ambd
Member
- Thread Starter
- #41
Hi, I am happy that the review helped you somehow. I have news about my experience with the Apollon that may help you further. I was about to send the Apollon back when I decided to make a last test. So, before packing the amplifier. I decided to reset my whole speaker position to zero and turn off the subwoofer and reposition the speakers from zero.Hi really nice and honest review.
I am also trying getting used to the same amp, i guess the packaging is as it is, but seems to be stable enough.
We also seem to have a similar setup, though i do have the miniDSP flex balanced (4V output). So i only use the 20.5dB gain setting.
This info below is what i took from another thread here.
12.8dB = 11.5Vrms
20,5dB = 4Vrms
27,5dB = 2,4Vrms
29dB = 2Vrms
Regarding your pros I probably couldn´t have said it better myself. It´s definitely a solid amp plus there is no noise coming out of the speakers at all, even if I get real close.
But regarding the cons, even though i don´t know what the weak link in my chain is, my room, my speakers, the Wiim Streamer or my own preference?
It kind of sounds (exaggerated a bit) like the instruments are being played in a sound chamber or a black hole.
Plus there is some area - not sure what frequency range, that sounds kind of mushy. I do have some room modes though, in the area between 80 and 275Hz but these didn´t just appear with the new amp, so ...
I mean i bought the amp to have something different, something smaller, more efficient, more powerfull, less noise, an improvement overall... and i do get all these improvements. But the musical satisfaction just isn´t at 100%. So i might experiment with another pre-amp as well, might be difficult to find something suitable as i am not a big fan of ending up with four devices in my chain. streamer, pre-amp, dsp and amp. It just get´s too complicated for everyone else to use.
I followed the Sumiko method with Jennifer Warnes ¨Ballad of the Runaway Horse¨, as I have done several times. You can follow the steps here - https://www.thesoundapprentice.com/2019/11/sumiko-speaker-placement-guide.html
And after spending almost 3 hours, I was like wow, what a difference. Surely, some of that harsh edge is still there, but the center image is solid like a brick, and more importantly the midrange is not recessed anymore, it is very present. Due to the midrange being more present, in comparison to the extremes of the frequency spectrum, the harshness is not that easy to perceive. It is incredible how much change pays to properly position the speakers.
Surely, there is still much to improve to give a more 3d character to the center image and to smooth out a bit more those high frequencies, but having a solid center midrange at the right level is a very good starting point for an amplifier, like the Apollon, that does many amazing things.
So, after that and still trying to get to the sound I like, I got an Aiyima T8 tube preamplifier, and I inserted in the chain right after the Mini DSP Flex, so one pair of RCAs, for the main speakers with high pass filter and a bit of PEQ go from Mini DSP Flex to Aiyima and then to the Apollon and to the speakers. And a second pair of RCA goes from Mini DSP Flex directly to subwoofer.
With the Aiyima in, even with the stock tube, the harshness was a bit gone. But the sound became a bit muddy, the frequency extremes loss a bit in dbs, and the soundstage lost its accuracy. So, I got an NOS tube, the Western Electric 396A tube, I placed it in the tiny Aiyima T8 and the improvement in sound was nothing short of dramatic, all in all very positive. I still lost significant focus in imaging, mainly in instrument separation and soundstage accuracy, but the sound became very pleasant. I also lost some dbs from 12Khz up, but I gain some dbs in the bass region although probably the bass became a bit loser. The soundstage did not shrink horizontally, just lost some focus, but it gain a lot of depth. I am amazed by this tube.
The midrange, with that tube in, was the best I have been able to extract from the Apollon NCx500 and that may be enough to close the deal. I listened to some of my classic jazz favorites, (Hawkins, Webster, Quebec, Peterson, etc) and it was very a pleasant and long session. Long is important because I did not develop any sound fatigue.
Now, that I am starting to see the real sound of this amplifier, I think it really needs a good tube preamplifier that does not color a lot the sound, just softens the edges, gives presence, and leans a bit on the side of neutral (as opposed as super warm). I am still considering what would be a clear better option than the Aiyima T8. The Schiit Freeya name is everywhere but I am not sure that is going to be much better.