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Submitted by
Nat
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: December 12, 2010
Bottom Line: This player came into my system to replace the very highly regarded Meridian 508.24. When I bought the Meridian, I marveled that it was the first cd player which did not fatigue me. My cd spinner priorvto the Meridian was no slouch, either, a CAL. But after many happy years I yearned for more. Specifically, I was critically aware that the Meridian lacked the drive, oomph or pace of my LP system. Pace? My thoughts turned to Naim, Linn and Rega. Having owned Rega gear in the past I wanted to try the Apollo. I enjoy this player more then I did the Meridian. It has the pace I wanted and is by no means harsh. It is a fine tonal match for my lp system (lp12/ekos/arkiv ii/lingo feeding a Pass phono stage) which is what I wanted. Do think my lp system has some superor qualities to the Rega, but I never consider my lp and cd system as out of sync with each other in terms of tonal quality. Both rock when needed, both can be very immediate, throw a convincing soundstage and grip the music. With the right tune, the right volume, I not only hear the music through the Rega, but I feel it as well. As a side note I use a homemade copy of the Rega Couple interconnect (Klotz cable and Neutrik Profi plugs) which is quite good and the parts cost about 1/4 of what a ready made set of Rega Couple retails for.
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Submitted by
landmissle
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: August 27, 2010
Bottom Line: Rock solid sound at a very affordable price! I'd say 95% there! High end is smooth and detailed without being rolled off. I have a slightly bright system and this player works very well together. I can listen for hours without getting fatigued. Mids are liquid smooth with realistic sonic weight. The pace of the player is correct. The more you listen the more you want to. Flushes out a good bit of detail without sounding analytical. The titanuim tweeters in the main speakers are pretty unforgiving. If this player had any top end harshness it would be revealed easily in this system. Bass is pretty good but that is why I said 95% there. The bass is a tad lighter than other players I have had in the system. If you have a subwoofer then you can adjust accordingly. The quality of the bass is great as far as being musical. It just the authority that could be a little better. Not a deal breaker by any means. After all we are talking about a player that retailed for 1K. Can't expect perfection at this price point!.
I love the reaction of people that see this player. Usually comments are...Wow that is a really cool looking cd player!
A great bargain on the used market. Highly recommended!
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Submitted by
Dave
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: August 27, 2010
Bottom Line: I've had a few cd players thru my system and most in this price range are harsh! The rega gets 95% of it right. The mids and highs are very very sweet! I was hesitant to get this player as I have a system on the brighter side. Turns out this player is a good match for my system as the top end is smooth. Good detail without the associated rolled off top end! Also the signal to noise ratio of the player lends itself to the quiet around the music. Vocals are realistic with the right sonic weight. The bass is the only reason I said 95% there. It is just a tad light in this area. If you have a subwoofer then adjust accordingly. The quality of the bass is very good. Just not as authoritive as i've heard. I had a krell KAV 300 player that to this day had the best bass of any player to grace my system.
The transport is dead quiet. I can't stand hearing transport noise and have nix'd players right away for this. Overall a very nice player that will stay in my system for a while! I love people's comments when they see it. Like wow that is a really cool cd player! Sound and looks at a very reasonable price!!!
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Submitted by
Michael T
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: January 28, 2010
Bottom Line: Generally solid. The waiting while it "INITIALISES" is very annoying. Very accurate. Would like some upsampling options.
Excellent remote.
Like the top loading. One less part to break.
Bottom line is it's one of the best sub $1000 CDPs out there although the new top of the line NAD is also quite good and is close.
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Submitted by
mancpg
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: December 9, 2009
Bottom Line: Auditioned this at a local audio shop. Heard it through a Rega Mira amp and R7 speakers, listening to a recent jazz vocals recording. First impression was 'wow'. The soundstage and imaging were unbelievable. To be more accurate -- they were actually believable: there was a holographic quality about it that put the vocalist, and bass and drums right in the room. The only thing was that at times the upper-mid range was at times just a little overstated -- but I understand the amp can influence that a bit.
To compare, he put on the same cd on a Naim cd5i through the same amp and speakers. The first thing that I noticed was that the soundstage all but collapsed. That '3d-ness' just wasn't there in the same proportions. The sound was a bit warmer on the Naim and seemed to be a bit more balanced (not as much upper mid emphasis on the vocals). The bass was maybe a bit more weighty, but not by much. Overall I thought it wasn't as engaging as the Rega -- and preferred listening to the Rega.
Got to bring it home for an audition for the weekend, which was very nice. Compared it to the Denon DCD-685, which we thought was pretty good (authoritative bass -- but maybe a bit unnaturally so). The difference was almost night and day. On a Bach sonata, the piano came alive on the Rega, where it sounded like shrouded or muted on the Denon. The notes came out ok on the Denon, but on the Rega you could hear all the characteristics of the piano. On an orchestral piece, the Denon did ok -- sounded good. But once heard on the Rega, it sounded like again a veil had been lifted. Whereas on the Denon all the notes in the piece could be heard, it wasn't until heard on the Rega that the sounds coming from the right channel were a mix of horns and strings (on the Denon it just sounded like strings, but more distant and hazy). In fact, the Denon just sounded more 'hazy' or unclear by comparison. On the Rega, music stands being moved about and sheet music being turned could be heard which was nice, with good bass, life and soundstage in the music overall. Finally, on the opening track of the second Arctic Monkeys cd, the instruments had more definition on the Rega (the guitar string plucks could almost be heard) and the music had more energy.
I can see how the Rega can be described as more analogue. It has that sort of energy and presentation about it. Yet, it has all the benefits of detail and clarity that digital has to offer. Fantastic cd player.
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