is there a new and improved StageLine?

Posted by: av in bc on 20 February 2018

if not why not?
something to bridge the gap between the SuperLine and StageLine for magnet carts.

the SL has to be close to 15 years without any updates and is a bit of a weak link in any mid-level systems
and there's nothing to upgrade to. a SuperLine and MC cart is much too far a jump for a lot vinyl listeners out there.

there seems to be a new Naim streaming/digital box every few months but nothing for vinyl like nothing at all, ever.

Posted on: 21 February 2018 by richard999

Ive had a stage line for a couple of years, Dynavector 20x2H goes well with it. Aux 2 sounded pretty good but then i got another Hicap and now its rocking! way way better to my ears than the trichord dino, even with the never connected psu! not as ''hifi'' but more musical and a nice smooth top end. I won't be during my stage line anytime soon. that is unless i come into enough cash for a superline, but then i would be upgrading to supercar and then a nac282 etc...;-)

 

Posted on: 21 February 2018 by FangfossFlyer
audio1946 posted:

naim need to grow sales to new customers so there will not go analogue again ,it will be interesting when the new idea of a linn digital phono stage is here  , very brand new interesting design though.  

It has arrived and is called the Urika II.

Posted on: 21 February 2018 by Massimo Bertola
james n posted:
Ardbeg10y posted:

As mentioned by others above, the AUX powered solution is very tempting. It implies only one small extra box, and it ensures correct grounding by a single cable - the snaic. No extra mains connection involved.

Yes that's a good point and makes sense. You need to balance that against the amps lower down the range only providing a single 24v rail (split into two at the socket) out to the Stageline. IIRC, only the 252, 52 and 552 pass two dedicated 24v rails from the Supercap through to the Aux 2 socket.

James,

thanks, another good thing learned and filed under 'PSU affairs'. Although I doubt I'll ever own a 552 (in spite of the fact that the first three threads in the HiFi Corner are presently about the 552), it is an informative piece of news about how many people (who give suggestions) don't know about things they'd better know. Heaven knows how many times I did the same..

Best

Max

Posted on: 21 February 2018 by Michael Mccullough

I have a stageline N running off the 24v output of the flatcap2. Was fine with the Rega RP6/Exact2. Totally different beast with the Xerxes.10/Hadcock/Hana EH. It's like a veil was removed. 

Posted on: 21 February 2018 by bigfella
richard999 posted:

Ive had a stage line for a couple of years, Dynavector 20x2H goes well with it. Aux 2 sounded pretty good but then i got another Hicap and now its rocking! way way better to my ears than the trichord dino, even with the never connected psu! not as ''hifi'' but more musical and a nice smooth top end. I won't be during my stage line anytime soon. that is unless i come into enough cash for a superline, but then i would be upgrading to supercar and then a nac282 etc...;-)

 

I’ve recently had positive results going other direction. Been running a Stageline S powered by Aux2 Supernait, initially with an Audio Technica OC9 before getting a Dynavector 20x2L.

The Dino mk1 with NCS to my ears anyway is much more to my liking.

Stageline on its own about half the price of Dino/NCS, add a HiCap about double so guess you would expect better!

John

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by richard999

Interesting, but stage line S and a dynavector 20xL sound very different from the 20xH and stage line N. If you like me buy a used Hicap the whole setup works out quite a reasonable price. :-)

 

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by Christopher_M
richard999 posted:

Interesting, but stage line S and a dynavector 20xL sound very different from the 20xH and stage line N. 

This seems to be the nub of it. It’s not whether the Stageline is good or bad in isolation, it’s whether it matches well with you cartridge. 

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by Christopher_M

* your

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by sktn77a

Heck, I run a Stageline K off my 252/SC (which, I understand, provides a dedicated supply to Aux2?) 

I'm sure I could do better, but its good enough for my ageing cochlears!

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by av in bc

can't argue the little SL is a fine piece of gear and i too love it but it is going on 15 (guessing) or so years old and 
i my main concern is once it's hicapped there is no longer any upgrades for MM cart owners
and it seems like there should be. maybe even a SuperLine that could handle high output cartridges or an SL2.

i know that in my system a SuperLine and an MC cart is an overkill and i'll never be able to afford it anyway.
what i could afford is a new StageLine. with the amount of record... "players" i think it would be a good seller.

Posted on: 22 February 2018 by Michael Mccullough
richard999 posted:

Interesting, but stage line S and a dynavector 20xL sound very different from the 20xH and stage line N. If you like me buy a used Hicap the whole setup works out quite a reasonable price. :-)

 

Was one much better than the other or just different? 

Posted on: 23 February 2018 by richard999

Its very hard to say if one is better as such because also the two different , also their power supplies. The two dynavectors are built differently, the H has more coils and a longer cantilever. the other has a deeper body and a much lower electrical output. So i would say they just sound different, because they are...