[false]

Hey,

This might be old news but it's new to me. I was at my local audio shop this weekend checking out Rega and Naim gear. I'm looking to upgrade my low end Rotel gear with something a little nicer. After checking out the Planet and CD5i the guy that was helping me said that Rega was actually replacing the Planet with a new CD player called the Apollo! He handed me a little spec/propaganda sheet for the new player. Most notable to me was that it was supposed to sound better then the Jupiter, and also supports MP3 and WMA formats. Apparently they should have the Apollo in stock in about two weeks. Looks like I'll be heading back in a couple weeks for another demo and maybe pick one up if the price is right.

 

[replytoken]

Its coming, but it may be more than two weeks. The Apollo is probably going to be priced a bit higher than the Planet 2000, but has been compared sound-wise with $2-3K players. Several dealers I spoke with are still not aware of the Apollo, and are not discounting their Planet 2000's. It seems that Rega announced the Apollo before they were ready to ship, and before stock of the Planet 2000 ran dry. While I look forward to the Apollo, I wish the Planet 2000 would take a price drop. I have been consaidering one for the past year, but the cost seems to keep me from pulling the trigger.

 

[replytoken]

Rega updated their web site. The new Apollo sounds quite interesting.

http://www.rega.co.uk/html/apollo.htm

 

[raisin]

That does look very interesting- is there any pricing information yet?

 

[replytoken]

It is selling in the UK for approximately 498 Pounds. Given the fluctuating currency rate, I read somewhere that they will probably price the unit at around $1,000. Not too bad considering the pricing of the Planet 2K.

I was most interested in the new OS that takes advantage of the increased processing power. This could breathe some new life in CDP technology. Or, if the software was written buy the people who gave us Lucas Electronics (read tempermental auto electronics and warm beer), we could all be wishing for vinyl! Let's hope its the former, not the latter. Although Guinness is fine at room temperature.

 

[false]

Hey,

I picked up an Apollo a week or so ago. I contacted the Canadian importer of Rega gear to make sure I didn't get the screw job on pricing. There was a $1500 price tag on the Apollo in the store so I'm glad I came prepared. Canadian MSRP for the Apollo is
$1295. That's about $100 more then the Planet 2000's MSRP. I imagine US pricing will be similar. I also ended up getting a Rega Mira3 intergrated and B&W DM603 S3's as well in case anyone cares.

In a nutshell I think the Apollo sounds fantastic. It's heads and tails better then my old Rotel RCD-02 and I preferred it to the Naim CD5i I demoed at the same time. It's a very very musical CD player. The Naim player sounded quite good, but the Rega was just more involving. I'm in the process of gathering my thoughts on it and will post a full review in a couple weeks.

I have only two gripes with the Apollo. One is that the remote that it comes with doesn't control the Mira3 as well! I had to make another trip back to the store to pick up a Solar remote. My second gripe is that the faceplate is silver coloured plastic. I'd prefer the faceplate was actually aluminium like the rest of the case. This actually annoys me more on the Mira3. The volume knob is plastic as well and give it a cheap feel.

Here's a pic. It looks virtually the same as the Planet 2000...

 

[tyrion]

False, nice system. I had the Mira 3 for a long time. I thought the Mira 3 came with a Solar Remote? I am waiting for a local Rega Dealer to get an Apollo. I would like to compare it to the CD-E5.

 

[replytoken]

Congrats on the Apollo! I assume you will let us live vicariously through your review after you have broken it in.

 

[scoobie]

I have been contemplating a system very similar to yours for quite some time. I was going to get a rega mira and an older planet and a pair of totem bookshelves (probably, still unsure). This was put on hold when i read the specs for the apollo, and needed to pay off some bills.

Let me know how this system works out. Also if possible, could you give some feedback about the phono stage, I have never heard a rega phono stage before, and this is one of the selling points for me about heir line of integrated amps.

Looks like a nice system, I hope it works out well for you!

 

[tyrion]

False, I found this thread again when searching for info on the Naim CD5i. I was wondering whether the CD5i you auditioned was paired with the Naim Nait 5i? I just bought the Nait integrated and I'm trying to decide on an Apollo which I think is a bargain at the price or the CD5i. Both are out of stock at the moment so I can't do my own comparison. Also what was the Apollo paired with at the shop?

 

[gtortorella]

Thanks for all of this information, fellow head-fiers

I was not aware of the upcoming Apollo. I have owned various pieces of Rega digital gear: the original Planet, the Jupiter/Io transport and DAC combo (which was wonderful), and the Jupiter 2000. I thought the Jupiter 2000 sounded very nice, but I was not impressed with the plastic lid (as opposed to the old metal lid). For players in the price range of the Planet and Jupiter, they should at least provide a sturdier, better quality lid. In the photos of the Apollo, it looks like they may have gone with a better lid. Could anyone verify this, or indicate what the lid is made of?

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtortorella Thanks for all of this information, fellow head-fiers I was not aware of the upcoming Apollo. I have owned various pieces of Rega digital gear: the original Planet, the Jupiter/Io transport and DAC combo (which was wonderful), and the Jupiter 2000. I thought the Jupiter 2000 sounded very nice, but I was not impressed with the plastic lid (as opposed to the old metal lid). For players in the price range of the Planet and Jupiter, they should at least provide a sturdier, better quality lid. In the photos of the Apollo, it looks like they may have gone with a better lid. Could anyone verify this, or indicate what the lid is made of?

I didn't pay any attention to what the lid was made out of. I will check next time I am in my friends store (probably Monday).

 

[false]

Hey,

The lid on the Apollo is plastic. It has a very sturdy feel to it and doesn't feel cheap. The lid seems to have a dampening mechanism built into the hinge so it's butter smooth to open and close.

Tyrion, the CD5i I demoed was indeed paired with Nait 5i. When I auditioned the Planet and Apollo it was paired up with a Rega Mira 3. I'm a big believer in synergy between CD player and amp so I wanted to keep the brand of amps matched up. The Naim set-up did sound better to me when I compared to the Planet and Mira. I found the Naim was on par with the Apollo and Mira 3. Like I said before, I chose the Rega set up because I found the sound more involving.

The thing that sold me on the Apollo was one of my demo songs "Grey Machine" by Pinback. There's a certain part of the song near the middle that has very stirring vocal harmonies on top of piano, and bass guitar. When I gave it a critical listen on the Naim it sounded fantastic. When I listened to the same song on the Apollo/Mira it sounded just as good but I had it give it a couple goes before I could comment on the sound. I kept getting too involved/lost in the song and just sat there tapping my foot and bobbing my head. That was the clincher. I just enjoyed what I was hearing more out Apollo/Mira.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by false Tyrion, the CD5i I demoed was indeed paired with Nait 5i. When I auditioned the Planet and Apollo it was paired up with a Rega Mira 3. I'm a big believer in synergy between CD player and amp so I wanted to keep the brand of amps matched up. The Naim set-up did sound better to me when I compared to the Planet and Mira. I found the Naim was on par with the Apollo and Mira 3. Like I said before, I chose the Rega set up because I found the sound more involving.

Thanks for the info. I owned the Mira 3 for about 6 months and while it was a competent integrated, it had too much of a ss edge to it. I also felt the rca jacks on the back were way too close to each other making a problem to use certain ic's. I never had a Rega cdp while I owned the Mira 3. I have the Naim Nait 5i at the moment and while it is not a tube amplifier, it is very musical amp, which is consistent with what I've read about it. I have to wait for more Apollos to arrive before I can compare it to a CD5i.

 

[gtortorella]

Thanks tyrion and false...

What is the price of the Naim CD5i? I am guessing it is more than the Apollo.