Phono stage
above typical
Among the 44 phono stages in the catalogue, this one is above typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
Designed by Graham Fowler (formerly Trichord Delphini) — same designer lineage as the legendary Delphini. Apollo+Muse is effectively the Trichord Neo/CM-PSU prototype reborn under Michell's brand and refined component selection.
Two-box: Apollo (audio circuitry) + Muse (linear PSU). Internal DIP switches for loading; fixed 100pF MM capacitance.
WhatHiFi 5-star: "beautifully made two-box phono stage." Hi-Fi News lab measurements: gains slightly understated by Michell (measured higher than spec); RIAA accuracy excellent.
Assessed against 9 rivals across the sixty systems: 5 head-to-heads won, 49 lost.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Anchored brief, the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
Against the Intimate brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gains most on tonal body.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up low-level clarity under the Intimate weighting.
lovely bass, detail and impact, rich, roundedHi-Fi News (Smith), 2025
8 lost · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.
dual-monoMusical Fidelity M8x Vinyl press record
7 lost · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the Rega Aura Reference MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Crimson gives up low-level clarity under the Intimate weighting.
3 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
3 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Colibri, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Colibri gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.
0 lost· 2 won · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU takes the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
0 lost· 2 won · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU takes the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
0 lost· 1 won · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU takes the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU is the stronger phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
Apollo + Muse PSU reference Michell phono Michell Apollo + Muse PSU positioning· Micro-dynamic resolution
a fundamentally neutral performer, a window onto the music Hi-Fi News (Smith), 2025· Harmonic texture
lovely bass, detail and impact, rich, rounded Hi-Fi News (Smith), 2025· Tonal body
positioned within an authentic three-dimensional space Hi-Fi News (Smith), 2025· Spatial resolution
relishing every detail within a recording Hi-Fi News (Smith), 2025· Micro-dynamic resolution
RIAA tracking within +/-0.1dB SPEC: RIAA accuracy +/-0.1dB (manufacturer)· Tonal body
| mm capable | True |
|---|---|
| mc capable | True |
| mm gain db | 40 |
| mc gain db | 50/60/68/73 |
| mm load resistance kohm | 47 |
| mm load capacitance pf | 100 |
| mc load resistance options ohm | 33/100/430/1000 |
| riaa accuracy db | 0.1 |
| input overload mv | 188.0 |
| output level mv | 1000 |
| output impedance ohm | 110 |
| balanced output | False |
| power consumption w | 5 |
| psu external | True |
| notes |