Rega Saturn. Is it really a giant killer?

Do you Saturn owners leave it on 24/7? I see there isn't a "standby" mode.

I leave mine on continuously, which was recommended by the US distributor. I turn the display off most all the time.

I have mine plugged into surge protected power conditioner so I leave it on 24/7, only consumes 15 watts or less.

I don't like the term "giant killer" since this has a cynical or hyped tone to it, but I think the Saturn is very high performance for the money, great for audiophiles with real world budgets. I also think it looks very stylish and love the top load door function, very elegant.

I had both the Rega Saturn and the Meridian G08 for a few months and decided to keep the Saturn, it was a tough decision though. I have not heard the Appollo but have read comments from several other owners at other forums that lead me to believe Saturn is noticeable improvement.

I run my Saturn through a tube hybrid integrated which gives me a very nice full balanced sound.

I have owned both and have put in at least 200 hours with each at this point. I originally purchased the Apollo when it first hit the market and was very pleased overall. I felt it could have used a little improvement in sound stage depth and it was also a little weak in the bass and was slightly lacking in the way it handled the upper 3 octaves but considering the price, the Apollo was very musical and revealing. I liked it so much in fact that it got me into playing my CDs again, something I hadn't done for a while. It also motivated me to see what else was out there in CD players.

I ended up trading up to a Saturn after listening to a Meridian G08, a Krell SACD Standard and a Marantz SA-11. Regarding the Krell and Marantz, I was more interested in the CD playback since I don’t have a SACD collection and didn’t want to start collecting again in another format. I felt that the Saturn was the best value of this group.

Getting back to the comparison between the Apollo and the Saturn, the Saturn is a more refined version of the Apollo. It has a similar sound but an expanded sound stage in both depth and width. The bottom end is more detailed and extended and handles the upper octaves with a lot more naturalness. It is without reservation, a significant step up. Is it worth 2.4 times the Apollo-another AGner pointed out the law of diminishing returns and I must agree. It was worth it to me to trade up but if I were on a limited budget, I could be very happy with the Apollo.

I agree with Bmontani. Saturn is a significant step up from apollo. I had Apollo and upgraded to Saturn. Saturn is less bright and has more detail in the bass.