I'm wrestling with buying the Rega R to add to the Rega DAC or just abandoning the CDP altogether.
Tough decision. I must admit that the Rega with Mac is amazing sounding. I'd be sad to buy the Apollo R and find the Mac superior, but that's what a lot of people are telling me will happen. And I haven't used the Oppo in quite a while now.
The money I'd spend on the Apollo R could buy a lot of music...or 7 pairs of nice sneakers!
Rob |
Highly recommend going with the Rega DAC i/o their CD players. The DAC is pretty much the same price as the new Apollo R..but does so much more.
There's just no need for the Apollo R or Saturn. Haven't heard the new Apollo, but the DAC(with my Mac Mini) sounds as good as or better than the Saturn.
|
People's mileage can vary, as apparently Robbob has had no trouble with his Apollo reading discs, but all that I can say is my experience was that the player is slow in starting (which I always attributed to it's buffering) and fussy with discs. It was an exasperating experience, because even after 30 seconds of silence, I couldn't be sure if that was the normal slow start or if it had rejected the disc altogether. It would frequently accept a disc if I reloaded it, but the opposite would happen as well, where it would refuse to play a disc that it had played without incident previously.
I like hassle free audio, as I am usually trying to unwind after a stress filled day, and that is my chief memory of the Apollo, getting frustrated and annoyed over these issues. Perhaps my machine was somewhat faulty and the experience is atypical, but a perusal of users forums at the time revealed that it was not an uncommon issue. |
You're asking questions that really can't be answered yet. I had no trouble with the Apollo and less than perfect discs. The new R Version is likely to have improvements, but it won't be a vast improvement as in digital we get very small changes/improvements at pretty much all price points.
I like the Apollo R. It stacks neatly with the Rega DAC and was certainly designed with that pairing in mind. We'll have to wait a bit to get more reviews, but only your ears really matter.
My guess is that buying a used Apollo is a safe bet. If the extra cost doesn't bother you then the new R is going to be a bit better (a guess). The Saturn costs less than that pairing, so can we assume that Rega finds it better than the Saturn?
I'm so thrilled with the Rega DAC and Mac Mini that I've fallen away from the hunt for CD transports for now.
Good luck,
Rob |
@richardfinegold
It's kind of ironic that the previous Apollo was more fussy about playing discs while the Apollo is supposed to buffer the music. Which begs the question on how well the Apollo or Apollo R are as a transport?
I was discussing DACs with a buddy of mine. He has the Wired For Sound (W4S) 2 DAC, but he also had the Cary Exciter DAC. He needed a balanced DAC so he made the switch. He has heard DACs in excess of $3,000 and he still believes the Exciter held strong against it and was better than most DAC sets that CD players under $3k have. He uses a Cambridge 650 player as a transport plus the W4S DAC. He also uses a music server that he runs into the W4S. He likes the server/W4S combo (which he though was equivalent to the Cary in SE mode) to the Cambridge player alone. That mirrors my experiences comparing my server combo with CD players under $1500.
My entire point of the thread is will the Apollo R alone be a better choice than my current front end? Is the previous Apollo, with the closeout deals, a better transport than my server? Will there be a new Saturn R with an asynchronous USB input that will be better than all of it? |
@Baka 1969
I haven't heard the Rega Dac, but others have commented that the Dac sounds more open than the Apollo, and I can well believe it. The Apollo sound is neat and tidy, with good insight and pacing, but it isn't a big wide open sound. For a while I used the Apollo as a transport with my Digital Link III, and that worked well. Ultimately I replaced it with the NAD universal player because I could play DVD-A thru my Dac, and theNAD is less fussy than the Apollo about playing discs. |
+1 on the Rega DAC. I also tried the Apollo and it's a good player. But the Rega DAC opens the soundstage and air around instruments, mated with the Mac Mini or an old Oppo DVD player. I might consider the Apollo R as a better transport, but I do think the Rega DAC offers much more, even if connected to a inexpensive transport.
Rob |
I'll tell you what, if the Apollo R had an asynchronous USB input using it's new DAC it would be a slam dunk. I could have the best of both worlds and not have to worry about a decision. |
I haven't heard the Apollo-R, but I owned the Apollo and now own the Rega DAC. The DAC is better than the Apollo in every way. Haven't heard the Cary Xciter to compare, but if you're looking for the Rega sound, the DAC sounds great being fed by my Apple TV gen 1. |
@ richardfinegold. What else about the previous model of the Apollo didn't you care for?
I've owned and listened to several players and when I look at the convenience of a music server coupled with the nice performance from my DAC, I've been pleased. That said, if the Apollo R is superior to my setup then I'd be willing to give it a try. |
I have the old Apollo. I never really fell in love with it. It takes a long time to play a disc and it won't play many that play well on other players. Ultimately it gave way to a NAD universal transport feeding a PSAudio Digital LinkIII. |
Thanks Taylor. I suppose I'm trying to figure out if the new Apollo R could be a worthy alternative to my music server and external Cary Xciter DAC? Which competes very well against other Redbook players under about $1500. I'll wait until I hear more about it after it gets delivered and into the hands of 'Goners.
Ironically enough, I similarly waited for feedback on the Nuforce CDP8 about a year ago and haven't read anything about that player on here. I guess it never took off because I don't think I've seen one of those come up for sale. |
That's a tough call. The "old" Apollo is really quite a good player, and there are some good deals to be had on them currently. However, I imagine that new Apollo will have qualities that make it an upgrade and a great choice at it's price range.
With the newly lowered price of the Saturn ($1895), I think Rega will still sell them. The Saturn is a heck of a good player.
Taylor
www.goldprintaudio.com |
Thanks! It will be interesting. If it's an improvement over the previous Apollo, will that mean it will cannibalize the Saturn sales? Is it worth waiting for the new Apollo R to ship or pick up a good deal on the remaining Apollos? |
US Retail price will be $1095. From what I understand, Sound Org has not shipped any units out, but they will be forth coming this month. Hopefully my first demo unit will be here shortly as I have several people waiting to take a listen. Should be a great unit!
*****Rega dealer disclaimer*****
Taylor
www.goldprintaudio.com |
I have not heard it, but the price is going to be 1095.00 according to Rich at Signature Sound.
I have not heard one yet!
Rob |
