Naim introduce a turntable - the Solstice Special Edition

Funnily enough, the ARO remains the worst tonearm I have owned. I couldn’t wait to get rid of it!

Using Clearaudio to build a high mass turrntable in the German style (Brinkmann, AMG etc) is a surprising choice for Naim. They have always been associated with the British school of fleet-sounding lightweight turntables - Linn (of course) and Rega mostly, which are probably the two brands most represented on the turntable threads in their own forum, but also Michell and Roksan.

The plodding sound of high mass turntables (I have owned an AMG and a Kuzma) really seems contrary to the Naim philosophy. It will be interesting to see what owners think of them.

Seems like a 'private label affair' meaning they are branding other exant gears. Naim generally sounds ok...

It looks ridiculously overpriced but the Aro 2 should certainly draw a lot of interest.

The original Aro remains the best tonearm I heard. 

It seemed expensive at the time but even the used price never went down.

The WhatHiFi piece says: 

"The Special Edition Collection includes the belt-drive Solstice turntable; the Aro Mk2 tonearm; an Equinox MC cartridge; a Solstice Series Phono Stage; a Solstice Series Power Supply and bespoke accessories set."

The URL you provide, for all its verbiage, doesn’t bother to mention whether the new TT is a belt- drive or direct-drive. Since it’s really a Clearaudio, I’ll assume belt.

20K for the whole system seems ok. I wonder what the price is for each piece. TT, Aro tonearm, cart and phono. My guess this is a test run. If successful it'll become a regular product in their lineup.