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Upgrading from Rega Apollo to Rega Saturn CD??

The Rega Apollo is a very good player, but after 3 years of ownership, I would like to get something better. I considered just upgrading to the Rega Saturn, and despite its great reviews, I am hesitant. I am hesitant as to how much better the Saturn will sound.

If I sell the Apollo, and buy a used Saturn, the difference could be $600 or less. If I buy a new Saturn, I know I will have to put in another $1200-$1300. I want to avoid that type of expense, despite the fact that Rega has dropped the retail price on the Saturn to $1895.

So, I like to hear from members who upgraded from the Apollo to the Saturn, and can inform me about the improvement in sound, and whether in the end it was worth it... OR MEMBERS who owned the Rega Apollo and upgraded to something OTHER THAN THE REGA SATURN.....that did not cost a fortune, AND IS A DEFINITE UPGRADE IN SOUND.
sunnyjim

Showing 3 responses by kbarkamian

kbarkamian
647 posts
 
Rega is being a bit contradictory about the Apollo R's performance IMO. From their website...

"...an ideal ‘CD format’ front-end for the Rega DAC."
So does that mean that the DAC will imporve the sound of the Apollo R? Sound to me like that's the case.

But later they say...

"The DAC and the output amplifier of the Apollo-R have been enhanced using the Wolfson WM8742 digital to analogue converter, the same integrated circuit found in the Rega DAC."
Does that mean the Apollo R and DAC sound the same? I'd imagine their would be less jitter in a dedicated CDP than a transport to DAC, if all things are equal. So do they mean the Apollo is at least as good as the DAC?

Maybe it's salesmanship - let people who think the Apollo R and DAC combo will sound better buy that, and let people who think the Apollo R and DAC sound the same buy the Apollo R.

The only answer will be a demo.

Also, the Apollo R may narrow the gap between the Apollo and Saturn, as Paul Darwin of Rega has said the Mira and Saturn will be updated in the future. They'll be full sized boxed. I'm assuming the the hierarchy in sound quality will be Apollo R, DAC, and new Saturn. They'd be stupid not to have it that way IMO - start out with an Apollo, add the DAC for better sound, then buy a Saturn for even better sound.

And for the record, I think Apollo R is a stupid designation. The R designation made sense on the Brio, as it was the first one to use a remote (I think that's what they said/implied the R is for). The Apollo has always had a remote. But I have no training in component naming, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I'm sure the minds at Rega considered this.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
Also...

When the new Saturn comes out, I'm sure the current Saturn's price will drop a good amount. Kind of like the Apollo's new price has dropped - it's currently $699 at Music Direct.

The downside to waiting for the new Saturn is no one has any idea when it'll happen. I'dsay a bit later than sooner, but you never know. Rega's been on an update roll lately, which could mean it'll be soon, or could mean that they've been working on everything else and haven't gotten to it yet.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
As long as Roy Gandy is calling the shots, Rega will always be made in England.

I think it makes a lot of sense why Rega didn't include pre-outs on the Brio R - it's a compact component. Adding a power amp negates that. I think Rega is probably thinking people who want a small and unobtrusive system will buy a Brio R, and those who want a full sized system with numerous boxes will buy the Mira.

I could be wrong, but I think they're discontinuing the Cursa, Maia, and Exons. I'm pretty sure I heard the Exons were going to be dropped, but don't hold me to any of that. I'm a huge fan of the Cursa and Exons. If I had the money and the space, I'd be all over them. I'm more of an integrated amp guy though; keeps things simple.
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