I am a CD only audiophile… that occasionally uses Tidal, so this topic really interests me.
To me well designed and built CD players are the way do go, for sound, ergonomics, pleasure of use, aesthetics and value. The Rega Saturn (which I still have the MkI version) is one fine example of a very balanced machine in everything aspect.
The above aspects are also important in every piece of gear that I bough.
We using a dac, I prefer a CD transport (or streamer transport) to keep things in the same page. Both have their own independent power supply and are optimized for a single funtion.
That said, I stick to brands with good engineering and design and stop think about it.
The experience of use is hugely important for me and because of that I couldn’t use a (cheap) DVD player… but neither could I spend more that $2500 in a piece of gear, because that is were the good value is.
The Ayon mentioned in the video, looks like one of those low value components, and I wished Guido did compared it with other more affordable CD transports or CD players, from Rega, Cyrus, Moon Audio… or even the new Shanling ET-3 CD transport, that sells for less that $900.
I am just sharing my point of view and am not trying to teach anyone about this matter.