Cambridge 740c or Rega Apollo with Linn and Sonus

Rotarius, you've heard all three players? I've heard the NAD, but not in my own system, and I find it hard to make assessments using unfamiliar systems. One never knows if they have the polarity right, or grounding correct,or the power cords touching the interconnects/speaker cable, all of which can kill one's ability to determine the traits of ANY component. Plus, room acoustics mask detail that would otherwise be apparent.
What was your experience when you heard the Apollo and Cambridge players?

Gbmcleod, yes but not all at once. Apollo was lean sounding to me. Like so many other players at this price point, these are nice players but none really stand out of the bunch. I then settled for a quad cdp-2 which I liked after trying the Marantz 8001. I thought it was the best of the bunch. Recently, I wanted to get a nice dvd/sacd player so I bought the Sony 999es. Much to my dismay, the 999es was more enjoyable than the Quad. The Quad is a bit more open in the midrange and projects vocals nicely. The 999es however is more dynamic, has better bass and is equally smooth. I am now trying some DAC options with the sony. Again, replacing the NAD in this case is a sideways move.

Rotarius, I'd agree with your conclusion about the Apollo, although I'd call it less 3-dimensional rather than lean. In my system, it has other appealing aspects,such as a cleanness and low noise floor. And it does play music, not merely sound.
I'm not at all sure I'm in agreement about the Cambridge player, though. (Incidentally, I see the poster mentioned the 740, and I have the 840C, so...). It differs from the NAD to my ear, in that the NAD has a very immediate presence, but not quite the same degree of inner detail. For example, while it has great microdynamics, it doesn't quite sound as though it's being played by a person. What I mean is, it doesn't reveal the "human" touch in the way that, say, an Arcam FMJ 23, which, whatever its faults, sounded as though instruments were being played by a human being. For me, that is more important than "good bass" (not that you said this), or good highs. I want to hear music made by human beings, and many components give one great sound, but without it sounding as though there's a person attached to the instrument. It is almost as though a spell was cast on the instruments, causing them to simply "play." The Cambridge, which, at 2 days, is slooooooooooooow to unfurl its abilities, sounds as though a person is touching keys, blowing, stroking, striking, and, in general, making music. Hard to quantify, but I heard live music several days a week (piano and flute) for years, and I observe a big difference between "sound-making" and "music-making." Of course, it's too early to tell, but the Cambridge has those aspects, if one listens to live music often. I'll just need to see if it increases in that ability. Time'll tell!!!

Day 6.... The Cambridge finally, FINALLY showed some break-in....it's akin to glacier movement... the presentation is relaxed and the tonality of instruments makes it easy to sseparate oboe,clarinet, flute,piccolo and bass clarinet from each other in a composition. Sounds rather unlike either a NAD or an Apollo to me, but furthur break-in (at least 48 hours more) will be allowed.
What I found interesting is instruments previously buriend or not at all apparent with an Apollo or NAD, such as in Lt. Kije, movement 1 around 2:52 - 2:56. There is an instrument doubling the strings. It's a piccolo, which I hadn't heard before -- even with vinyl. And it's presented with some air around the piccolo, not just a "sound in the back." Around 3:05 or therein, a player sneezes. I had heard this many years ago with my WATTS and vinyl, but have never heard it with CD (Not that I'd ever bothered to buy a $10,000 rig, but I had reviewed a CD player or two and never even noticed its there). Also,this is heard with the Arcam FMJ A-22, never, in my mind, a champion of low-level detail.
The most impressive thing is the timbre: this is NOT the timbre of a standard CD player. The Apollo does not have this fidelity to timbre, although it IS musical. When you can pick out instruments by how their sound is made, that's a different ballgame. Most players just make the sound and one happens to know what it is from memory (i.e., played it a thousand times before).
Lets see what else time reveals.

I don't know if this is instructive because there are probably few parts in common, but my Cambridge Azur 640C v2 was still presenting new musical perspectives after many months of playing. Sometimes I would put in a disk and go "Wow! It didn't sound like that before". More detail, smoother leading edges and more nuanced decay. Your mileage may vary... Curious that some components seem to take longer to "bloom" than others.