Digital Drive: REVIEW: Rega APOLLO CD Player/Recorder by MW III

Model:	APOLLO
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$995
Description:	Single Disc w. MP3 and WMA media capability
Manufacturer URL:	Rega
Model Picture:	View

Review by MW III ( A ) on June 09, 2006 at 22:07:24
IP Address: 66.171.155.15

Add Your Review
for the APOLLO

My Apollo was delivered on Friday, June 2, 2006. I unpacked it, tossed aside the power cord it came with and plugged in a Red Storm Power Cord (EC-RS001-3) with a Marinco IEC Connector (which I had made for me in advance from the folks at Element Cable). I also put aside the interconnects which were shipped with the CD player in favor of my Purist Audio Elementa interconnects. I then threw in a CD, left the amp off and went out for the evening. I did the same thing the next morning so the box had about 6 hours of play on it before I decided to listen to it. I used the same 8 songs I have used for the past few years to test out equipment. I started with Pink Floyd's "Pigs" from the "Animals" CD. Found out that there were instruments there that I had not known about. Followed that with Dead Can Dance's "Into the Labyrinth" the first 3 cuts. In the first one, "Yulunga" I could actually hear the pebbles inside the Maracas move when they were first picked up and again just after they stopped rattling them. Never heard that before. This would prove to be a continuous theme throughout my listening test. I heard echoes that were not there before, asides from musicians were picked up, sort of like when you are in a movie theater and someone whispers to their girlfriend four rows back but you heard it as the movie became quiet at that very moment. The rest of my demos were Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" (which did not sound as bad a recording as it had in the past), "When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin (I use this to see how well it handles the guitars, very well), "Do What You Like" by Blind Faith (I use this to see how well it handles the drum solo. I now know when the Bass guitar stops and the Bass drum takes over), and lastly, and I use this only for amusement as many mid-level amps cannot deliver on this, Ben Folds Five's cut "Narcolepsy" from "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner". This song just attacks, attacks, attacks. Waiting for certain passages is somewhat like watching the dentist's drill move in for the kill if you know what I mean. No problem with the Apollo, it wasn't as painful as I had etched in my mind.
I also played some Enya, various 60's compilations, and "Strong Persuader" from the Robert Cray Band for my wife. Even though I was not tuned in and in my ideal listening position, the Robert Cray CD found me.
Lastly tonight I unsealed an SACD copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" (Floyd) and played it all of the way through. I wish I had taken notes for everything I noticed that I had not heard before. I could imagine how many and which strings were being picked on Gilmore's guitar.
Overall I guess I really like the Apollo so far. It is more efficient than my Rotel RCC - 955 (and brighter) so I must learn to turn the volume down a bit. True to what I had read in reviews all tonal levels improved, very distinct and clear highs, in the room with you lifelike vocals, and a significantly lower floor for the bass. Where the first day I felt like I had moved from the 5th to 7th row down to the first row, tonight I felt like I was standing on the front of the stage just behind the footlights. That is how much presence the Apollo brings and that is not something that was noted (unless it was and I missed it or forgot) in any of the reviews I read.
Since it could be expected to have interconnects, power cords, and speaker cable consistent with the level of your components I will not assume anything different from my system configuration (see below) other than personal taste is much different than anyone else's. However the biggest eye-popping event for me was when I swapped out my Chang Lightspeed Power Line conditioner for the Monster HTS 5100 Powercenter. I would strongly urge anyone who has not already done so to either get one of these or at least a "neutral" power line conditioner from a high end audio supplier. I am certain that I am getting so much more from the Rega Apollo because I stumbled onto this first.
Oh one last thing as if this post was not long enough already, by the time I got to "Us and Them" on the "Dark Side of the Moon" Pink Floyd SACD I listened to tonight (in 2 channel stereo), the speakers disappeared. It was all pure soundstage. Got to love that.
My System;
Creek 5350 SE Integrated Amplifier
Monitor Audio Silver 8i Speakers
Rega Apollo CD Player
Rotel RCC-955 Compact (5)Disk Changer
Carver Model TX-11 Tuner
Nordost Black Knight Interconnects (Rotel CD Changer, Carver Tuner, and Creek Bridge clip)
Element Twisted Pair Speaker Cable
Van Devers Power Cord (into the Creek)
Element Cable Red Storm Power Cord (Rega Apollo)
Purist Audio Elementa Interconnect (Rega Apollo)
Monster HTS 5100 Home Theater Reference PowerCenter with Clean Power Stage 4 V.2.0 Filtering

Product Weakness: It makes you stop doing what you should be doing to sit down and listen to one more CD.
Product Strengths: Natural life like sounds, very detailed instrumental playback, nothing harsh about anything you play through it. Vocalists really do sound like they are in the room with you.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Creek 5350 SE Integrated Amplifier
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Rega Apollo CD Player
Speakers:	Monitor Audio Silver 8i Speakers
Cables/Interconnects:	Element Twisted Pair Speaker Cable; Purist Audio Elementa Interconnect (Rega Apollo); Nordost Black Knight Interconnects (Rotel CD Changer, Carver Tuner, and Creek Bridge clip)
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Blues, Classic Rock, Contemporary, Theatrical Soundtracks
Room Size (LxWxH):	12 x 10 x 9
Room Comments/Treatments:	5 feet length of 2 sidewalls to open area, somewhat like a bandshell.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Van Devers Power Cord (into the Creek); Element Cable Red Storm Power Cord (Rega Apollo); Monster HTS 5100 Home Theater Reference PowerCenter with Clean Power Stage 4 V.2.0 Filtering
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

Product Weakness:	It makes you stop doing what you should be doing to sit down and listen to one more CD.
Product Strengths:	Natural life like sounds, very detailed instrumental playback, nothing harsh about anything you play through it. Vocalists really do sound like they are in the room with you.