Tracking Angle, Michell Audio Apollo Phono Preamplifier & Muse Power Supply

Michell is a name that’s primarily associated with turntables, John Michell was the engineer who made turntables for Transcriptors in the early days and started building his own models in 1976. Michell remains one of the longest running independent turntable companies but it has plenty of experience with electronics. The first example was the Michell Iso distinguished by a black acrylic case and a distinctly fast and engaging sound, that phono preamp was designed for the company by Graham Fowler and Tom Evans of Trichord. The Iso lives on in spirit at least as the Tom Evans Micro Groove but it is Graham Fowler who created the range of electronics that were sold under the Michell brand in the nineties and beyond.

Michell’s return to phono amplification is the Apollo and Muse power supply ($4,000), this looks very similar to Trichord’s short lived Neo and CM-PSU that never went into production as Trichord stopped building electronics shortly after its launch. But the Michell Apollo carries the flame for Graham Fowler’s circuitry. When I spoke to Michell MD Jonathan Nye he explained that the Apollo is not simply a rebadged Neo but an upgraded version with higher quality components…..