Naim introduce a turntable - the Solstice Special Edition

+1 mijostyn - Thank you for speaking out against all the mumbo-jumbo spouted by the "golden ears" crowd! "Pacing" and "timing" indeed! 

The ARO was certainly an ergonomic challenge. But my real objection was that it sounded awful - thin, lightweight, no bass.

"Thats not my experience.
I own several arms including Aro/Dynavector/FR64S plus many others.
In a direct comparison using the same cartridge on both the Aro & Dynavector there was no lack of bass from the Aro. Dynavector was tighter in the bass, but the Aro went as low and remained tuneful ( good timing ).

I would be looking elsewhere in your system for the thin sound. What I do know of the Aro ( I've owned it for over 20 years ) is that I beleive it has a narrow operating range with regard to compliance & tracking weight. High compliant cartridges and very low compliant cartridges with long cantilevers tend to be less compatible with the Aro."

I agree 100% with what Dover is saying above.  I have compared the Linn Ekos with my original Naim Aro with the same wood bodied Benz on my LP12 and far preferred the Aro.  The Aro certainly was not lacking in the bass.  The Aro presents music in a very natural, organic way.  Nothing sticks out or sounds out of proportion... it's very evenly balanced.  It captures the dynamics, the full beautiful tone, and the timing of the music and presents it all in a very believable way.

The Aro has stayed with me for well over 20 years while the EKOS was sold off long ago.  The Aro is a match made in heaven with my LP12 and my Benz Ruby S-Class Zebra wood moving coil cartridge.

I realize everyone has the capacity to "hear" things differently and have their own sonic preferences.  But to "my" ears the Aro presents music in a natural and organic way in a manner that I hear when I perform in live acoustic events with my cello in classical settings and my trombone in jazz venues.

Best wishes to all,
Don

I hope that Naim didn't name it Solstice because it only sounds good twice in a year...

@no_regrets , I believe what you are trying to say is that you thought the Aro was neutral. It did not accentuate or mask any part of the frequency spectrum. Music is not grown without pesticides. Dynamics and tone are certainly important characteristics of a reproductive system but timing is solely up to the musicians. There is only one right speed. It is interesting that a piece of equipment can sound wonderful to one person and terrible to another. 

jasonbourne, they would like to think. 

Dynamics and tone are certainly important characteristics of a reproductive system but timing is solely up to the musicians. 

That may be correct in terms of the music, but not necessarily playback. The reality is that if you have phase or frequency response aberrations in a system, it can easily alter your perception of timing when listening, or at least mask the "intent" of the musician.

Example - the other night I was sorting out some records and found Jazz at the Pawnshop on Propius - hadn't played it for many years so I put it on. The changes in tempo of the individual instruments for example are easily heard along with the interactions between the players - in a system with phase or frequency errors these attributes can be ameliorated or even lost.

Turntables are a lot more than just a time machine - they provide a foundation for the arm & cartridge to accurately track the groove. It is a base for a mechanical measurement system. Why do you think sensitive measuring instruments in laboratories are often placed on isolated antivibration platforms.

If you cant hear differences between turntables with the same arm/cartridge then just get youself a Technics 1200/Shure V15 and you are good to go. But that does't mean other people cant hear differences.

Alan Sircom reviewed it in HiFi+ and thought the Naim table to be terrific.  FWIW.