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Naim Solstice officially unveiled . . .

Pete MB&D said:
My Xerxes is fine, limmited ammount of sag that is causing no problems.
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My Xerxes was about 1.5mm down behind the arm after only about a year/year a half from new. It predictably totally triggered me. I did not get anywhere at all with the company so ended up selling it at a substantial loss a good few years later and bought an LP12. Admittedly the Xerxes was just a cheap veneered piece of MDF, Naim are using plywood, which is IMHO a far better and more stable material, but even so it is still a wood product vs. a no doubt fairly substantial force. I’d personally have preferred to see a replaceable decoupling/isolating element (e.g. the rubber ‘mushrooms’ on a TD-124, ‘blobs’ on a Xerxes etc). Wood is a truly wonderful material, but it is not stable under long-term load/tension (e.g. guitars etc, they have truss-rods for good reason!). I’d like to know more about the design and its calculations etc.
 
There really is no argument about this - it is not a thing of beauty - and I say this as a Linn and Naim owner. My only interest in this is in whether the Aro 2 will be available as a separate component and, if so, if it will slot into an armboard for the original Aro?
 
Re: the sag, Xerxes is mdf, this looks to be ply. As long as they don’t cheapen it to MDF or some other composite I suspect it’ll stand the test of time.

I also suspect the “high mass” will in effect be medium, my sweepstake pin goes in at less than 6kg platter:D
 
Mr Pig said:
It's a problem, especially for the crinkly old farts who have just ordered it. Without even hearing it. Which tells you all that you need to know about them and the sales strategy Naim are employing here.
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If it is truly limited to 500 units, early 'investors' will be able to off-load one for a tidy profit if they wished. It's priced very attractively for what it includes. Those dyed-in-the-wool fanbois won't care how it sounds. It has the right cachet.
 
markharro said:
There really is no argument about this - it is not a thing of beauty - and I say this as a Linn and Naim owner. My only interest in this is in whether the Aro 2 will be available as a separate component and, if so, if it will slot into an armboard for the original Aro?
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I'm sure they will launch in 2022, Aro 2 along with new separate boxes based on the Solstice psu cabinet.
 
sideshowbob said:
Nope, he's suggesting if it costs £8000 to make then they make 4 million.
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Yes, I know. In other words, markup, not margin as there’s no such thing as a 100% margin if there’s any build cost.

I don’t get the sniping. As someone also has pointed out, other people make expensive decks, too and outsourcing is common. What does Clearaudio’s own top deck cost, for example? I’ll never buy one, that’s for sure but good luck to any manufacturer who makes a quality product and succeeds with it.
 
Tony L said:
Anyone any idea what the cart is? IIRC Lyra make Linn’s.
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'This moving coil is based on a high-end Clearaudio design, but the fact it uses a specially machined aluminium body, boron cantilever and microline stylus makes this very much a Naim product.'

If the ARO2 has slotted headshell, then it must be possible to fit other carts, which implies it could be available as a standalone product later. That would be interesting
 
divedeepdog said:
Re: the sag, Xerxes is mdf, this looks to be ply. As long as they don’t cheapen it to MDF or some other composite I suspect it’ll stand the test of time.
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I now know a fair bit more. It sounds a lot more solid than it looks in the picture. I’ll publish more construction details once I get permission. It isn’t a Xerxes.
 
to be fair, a surprise and probably a very good high end TT, although in my view it addresses nothing of the true needs of the company nor the feedback of their current (or future) real customers?

And, might be just me - it does look a bit odd to my eyes, or is it the colours and shape, sorry, but I can honestly imagine it being a posh mobile hob in an expensive caravan?:) may be better in real life and probably made to fit the Fraim nicely too!
 
G T Audio said:
The size of the platter looks out of proportion to the rest of the turntable...
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But not quite so badly as the N.A. Dais (and others?) 'Fraid that record player doesn't do a thing for me; just another conventional deck with limited application (9" arms only). I've seen the late T.de P.'s prototype deck (magnetic) and although looking a bit complicated, it catches the eye. "Too expensive to produce", he said to me at the time.

Why are there so many decks/record players in existence for what must be still a limited music format? At least Naim have finally added that string to its almost complete bow, even if it's not strictly a Salisbury Naim creation.
 
Regarding the plinth construction I have this from a very credible source:

“…just to let you know, the motor is resiliently mounted in a rubber enclosure to minimise vibration transfer. Then there is a decoupling system machined into the plinth, which consists of 47 wood layers skinned with metal (aluminium on top; steel underneath) to create an extremely low-resonance structure.

The plinth features an island between the platter bearing and arm to keep these components critically aligned one to the other. A three-arm decoupling system isolates this island from the plinth, blocking any vibration caused by airborne sound or residual motor vibration.

The high-mass platter’s weight is balanced by opposing neodymium ring magnets - effectively, it floats – while the platter bearing system produces negligible mechanical noise. Three adjustable feet combine with the high turntable mass to decouple the turntable plinth from the surface it is sitting on.

Platter rotation is provided by a low-noise, high-torque, brushless 24V DC motor coupled through a neoprene belt. An optical feedback system continuously monitors platter speed, allowing the motor drive electronics to make very small adjustments in seconds - maintaining absolute correct speed and pitch accuracy for the life of the turntable.”

tldr; not a Xerxes.
 
divedeepdog said:
Re: the sag, Xerxes is mdf, this looks to be ply. As long as they don’t cheapen it to MDF or some other composite I suspect it’ll stand the test of time.

I also suspect the “high mass” will in effect be medium, my sweepstake pin goes in at less than 6kg platter:D
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Ply, half the fibers running in the wrong direction :D

Pete
 
pocketkitchen said:
Yes, I know. In other words, markup, not margin as there’s no such thing as a 100% margin if there’s any build cost.

I don’t get the sniping. As someone also has pointed out, other people make expensive decks, too and outsourcing is common. What does Clearaudio’s own top deck cost, for example? I’ll never buy one, that’s for sure but good luck to any manufacturer who makes a quality product and succeeds with it.
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Amen! The same goes for the new Linn KDSM, other people make more expensive, less complete and user friendly products and receive no criticism (not that they should). These days, there is pretty much a product for everybody at every price point… I can’t afford the new Naim deck, or a Klimax LP12, or a Linn KDSM… neither can I afford a Porsche 918, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it.
 
It ain’t pretty but does seem to be fairly priced given the package.

Will be really interesting to see how people think it compares to other similarly priced turntables.
 
Mr Pig said:
It's a problem, especially for the crinkly old farts who have just ordered it. Without even hearing it. Which tells you all that you need to know about them and the sales strategy Naim are employing here.
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Like hyper expensive hyper car's then. They seem to sell out before anyone has had the oportunity to have a test drive. And maybe, like Ferrari, you must be a previous customer to be able to order one? Ok, I bought Swedens first CDS, so I might be in the 'in' crowd ;)
 
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