Rega Apollo

Tom

The Rega is a very nice player but you should consider the Creek Evolution 50CD. It's a much better player and it can drive power amps directly.

Regards

I will look at that. Have read good things about various Creek products. Thanks for the suggestion!

Tom

Get a Rega DAC it's better than the Apollo, the Apollo has issues with reading discs as well. I had a Rega DAC R + CA CXC really nice combo frames the music like a good TT but just slight constrained in all parameters. Dynamic but never bright or brash and musical.

I will look into that. Thanks for the suggestion!

Tom

I never had problems with my Apollo reading discs, but I haven't used it since going to streaming media.
You can also output to a separate DAC on the Apollo, should you wish.
B

@gdnrbob- Did you like how it sounded? 

I have an Apollo-R, very smooth analog sound, not harsh or bright.

@ericsch - 
That's what I'm looking for!

I had an Apollo R and liked the sound of it.  Nothing harsh or analytical about it.  I never did a direct comparison to my Oppo players and I haven't had it for a while so I'm not sure if I'd say it's a significant upgrade over your Oppo, but I think you'll find it "warmer" and more musical.

@big_greg- thank you for the info! That's exactly what I'm wanting. Not an upgrade, just different. Warmer and more musical is right on the money.

Tom

If you're looking for that type of sound, Marantz is also worthy of consideration. I have the KI Pearl and it outshines the Oppo players in terms of sound quality, details, and dynamics and has a nice warm presentation that's easy to listen to. 

If you like Schiit, they should have a dedicated transport out by the end of year. If you pair it with a separate DAC (Schiit also makes some good ones) it might be worth waiting...

@big-greg- thank you for the excellent suggestion!
@bstatmeister- thank you for the excellent suggestion!

Tom

I had a Apollo several years ago, and liked it very much. Got the upgrade bug and bought a Cambridge 840-C cd player. As much as I liked the Apollo, the Cambridge was vastly superior. Had it for about 5 years, then upgraded to New Cambridge 851-C, which was another good improvement. You can get a used 840-C for a good price on Audiogon where they come up every now and then, or a used 851-C, which I would recommend. You can also get a new 851-C for around $1500 if you are so inclined.
Cheers,
Tim

Thanks for posting that mr_m.
I am thinking of selling my Apollo and wanted to know of a suitable upgrade, in case I ever want to play a CD again.
B

I have the original Apollo not the Apollo-R. I have liked the Apollo very much, mostly the buffer which checks the signal to correct potential errors on the CD. The Rega has a digital out which gives the user the ability to upgrade to the continuously improving DAC lineup, and use the Apollo as a great transport.

@mr_m - Tim, thank you for the suggestion I hadn't considered.
@2psyop - Thank you for the feedback, and the info about the buffer that I wasn't aware of.

Tom

We're you stationed at DMAFB in 74 ?

Thanks for your prompt response.  I had a room mate named Tom Carr when I was stationed there.  We both into music and thought you may be him.

I have a Rega Apollo-R for sale here.