REGA APOLLO

To answer your question about break in, while it is good sounding right out of the box, I found that after 50 or so hours a new Apollo really starts to sing. After that, mine kept getting better in subtle ways for some weeks.

I agree about the 50 hours of play. After that I think you just enjoy it better. I like the burn in CD's, setting your FM tuner to pink noise and I play something like the 2007 Grammys CD that has a variety and dynamic music. My personal method of breaking in any units is to turn them off/ cool down 100% and then on again. I run them for 8 to 10 hours in a given day. No reason to know if this is better.

There are 2 power conditioner products that I think do help your system that are worth the money. Not excluding a dedicated (or 2) circuit for your audio. I have used the Richard Gray and ordered a new Furman that has more outlets. If you have not tried this. Try it. It will make your Apollo and system sound better.

I just bought a new Apollo a few months ago, and have been very happy with it. I would say that mine only required about 25 hours of break-in to sound really great. I bought it because Rega tries very hard to make their players sound more like analog - less harsh than just about any other player out there, certainly at their price point. I would argue that there is not a better one under $5000, except perhaps the Saturn. But at more than twice the price, go for the Apollo.

I had the Apollo and sold it about nine months ago. It's a nice player but had a stealy quality to some guitars which I could not live with, maybe a system mismatch. To say "that there is not a better one under $5000.00" is a very big stretch although I'm glad you enjoy it.

It is a good machine. It does have a refined sound to it, the treble is clean. I think it was a bargain at the old price (I got one new fo 900), at the new price of $1200, I'd spend a bit more and spring for a cambridge 840C. You ask about them being up for sale- there has been a steady stream of them up for sale for a long while now- there always seems to be at least a few and sometimes a dozen or more up here. Why do new machines with such lauded sound quality appear on the used market so often? It does'nt take a genius to figure out. for your information
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/rega-apollo-saturn-buyers-beware-323583/