Audio Dropping Out on Rega Apollo and Saturn

I was able to fix my apollo. The problem is due to a sticky laser transport. I noticed any time I would get the "no-disc" error, that I could not hear the laser move. In fact, I noticed it would always be in the same position.

I was able to gently (with force) move the laser assembly all the way out and then back to the inner position. This cured the problem for about 30 mins, until it started dropping audio and then would not read the cds again.

I then lubed all the gears and track with very light machine oil. Haven't had a problem since.

For what it's worth, I owned a Saturn for a few months last year (purchased brand new) and had the same issues as Fillmoor. Namely, the player not responding properly to remote control commands to change song (it would go to the wrong song), and also cutting out the first second or so of pretty much every track that I skipped to. If I hit stop then it seemed to right itself more or less, and unplugging the unit would right it entirely (for a little while). Not major problems, but annoying all the same. I traded the Saturn in for another player, but it was so that I could get the matching player for my amp (not because of the issues I had).

I'm considering the purchase of an Apollo now (yes I switch gear too much - I'm still trying to figure out what I want from my system). I'd buy Rega again if I determined it was the best player for my current set up, but as of this moment I'm considering various options. I'm not too worried about the glitches as I'm confident I'd have the support of my dealer, but of course it's a tick against Rega when comparing with other brands. They may just be glitches today, but what'll they be five years from now?

Well, I bought an Apollo, 35th Anniversary SE (couldn't resist when I found out my dealer had a couple still left), and it failed the first day I had it! I played one song, hit STOP, and it wouldn't. Opened the lid, it kept playing. When the disc finally stopped, the Apollo had trouble recognizing when the door was opened or closed, and it wouldn't initialize discs (and by extension does not play anymore - the disc doesn't even spin). It's currently in for repair.

I'll tell you this though - it sounded amazing for that half hour it worked. It seemed to really have synergy with my Audiolab 8000S and Quad 12L2 speakers. I can't wait to get it back, but whether I keep it long-term or not I don't know. It's going to have to play reliably over the next couple of years.

I agree with Cableplex, as I had the same problem on my Apollo with long disc read times, audio dropouts and No Disc read errors, until it failed to function entirely. I applied a light coat of sewing machine oil to the laser tracks utilizing a q-tip and it now reads discs as quickly as it did on day one, and no more dropouts. I was able to move the laser head by rotating the exposed gear. When I get some time, I plan to figure out how to remove the cover so I can apply a drop of oil to each gear bearing as well.

Just checked this thread to find three new responses.

The lubrication issue is interesting and worth following up.

Thanks everyone.