Rega Apollo or Marantz SA7001

prashanth14485

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Hi guys,

I have decided to buy a CD Player latest by the second week of Feb. I have shortlisted these two players and wanted to get your opinion. At this point, there is one last piece of 7001 left with dealer nearby for 30K..

My cousin in coming from London in Feb and she can get the Rega Apollo for about the same price. Which one would you guys suggest? I am using a Marantz PM 15S1 Integrated Amplifier and don't ask me about my speakers because that will be my next purchase :)

To give you guys an idea, I listen to a bit of Pop, soft and folk rock, celtic, Rahman, etc..

I'm inclined towards getting the Apollo more because of the price and the reviews it has got.. but just so as you know, I'm open to your suggestions on a 3rd or 4th CDP too..

Thanks guys!!
 
No doubt Rega Apollo will be better than SA7001 but it should be quite costlier too.

It will end up costing me pretty much the same because I'm going to have my cousin bring it from London. It costs about 32K if I get it from there..

Also, why do you say Apollo is better? Just for my understanding, could you please describe a little more.. thanks!!
 
Google rega apollo , you will come to know .

I did google the apollo and have read some great reviews about the player.. The only problem is that there is no comparison between the Marantz SA7001 and Apollo on the internet. Marantz too has been reviewed highly of.. hence the confusion..

I haven't heard the Apollo before so wanted to check with you guys before spending on it.. Sadly, there is no dealer in Delhi for Rega so my decision will rely on your valuable comments and on a bit of reviews on the net..

Cheers!
 
I had an opportunity to listen to rega appollo and marantz sa 7001. My vote went for rega appollo for the following reasons:

- music was transparent and lively and definitely better than sa 7001
- resale value (this hobby is addictive, you may like to change your cdp, may be after a few months/years. At that time Rega Appollo has a commendable resale value compared to sa 7001, imo).
- When you are getting both for the same price, you should pick up rega appollo.
- It is learnt that sa 7001 is available at the show room in India for around 30K.

As pointed by another member, pl. note that the seasoned audiophiles like sidvee is using rega appollo paired with B&W 805, usher be 718 etc.

cheers,
 
I had an opportunity to listen to rega appollo and marantz sa 7001. My vote went for rega appollo for the following reasons:

- music was transparent and lively and definitely better than sa 7001
- resale value (this hobby is addictive, you may like to change your cdp, may be after a few months/years. At that time Rega Appollo has a commendable resale value compared to sa 7001, imo).
- When you are getting both for the same price, you should pick up rega appollo.
- It is learnt that sa 7001 is available at the show room in India for around 30K.

As pointed by another member, pl. note that the seasoned audiophiles like sidvee is using rega appollo paired with B&W 805, usher be 718 etc.

cheers,

I really appreciate you elaborating it for me.. So at this point, i think my inclination towards Apollo should remain intact.. Your advise taken and have already sent a PM to Sidvee.. I will let you guys know what I buy latest by the end of this month..
 
Prashanth - saw your pm - figured I would reply on the forum so others can benefit as well.
First off - I have not heard the Marantz SA7001 so I cannot comment on this player - and I can't help you there.
Regardless for what it is worth, I have a marantz sa8260 SACD player(which was also a stereophile class a rated player for 3-4 years) that I bought 5 years ago and of-course the Rega Apollo which I bought 3 years ago - so I can compare both. Both of them cost $1000 in the US so it will be an apt comparison. To put it simply - based strictly on sound quality alone for CD playback - my preference would be the Rega Apollo - and without launching into a huge discourse of this player (you can read all the reviews on the net for this:lol:) the reason for this IMO is that it is quite analog sounding without the typical digital signature of clinical, incisive and coldish sound. In fact IMHO in its price range it is the best analog sounding player there is - period. That being said - rega has some issues with its transport - I have had problems with mine (and quite a few people on the net have reported the same) - wherein it wont read some CD's whereas the Marantz is a rock solid player and even after 5 years is going strong in my system - albeit only for SACD playback and I have upgraded to the Ayon CD1s for Cd playback since.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Sid
 
Last edited:
Prashanth - saw your pm - figured I would reply on the forum so others can benefit as well.
First off - I have not heard the Marantz SA7001 so I cannot comment on this player - and I can't help you there.
Regardless for what it is worth, I have a marantz sa8260 SACD player(which was also a stereophile class a rated player for 3-4 years) that I bought 5 years ago and of-course the Rega Apollo which I bought 3 years ago - so I can compare both. Both of them cost $1000 in the US so it will be an apt comparison. To put it simply - based strictly on sound quality alone for CD playback - my preference would be the Rega Apollo - and without launching into a huge discourse of this player (you can read all the reviews on the net for this:lol:) the reason for this IMO is that it is quite analog sounding without the typical digital signature of clinical, incisive and coldish sound. In fact IMHO in its price range it is the best analog sounding player there is - period. That being said - rega has some issues with its transport - I have had problems with mine (and quite a few people on the net have reported the same) - wherein it wont read some CD's whereas the Marantz is a rock solid player and even after 5 years is going strong in my system - albeit only for SACD playback and I have upgraded to the Ayon CD1s for Cd playback since.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Sid

Thanks a ton for your detailed response.. :)
 
For the Price you are getting the Rega, it is a Steal. Buy it. If you are not satisfied you can sell it with out burning your pocket.
Also look for Marantz SA11S1, you will get good bargain in UK , since its a discontinued Player and will go well with your PM 15.
 
Let me give you one more option. How about Pioneer PD-D6MK2-K SACD player!!
PD-D6MK2-K Super Audio CD Player (Black) - Pioneer Super Audio CD Player

At your budget its a steal. Specification wise its as good as a very high end CD player. It has Twin Burr-Brown D/A Converter. Further its fine tuned to meet the standards of AIR Studios, London. And there you will get this for aprox 350 which is still less than 25.5k INR. So you can save some for your Speakers and IC purchase. I personally auditioned it and loved the quality. And if you think Pioneer is not into big time high end, then I would like to let know that Pioneer makes speakers which is more expensive than most of the so called high end brands whopping 35L INR. And those stuffs are popular in European market:eek:hyeah:.
 
The decision is unanimous. The winner has to be...

three%20quarter%20Apollo.jpg


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Thanks for all your help.. I have a twist in the tale..

Rega Apollo wins over the Marantz SA7001 but how does it fair when compared with the Arcam FMJ CD17.. I am getting both player for less than 35k..

Sorry for adding to the confusion..
 
When you compare the sound alone , both the Arcam and Rega are very very good. But there are few issues in the Rega like not recognizing few discs ( i dont know if that have been corrected in the recent players). I have that issues only few times now.
Another thing is there should be adequate space for the top loading for rega. The built quality is good , but the packing quality is very very poor, so if you are getting it from UK , kindly make some extra packing.
The arcam as of i know have no problem and very popular Machine. It should win by a narrow Margin over the Rega in Terms of sound quality and Built quality.
 
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