Rega Apollo & Sony X5000

I don't know who would've had the means to do an A/B comparison at this point. The Apollo is so new it's not even out of most dealer's back rooms yet! You would be deciding on mere guess.

(I recall hearing a Sony ES higher end unit. I wouldn't dream of pursuing that over the Apollo.)

However, that's precisely what I did; I read reviews from Europe and spoke with Rega dealer in Milwaukee at Audio Emporium. (I sent him a message to join a thread below, but he hasn't yet).
I'm also guessing not many Rega dealers are going to carry Sony equipment; they seem to like to hang with Brit stuff.

Did you go to audioreview.com to see what's being said about the Sony and what equipment the people reviewing it have?
By the way, personal thought, you wouldn't be "settling for" an Apollo. You swim in the wonder of its amazing performance!
Many times people delude themselves with believe that a less expensive cdp will outperform a much higher costing unit. Mostly hype and wishful thinking. In the case of the Apollo it is true, and not even subtly true but impossible to ignore true.
Let me be the first to recommend the Rega Apollo as component of the year. I'm NOT joking. It would take an incredibly awesome component/speaker (almost one with a new technology, as the Apollo uses a new technology) to best its wow factor.
A friend on the West coast, in Washington, just picked one up last night. He emailed me all euphoric about it. His first line was..."HOLY CRAP, BATMAN!" In other words, it was a slightly shocking (in a good way) experience for him.
I don't believe there will be a single person in the audiophile community who will not be impressed with the Apollo. Whether they like it better than their $4k to $6k units will be debatable, but I don't believe there will be any debate about the Apollo's outperforming 99% of units under the $3k mark. Nah, let's get confident and say 100%.
Keep watching the reviews; I told my friend to post his initial review on the Assylum.
Don't get chintzy on this; the Apollo is worth every single penny you lay out for it. No, I correct myself. It's worth, in audiophile terms, much more than they're asking, which is just part of why it's so freakin' good!
:)
Get thyself to a Rega dealer if at all possible to hear it.

So, the short answer is, NO. Don't do the Sony. The Apollo, due to its new technology with the laser, will blow anything else in the range out of the water. I am so confident of this that I predict many reviews shortly will confirm my assessment. Beginning with Mike on the West coast. Mike, are you there? He's probably listening to his Apollo, unwilling to socialize. Can't blame him. In fact, I'm leaving to go listen! ;)

Tough thing about this hobby, you have to trust other's perceptions. Trouble is, do they perceive music well? That's where the judgment and guessing comes in when you can't go to hear a component. DO NOT make mistake of bypassing the Apollo simply because more is written/known in the public about the Sony. If you're absolutely unsure,wait a bit longer to see more reviews. Then you could be satisfied.

Hey Doug. Yeah...I'm here. Let me be the second one to recommend the Rega Apollo. I was running a Jolida JD100 cd player and was very happy with it. However...I was not hearing all of the music through the Jolida. Didn't know that until I heard the Apollo. No knock to the Jolida player because it makes beautiful music, but now that I have the Apollo in my system it's like I'm hearing my cd's for the first time. The Apollo is the best sounding cd player I've ever heard. It has a rich, full bodied voice that is totally pleasing to listen to. I just listened for nearly 4 hours straight and am totally in awe of what I just experienced. The Apollo not only seems to be able to extract more information from the disc, but all of that information makes it through to the final presentation in a way that I would have to describe as luxurious. It's total ear candy!
I bought mine unseen and unheard...based soley on reviews I had read and on the recommendation of my nut job audio friend Doug Schroeder. No regrets on my end!
I highly recommend the Apollo to anybody considering it. Can you get a better player? Probably...but at what cost? The Apollo at msrp is in my opinion one of the best audio deals you could make. Audition one if you can, better yet do yourself a favor and get one. You won't be disappointed. The player speaks for itself in a language we all know and love...sweet beautiful music!
Enjoy and everybody have fun!

DSchroeder & MJ
What are your thoughts comparing the new Apollo with the current Jupiter 2000? Also, have you guys heard any rumors about the Saturn (jupiter replacement)?
Thanks,
Bird

This was from a rega dealer in London:

The Apollo is slightly different in its presentation to the Jupiter so I
wouldn't want to say one is better than the other, but the Jupiter has
extremely good bass extension, definition and scale and the Apollo is more
forward through the mid range with greater retrieval of ambient/acoustic
information. We have both on dem here so you're welcome to book an
appointment and come and have a listen for yourself.
If I can be of any further assistance please don't hesitate to let me know.
Best regards,
Peter Empson
Noteworthy Audio

The Saturn still in early stage but the first listening session by them was impressive according to one of the team member.

I have not had the opportunity to compare the Jupiter to the Apollo. However, I understand that the Apollo is better than the Jupiter. I understand that the Jupiter was only marginally better than the Planet 2000, and many people decided the extra cost was not worth it so they went with the Planet 2000. Well, I owned the Planet, and the sound isn't even close to what the Apollo can do. A HUGE leap forward with the Apollo. Based on that, go straight for the Apollo. I agree with Peter, the Rega dealer's assessment that the Apollo gives better " greater retrieval of ambient/acoustic information." At least from my experience, the Apollo gave SPADES, nay, DUMP TRUCKS, more of that information than the Planet 2000! Ok, I exaggerate a bit, but the difference was not subtle.

Friend of mine in Washington, Mike F., who just posted above, dumped his Jolida 100 for the Apollo. He's amazed and overjoyed at how much better the Apollo is than the Jolida. I put some of his comments on the Digital board over at Audio Assylum. If you read them, I think you'll get a sense of how much a significant improvement we're talking about.

Mike said he wouldn't mind having his email posted:

MJFVASHON@aol.com

The Saturn seems to be about 9 months away, from what I can tell, possibly by winter this year (Nov/Dec '06). THAT'S A GUESS, NOT A COMPANY COMMENT. I had not heard of anyone doing listening tests on it. If so, then it's much further along than I knew.

Frankly, my mind is having difficulty imagining how the sound can get much better than with the Apollo. It seems to me we're really moving into a new level of two chanel audio quality (at least, for the little guy who can't part with $4K plus for cdp) with Rega's new laser assembly.

If Rega can do another step up in overall performance on the Saturn like it has with the Apollo, WATCH OUT! I have been joking (only slightly) that vinyl is in trouble. If they can keep the improvements coming, imho vinyl WILL truly be in trouble.

Thank you for your your thoughts and opinions. They have been helpful.
Peter - next time I am across the pond, I will stop in for a visit.
Regards, Bird

I just listed to the Apollo at my local dealer and BOY was it good. I listed to both the Planet and the apollo back-to-back. Although I have spent time with the Planet and would have purchase dit, the Apollo exudes a greater sense of realism, as though I were in the audience at a live concert. In comparison, the Planet sounded good, but a bit dull, which you might only detect if you conduct a sie-by-side comparison. To be sure of my initisal impressions, I will be auditioning the Apollo again next week. If my initial impressions are confirmed, I will buy it on the spot.