Not a good player. I had it for about 3 months, found it dark and lacking
detail. Modwright is the way to go. 999 or 9100 w/ mods. |
I loved this player sonically.
Egonomically, it was a bit quirky.
Cannot be dissed for sound. |
Remarkably unremarkable.
A dozen better players available at that price point.
Recent price increase due to weak USD makes it a low value product. |
You might want to check out the Jas Musik tube CD player; it uses a single 12AX7 and a rectifier tube. I had the Rega Apollo for awhile but the Jas, in my opinion, completely outperforms it, especially after upgrading the Sovtek 12AX7 to a NOS Amperex. |
Check out the Cambridge Audio 840C...a steal for the money. |
On the used market, you'll save about $400. If you go new, you can try it in your system. I opted for the later, and paid $100 off of retail (dealer gave me a slight discount). I went to three different dealers and tried three different players over the course of the same week. The Apollo was the clear winner. Good detail, clean highs, although top loading is a little weird. If you buy right on the goN, you'll be able to resell for about what you paid. The negative comments by the people above were probably in reference to an Appolo - I am not familar with that ;) |
have you auditioned the apollo? if you like the rega sound, the an used Jupiter2000 would be a better deal... |
Bobgates, nice to hear from another JAS Audio Musik owner. I am very happy with my player also, and I can second all you say about it. I use a Raytheon triple mica 5751 in mine. |
The Apollo has been great for me. I did not care for the previous Planet and Jupiter editions and passed both up when I worked at a Rega dealer and could get a bit off the price. I bought the Apollo last year, happily paying full price and have been very impressed with its sound. |
All the Rega players have had good reviews over the years. They experience backlash because of that. Look at any popular brand, McIntosh, Krell and you'll find plenty of negative reviews. Read the professional reviews and you'll find across the board positive on most of these brands' products. |
I am very satisfied with the Rega Apollo and this is after a year and a half of ownership. I have used the Apollo in the same system with a SONY SCD555ES sacd player (an A rated Stereophile player) and have AB'd the two players on occasion and the Apollo's sound was preferable with redbook playback. I am not quite sure what peoples' expectations are with the Apollo or what/ if they are actually comparing it to in a side by side shoot-out. What other UK made player is better at the $1100 mark? Note: I own quite a bit of Chinese made electronics, but I also realize that comparing prices from the two is like comparing apples and oranges. A fairer comparison might be what $600 Chinese made cd player is better than the Apollo?
Regards, Rich |
Used to own Apollo, no complaints. I wished that I kept it since I am building my second or more like 3th system and could use CDP with Rega's forgiving sound and musicality. I am not trying to defend it ......I couldn't care less what others reasons are but IMO it is a fine Mid-class budget player that is better then some ....even more expensive players. I have hear that some have had some issues with their Regas......my was fine , so I can't really relate to those stories....and my Apollo was one of the original series that went to the dealers in the first few months since the release date. |
Guys thank you for input! I used to buy stuff from Audiogone when I lived in US. If you get things at the right price the most what you can lose is shipping fees. Now I live in Canada and every item I buy on Audiagone costs me extra 20% thanks to the generosity of the government. Now I have to think a lot before I buy anything. I did not have chance to listen to Apollo yet. I did read all professional reviews but I always trust more an opinion of the people who are using the product since unlike “professionals” they don’t live of advertisement of the companies whose products they review. I will certainly consider Azur 840 and Jas Musik and listen to Apollo |
Alex:
If GST/VAT is an issue, consider the Music Hall 25.2 CD player. A $600 player that beats most players in the sub $1000 category.
Regards, Rich |
Rich:
You mentioned in the review of your system that Apollo is easy on ears. More relaxed and softer top is what I’m looking for in my upgrade. How does Music Hal compare with Apollo?
Thanks.
Alex |
I liked the Music Hall for the 2+ years that I owned it. I used it with a NAD C320BEE and I felt that the combination had great synergy. When I upgraded the NAD to a Prima Luna (ss to tubes), I gave the Music Hall to a friend.
The Music Hall was detailed, smooth, and rich sounding. The difference between the MH and a DVD player should be pretty big.
Regards, Rich |
Toshiba SD 9200 was A rated by Stereophile in 2001. Its built quality is really impressive. I did a side by side comparison with Planet and Toshiba was a winner.
I'm running tube pre into ss amp but I'm getting tube amp.
Would Apollo be a better choice than Music Hal in this case?
Cheers,
Alex |
Yes, the Apollos are finicky but mostly due to operator error. I own two of them and love what they do. No, the Apollo is not the final word in detail or dynamics. IMHO, what it is is musical and natural. I tried to upgrade to the Saturn but felt the added cost did not justify the slight improvement I heard. A couple of friends and I experimented with some DACs to see if that would provide a noticeable improvement. The DACs all had their own subtle differences but when it came down to picking out which was which in a blind test, we all failed. (The DACs used were the Benchmark, PS Audio, Bel Canto 2 and 3, and a modified Liteaudio DAC-60.) I really wanted to spend some money but could not justify the cost benefit ratio since I just couldn't pick out any improvements.
A Jupiter would make a great second choice if you find one in Canada with low hours. It has a little less detail and the bass is not as tight as the Apollo, however the midrange is very similar. I've lived with a Jupiter too.
Happy trails,
L |
Operator error if they mess up that bad over all these months,just because somebody hits a button here or there and all the other times missing the first couple seconds of music,i'd be looking else where. |
Lngbruno,
I was considering cheap transport + decent DAC combo. The problem is that the quality of the clock in the transport is the limiting factor in the performance of the combo, unless you can set DAC clock to drive the transport.
Alex |
Operator error has never been the issue in regards to some Apollo and Saturn units malfunctioning. This is misinformation and needs to be laid to rest finally. |
The Apollo has its quirks. But so do a lot of other components. I've lived with mine for about a year and a half. The problem I had with it was easily fixed by leaving it unplugged over night. I'll spare you the rest of the details.
As with anything, there are better players for more money, and lesser players for less money. I've heard a ton of CD players, and I think its easily the best player for the money, but that's just my opinion. I srtongly dislike a few players mentioned here, but that doesn't mean that you'll feel the same way.
The Apollo is an excellent sounding player for the money. Its not the final word, but what really is? The only way to know for sure if you'll like it is to hear one.
JR |
Douglas is correct in that there are some Apollos that are just poorly manufactured, period. The issues I have had have been due to my not being patient and waiting the 10-15 seconds.
AlexV, I hadn't thought about the transporter clock. For my little comparison shootout, I used the Apollo as the transporter.
Coffeey, I have never experienced the issues you speak of. My first Apollo is about two years old and my other one is about six months old. |
