DVD player with Rega Apollo sound quality?

Well, you'll get a lot of varying opinions about whether audio and video can coincide in the same box and perform as well as their standalone counterparts. My own opinion is that until you get into the big buck$$$ "combo" machines, the audio section is likely to suffer. So, either you have those kind of deep pockets, or, if it is convenient, you have separate players...or, you can do what I do: use a less expensive DVD/CD player and use the transport to drive a separate, mid-range DAC for the audio. YMMV

CD

dbossa,

From my experience, as long as one cannot 'see' which player is spinning the CD, pretty much any CD/DVD deck of sufficient quality (say, the 3 - 4 hundred dollar range) will 'sound' as good as any $2000.00 'redbook-only' deck. All of my unsighted evaluations have shown me this to be true, as have all of the other unsighted evaluations I have read in the past 10 years. Differences are only audible if one of the units is an absolute beater (old DiskMan for example) or simply defective.

I know, I know, this comment may upset a few folks - but stop - just stop right there: conduct a few strict, and totally honest with yourself - unsighted evaluations with a helper - and you'll see what I mean.

You'd have to be quite the geek to start pointing fingers are any well-designed CD/DVD deck - and if you're that far gone, you are analyzing the hardware - not enjoying the music, and as such - have missed the point altogether...

Andrew D.
cdnav.com

According to tha latest Stereophile, the Oppo 970 "embarasses" a lot of much more expensive players.

I was looking at buying a cambridge but after getting my hd-dvd player and listining to the analog outs I am not so sure I want to spend 750 on a cd player. I hate to buy stuff and take it back. I am not that kind of person. That is why I do the research before I buy.

The Yamaha dvd-s2700 has seperate laser pickups for cd and dvd's and it's supposedly an audio oriented universal player.

Take your hd-dvd player to the shop with you along with some of your cds. That way you can compare with the input devices as the variables. Let YOUR ears be the judge.

Nobody can do that for you in writing or on the internet.