these years.

Why? The vinyl revival really is going through the roof at present, it is now the strongest it has been for decades. Pressing plants are really struggling to keep up with demand.

Whilst I agree with GT upthread that most of my generation and above likely already have our final turntable there are thankfully people younger than us coming into this area. I wish anyone serving the vinyl market at any level well as it pays the artists and musicians vastly better than any number of rip-off streaming services. I’ve certainly spent well north of £1k on new vinyl over the past 12 months and that has to be a good thing for the music industry overall.

PS I have in the past been a tad (over) critical of Naim as I tend to view the loss of the core designer/visionary, venture capitalist/corporate buy-outs, increasingly upmarket pricing etc as the final death-rattle of a company, but I really must put a plug in for the Naim Jazz label that has proven a launchpad for some of the finest music of today. Sons Of Kemet, Yazz Ahmed etc. There is clearly a real spark/ear to the ground left there, which is great to hear. These are wonderful records. I sincerely hope the people who buy the new turntable buy them!

 

[Charlie_1]

Not sure why that should seem odd when you consider where this TT is placed from a pricing perspective and the demographic of this forum

I agree with David. Not as though Naim have never sold a 5-figure product and now all of a sudden they have released this. Im happy to read about a new Porsche without moaning about the price tag and the fact that I can't afford one.

 

[Woodface]

Why? The vinyl revival really is going through the roof at present, it is now the strongest it has been for decades. Pressing plants are really struggling to keep up with demand.

Whilst I agree with GT upthread that most of my generation and above likely already have our final turntable there are thankfully people younger than us coming into this area. I wish anyone serving the vinyl market at any level well as it pays the artists and musicians vastly better than any number of rip-off streaming services. I’ve certainly spent well north of £1k on new vinyl over the past 12 months and that has to be a good thing for the music industry overall.

PS I have in the past been a tad (over) critical of Naim as I tend to view the loss of the core designer/visionary, venture capitalist/corporate buy-outs, increasingly upmarket pricing etc as the final death-rattle of a company, but I really must put a plug in for the Naim Jazz label that has proven a launchpad for some of the finest music of today. Sons Of Kemet, Yazz Ahmed etc. There is clearly a real spark/ear to the ground left there. These are wonderful records. I sincerely hope the people who buy the new turntable buy them!

The vinyl revival is probably largely being fuelled by ‘kids’ & entry level TTs. How long will it last, who knows? I have a pretty decent collection & a good deck, I could certainly afford a better one if I chose.

It feels odd to me that naim have never built a TT before & abandoned it as a format many years ago. I will always have a soft spot for naim, this feels a bit out of step but I felt that about the 500 series also.

 

[MichaelC]

Why? The vinyl revival really is going through the roof at present, it is now the strongest it has been for decades. Pressing plants are really struggling to keep up with demand.

Whilst I agree with GT upthread that most of my generation and above likely already have our final turntable there are thankfully people younger than us coming into this area. I wish anyone serving the vinyl market at any level well as it pays the artists and musicians vastly better than any number of rip-off streaming services. I’ve certainly spent well north of £1k on new vinyl over the past 12 months and that has to be a good thing for the music industry overall.

PS I have in the past been a tad (over) critical of Naim as I tend to view the loss of the core designer/visionary, venture capitalist/corporate buy-outs, increasingly upmarket pricing etc as the final death-rattle of a company, but I really must put a plug in for the Naim Jazz label that has proven a launchpad for some of the finest music of today. Sons Of Kemet, Yazz Ahmed etc. There is clearly a real spark/ear to the ground left there, which is great to hear. These are wonderful records. I sincerely hope the people who buy the new turntable buy them!

A friend of mine retails hifi/av albeit at the lower/mid market level. He sells the odd gyrodec but sells quite a lot of project, a large percentage of the latter to younger customers. Make of that what you like. Some will be the hipsters. Some will upgrade further down the line.

 

[fegs]

I agree with David. Not as though Naim have never sold a 5-figure product and now all of a sudden they have released this. Im happy to read about a new Porsche without moaning about the price tag and the fact that I can't afford one.

I think there's a difference between stating you wouldn't spend £16k on a TT and moaning about the price tag

I wouldn't spend it, but if people want to then that's their choice

Not "odd" at all to me

 

[david ellwood]

I would be surprised if many of the solstices get sold to customers under 50 years of age.

 

[Ptah]

Anyone serious about a high end turntable and have done their homework wouldn't be looking at a Linn or the Naim/Clearaudio. There are plenty of far better designs in the market place.

Would be useful if you would name them.

 

[Amber Audio]

Certainly sales are on the up in USA.

​

 

[Woodface]

I reckon there are quite a few on here who could afford one. It’s a similar price to the recent SME models.

As I’ve said before, I don’t really like the ultra high end stuff, feels it’s unnecessary. Active speakers, decent pre or dac with a source of choice.

If I was newly in the market I would look at the upper end Technics or 2nd hand LP12; it’s all you really need to enjoy music.

 

[Howdy]

Bought my first one for £68 back in 1973

yaaaaaaaaaaaawn

Still, just with inflation that's GBP7752 in 2020.
https://inflation.iamkate.com/

 

[david ellwood]

Anyone serious about a high end turntable and have done their homework wouldn't be looking at a Linn or the Naim/Clearaudio. There are plenty of far better designs in the market place.

What turntables do you stock?

 

[Tony L]

A friend of mine retails hifi/av albeit at the lower/mid market level. He sells the odd gyrodec but sells quite a lot of project, a large percentage of the latter to younger customers. Make of that what you like. Some will be the hipsters. Some will upgrade further down the line.

Good to hear. I see no reason to believe those entering now with a Project, Rega or SL1200 won’t stay for the duration. The records are always the important bit, and once you have built up a good collection the chances are you’ll want a nice system to play them on later in life (I’m absolutely not saying Project, Rega, Technics etc aren’t, they are all great). I also think many totally misunderstand those they brand ‘hipsters’. Many have a remarkable knowledge of music and record collections many here would kill for.

Here’s “hipster” DJ Donna Leake at home with her truly fabulous record collection and wonderful Quad/Tannoy/Klipsch rig!

I’d certainly argue young people who buy records today have a very serious interest in music and one that will almost certainly remain with them. Streaming is arguably a background music format with far less emotional involvement, but if you get to the point of serious second-hand bin-diving or handing £20+ a throw over the counter (or Bandcamp) for a record chances are you are invested and will keep it long-term. Sadly far too few of this generation will end up on old text-based platforms like pfm, YouTube etc has largely rendered us obsolete, but not vinyl. That is here for a long while yet.

 

[Timcat]

You seem to forget the high end turntable market pretty much finished years ago. I would say around 2010 when most people interested in analogue had already bought their last turntable. There has been sales in the budget area and some mid fi turntables sold since to 40-50 year olds, but not a lot else...

Assuming that a lot of Naim owners will be using LP12's, do you think it likely that many of them will be chopping in their LP12's for the new Naim/Clearaudio turntable?

Given the price of a high end LP12, yes, if they prefer the sound of the Naim/Clearaudio TT

 

[Darren L]

I wouldn't spend it, but if people want to then that's their choice

/QUOTE]

Being totally honest I couldn't afford it today or tomorrow , I'm kind of at my limit with the Dais, two good arms and cartridges giving me two different flavours, i don't even want to calculate what it has cost and I'm not done yet, lol, but if I could afford to spend 16K on a analogue front end I probably would, no problem, (in fact I could happily live with a few high end TTs and a selection of tonearms and cartridges) might not be this one but I do like it.