Having lived happily with an Apollo pre for a good few months, I decided to go for the C core upgrade. The transformers have been in my system for only a week, but it is a huge improvement. I have noted no negative aspects to the sound, but the soundstage is widened, the lower notes especially are in greater definition. In fact, the whole sound is tighter, more detailed and more engaging.
I have run my source directly into the power amp, but the Apollo previously was a more engaging sound, with some aspects of detail lost at the expense of drive. This is not the case now with detail preserved and no losses obvious, but a more listenable sound. For my system, the Apollo was the best I had auditioned, with its' original transformers. With the leap in performance now, I am more than content with it.
SB+, Apollo, Pass Labs X250, Shahinian Obelisk, Cerious Technologies speaker cable, Harmonic Tech i/c
