[gtortorella]

Thank you for your comments, 909.

My intent was not to be redundant, but to offer you some supporting commentary and feedback. Yes, I was aware that, in your very first post, you had already purchased an Apollo. I mentioned your "buying decision" thinking that, since you listen to rock music, you may be dissatisfied with the Apollo, and thus you may perhaps seek another digital source. For me, the "buying decision" is not fully complete until I am satisfied with the component. Also, you mention reviews of the 25.2...if you are alluding to the Soundstage review (wherein the reviewer seems to be perplexed by the 25.2's soundstage), I point out that, in my system, the 25.2 exhibits a wonderful soundstage, and thus I heartily disagree with this particular comment. Since you are satisfied with my commentary on the 25.2, I will not post any further comments about that player in this thread.

I wish you the best in your audiophile pursuits. Before I forget: I have heard great things (from experienced, knowledgeable sources) about the E5 player. Indeed, it looks like a beautifully built and thoughtfully designed digital source.

 

[stevieo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtortorella Indeed, the Music Hall is so good that it may certainly relax the listener. I have always found that better components have this type of effect. Colored, edgy, unrefined sound, like that of the Apollo, always creates tension, and thus has a nerve-racking effect.

are you sure you are not confusing the 2 players? from my ears i take a 180 on your remarks re: the two players. i trust you burned in the apollo & gave it sufficient warm up time before making your comparison.

i find the music hall cd 25.2 unnaturally harsh & edgy, imo, & i also find it unlistenable to in it's stock form & an over rated pos & do not recommend it to anyone unless it is heavily modified because it can become an excellent player with the proper mods. otherwise, the cd 25.2 is a perfect example of hash sounding digital crap, imo. oth, the apollo has a fairly warm & much more natural sound & is a good sounding player & an excellent value, imo. i can not think of another player at it's price & below that delivers the sound quality per dollar. the apollo demolishes the less expensive east sound which mine replaced.

but these comments are coming from someone who thinks that the musical fidelity cd players are possibly the most unnatural sounding sources ever manufactured & yet they are highly regarded by some. the manufacturer of both the music hall & the musical fidelity stated that he spent a lot of time working on the voicing of the m.f. which just demonstrates the the wide range of hearing differences.

 

[909]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtortorella Since you are satisfied with my commentary on the 25.2, I will not post any further comments about that player in this thread.

Post as you wish since I trust your judgment.

 

[gtortorella]

Very well, 909. My player is still only approaching 20 hours, and thus if I note anything else of interest, I will cite it for you.

 

[909]

gtortorella, sounds good . . .

I found a great price on that Music Hall CD-25.2 from an authorized dealer. It's a perfect 1-day old unit for only $440. Big bang for the buck. If anyone is interested, here is the link:

http://www.underwoodhifi.com/specials.html

I dealt with Walter at underwood hi-fi when I bought my Graham Slee V Era Gold and not only is he great to deal with but he gave me an awesome price too.

 

[gtortorella]

Nice find, 909...for $440 the CD25.2 is a sweet deal, indeed

I am presently trying to determine whether I like my CD25.2 with the Cardas cable on my HD600s or with the Oehlbach cable. Both cables seem to present a pretty strong case, but I need to do more listening.

 

[JayGee]

I read a review in the May Hi Fi Something-or-other (British) and they loved the sound of the Apollo. They did however comment that the bass was dry and lacking impact and weight.

I think the dry bass may have been responsible for me hearing a less dynamic sound than the Planet 2000. They did not mention dynamics at all in the magazine review.

Has anyone else been listening to a new apollo? Comments?

Jaygee

 

[909]

I am waiting on a black finish warranty replacement, which the US distributor should ship within the next two weeks. Fingers Crossed.

I know a few around here have the Apollo or have made some comments about it.

 

[Mikey01]

Mine is still breaking in and changing after a month. It sounds tremendous. Yes, bass is it's waekest point but not by very much. I think that the whole Apollo system management of sound is so dynamic that the bass is only "normal", but adquate and you expect it to be as dynamic as the rest of the sound, so you feel let down. My thinking is probably wrong but I am going to look into beefing up the powersupply with some oversized caps to bring out more bass. Then it will be perfect.

Oh, and "yes" the black unit adds 10db of listening pleasure to the experience. How do they do that????

On another note: The Apollo screws seem very tough to turn and loosen. Any help or comments on getting the lid off?

 

[909]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 Any help or comments on getting the lid off?[/COLOR]

Have you thought about contacting the US distributor for his advice?

 

[Mikey01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 909 Have you thought about contacting the US distributor for his advice?

With warrenty issues at stake; if I did not go thru with it, after seeing the insides; not on your life.

If you said " Hey Doc, how do you stich up an open wound"? The Doctor replies "Why,do you have an open wound? May be I better take a look at it." Man replies " oh no wound now, but I was going to do some modifications to what you view as a perfectly good body already. So, Doc, can you tell me? Huh?

What do you think the Doctor's reply would be? I think you would have a similar conversation with the US distributor.

 

[909]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 With warrenty issues at stake; if I did not go thru with it, after seeing the insides; not on your life. If you said " Hey Doc, how do you stich up an open wound"? The Doctor replies "Why,do you have an open wound? May be I better take a look at it." Man replies " oh no wound now, but I was going to do some modifications to what you view as a perfectly good body already. So, Doc, can you tell me? Huh? What do you think the Doctor's reply would be? I think you would have a similar conversation with the US distributor.

Once you open it up, you realize you void your warranty. I assume that most authorized Rega repair center would be able to tell if an Apollo had been opened and modified, but if they couldn't (or you believe they wouldn't notice) then I do understand your concern about potentially voiding your warranty by telling them what you plan to do. I thought you are willing to void your warranty to do the mods so you wouldn't have anything to lose by contacting the US distributor for his help; it wouldn’t hurt to ask unless you are trying to keep your warranty intact, even though, you plan to do the mods and if something did happened, and you decided to have it repaired or replaced under warranty, I guess you would hope they wouldn't notice that you removed the mods and replaced the original parts.

But if you just want to open it up to take a peek then I understand as well.

 

[Mikey01]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh! I took pictures. I took pictures last night. Of the insides of the Apollo <GASP>.

All on one board. The section of the board, with the AC running into it, has one capacitor and one only .

It's a 25v 5700uf. I only found a total of four big caps and a mess of teeny tiny little ones on the board, unless I missed some that were ultra tiny.

 

[squall2072]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 Uhhhhhhhhhhhh! I took pictures. I took pictures last night. Of the insides of the Apollo <GASP>. All on one board. The section of the board, with the AC running into it, has one capacitor and one only . It's a 25v 5700uf. I only found a total of three caps anywhere on the board, unless I missed some that were ultra tiny.

Are you going to mod it now you've found out she's lacking in the capacitor department?

Edit: Oh yeah, show the pics!

 

[mysticaldodo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 Uhhhhhhhhhhhh! I took pictures. I took pictures last night. Of the insides of the Apollo <GASP>. All on one board. The section of the board, with the AC running into it, has one capacitor and one only . It's a 25v 5700uf. I only found a total of three caps anywhere on the board, unless I missed some that were ultra tiny.

Better sound through minimal/ lesser electronics? (just a guess)


Another bump for showing the pictures!