B&W 804S, Krell 400xi & Rega Apollo

[Turkish1480]

Has anyone heard this set up? Will the Apollo calm down the upper frequencies of the B&W and Krell set up? I am a big fan of Krell and love the idea that two small pieces of electronic gear can be a true high end setup. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Cheers!

[Briz vegas]

Don't own the Krell, but................I tried the Apollo with my 804s for a weekend, primarily because I could not get a hold of a Saturn for home demo (Brisbane is a Saturn free zone - no one keeps them in stock).

I had being living witha Nad T562 DVD as a source since I purchased my 804s last year, and I had just tried the Shanling T80 - which had an exciting dynamic sound but seemed to lack the focus I was looking for. By comparison the Apollo seemed very controlled and measured in its musical presentation. Unfortunately after the Shanling it appeared a bit lacking in dynamics. What I did notice is how amazingly unfatiguing is was after a long session comparing players, straining to hear every possible difference (When there are dollars involved I find that process a bit stressful) - then hooking up the Rega it was like taking a deep breath and relaxing- its a very natural sound. The highs were certainly more subdued (integrated?) in the mix compared to the other players. From all the reviews I have read it is the Saturn that does an even better job with the high freqencies.

(note: in a recent comparison of digital vs vinyl this was one of the interesting differences - digital had a tendency to compartmentalise the sound within the soundstage, the analogue sound did not have the edges that drew attention to each element, not unlike the Rega sound - hard to describe, you have to hear it by doing the comparison yourself)

Ultimately (for my ears) I found that the 804s deserved higher investment in the front end if I was to be free of the upgrade bug. Naim 5x almost got me there, adding the Naim power supply and a better interconnect got me the sound I was after.

I summary, Apollo & Saturn are both well worth an in home audition.