[daltonlanny]

Finally bought a used Rega Apollo to compare to my Marantz SA8001!
Here are my impressions using Sennheiser HD600/650/Equinox, and HeadAmp GS-1 amp:
Marantz SA8001: More lively, forward, and extended in the top-end. Piano and violins have slightly more body, warmth, and sound more organic as well.
Slightly better depth than the Apollo. Punchier dynamics compared to the Apollo. Longer decay of most instruments.
A touch more congested than the Apollo, not quite as refined, and the bass is not as tight, however.
Not as good on bright or harsh recordings, can sound "in your face" on certain recordings. No glitches at all with CD-R's, however.

Rega Apollo: Slightly less sibilant than the Marantz, better seperation of instruments, and slightly wider soundstage. Slightly blacker between notes.
Easier on the ears with alot of recordings than the Marantz. Alittle more midrange detail as well. Bass extension is subtly deeper and tighter.
Female vocals more natural and less forward.
Not as dynamic as the Marantz, however. Violins, Piano, and acoustic guitars not quite as organic and full-bodied as the Marantz. Top-end not as extended as the Marantz. Can have glitches playing back CD-R's. Sometimes the first 5 to 8 seconds of a random song on a CD-R can cut in and out...I don't like this. This may also be my particular player and may not apply to other Apollo units.

Conclusion: Wow, that is tough! The Apollo is not really a leap above the Marantz, just different. If you prefer a more laid-back sound with tight bass, midrange detail, wide soundstage, and good seperation of instruments, I would recommend the Apollo.
If you prefer a more forward sound with an extended top-end, punchy dynamics, and excellent instrumental body, and great depth, I would recommend the Marantz. For playing CD-R's, I would go with the Marantz.
The Marantz is kinda hard to figure out sonically...It is more forward, slightly brighter, and more extended on top, and looser in the bass, but at the same time it is a touch warmer and more full bodied than the Apollo on certain instruments.
Go figure!

 

[DarkAngel]

DL
If you were reading many of the comments from Rega Saturn thread including mine the Saturn initially seemed polite and a bit to restrained, but after proper breakin it really opens up with much more attack and leading edge detail, Apollo may have similar pattern and get that high end detail you seek.

The thing that people must realize about new Rega players is you must wait for CD to fully initialize and read track 1 before pushing any commands other wise you can easilly clitch things up and get erratic playback.

 

[daltonlanny]

The used Apollo I purchased is a well broken-in unit, so thats not an issue.
This "cutting out" on the beginning of certain tracks that I experience on CD-R's occurs after the unit has fully initialized as well.
John Atkinson also commented on the occasional problems playing CD-R's in his measurement section of the Apollo review, in Stereophile, by Art Dudley.

 

[Spareribs]

interesting review. Thanks.

 

[johnsonad]

I agree, interesting, thank you for the post. I almost bought both of those players at one point

 

[Asr]

Indeed, very interesting info. Would like to hear both for myself sometime if possible. Guess I should make a trip to a local dealer.

On another note, how many CDPs have you gone through now? Seems like you've gone through more than I have!

 

[daltonlanny]

Hi ASR,
In the last 2 months: 5 units.
Music Hall CD25.2
Onkyo DX-7555
Marantz CD5001
Marantz SA8001
Rega Apollo
What CD player are you currently using?
What are your impressions of it?
The units you are going through are much more expensive than mine...lol!

 

[Asr]

Those are all machines I'd like to hear if my budget allowed it.

Using primarily the Arcam FMJ CD33 right now, I wrote an impressions thread in this forum some time ago. Will soon be moving over to an Ayre CX-7e, will probably write a thread about it at some point.