Dali speakers + Rega Apollo

[Chokobolt]

Hi 😉

Do you think the Rega Apollo would work well with my Dali Ikon 5 mk2 speakers?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think they will work great - I use Rega Saturn with Ikon 6 mk1 - fairly similar combination.

Ikons are fairly laid back as far as speakers go (indeed I think they have somewhat understated bass) and Rega CDP have quite strong bass and great timing - so that would work very well together. However, if my experiences are anything to go by, you will also need to have a gutsy and fairly energetic amp to use with them - stuff like Naim, Nad etc. otherwise you might end up with a sound that's too warm. Not heard your Emotiva gear, though, so I couldn't offer an opinion of how it would sound in this context.

Hope that helps!

 

[Chokobolt]

Great answer 😉

I believe my 250 w per channel 8 ohm is fairly gutsy 😛

But it's funny you mention the combo might be a little warm: I read a review of the apollo, and they said that it was a bright cd-player?

What do you think of that?

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say the Apollo is bright-sounding in the same way that Cyrus or Naim CDPs are bright-sounding. I think that it's got a great sound that actually very well rounded and very well integrated, with the bass frequencies impressing me in particular.

I initially had my Rega / Dali setup with an Arcam amplifier - a really good one at that! - and the overall sound was definitely too warm, the mids were too recessed-sounding. I wouldn't say the Rega CDPs are particularly bright or that Dali's lack mids - I think it was the interaction of the Arcam amp with the Rega CDP and Dali speakers that was responsible. Somehow there was too much low-mids coming through at the expense of everything else. You may find your experience to be different, but I came to the conclusion that Rega sources & Dali speakers need an energetic amp - goodbye Arcam, hello Naim - and in my case problem was solved.

So to try to answer your question - yes I think Apollo would work great with Ikon 5's, provided your amp (&cables) have a suitable sound and everything interacts well. I think finding a particular piece of gear to work within a completed system is where hi-fi really gets exciting / frustrating (delete as appropriate).