In case anyone's interested in the Rega Apollo-R CD player (and the Rega Brio-R amp)....
I've just demo'd the Rega pairing against the following CD player & Amp combinations: Naim 5i; Cyrus 6 SE; Marantz Pearl Lite; Audiolab 8200.
Originally I didn't have the Rega's on my list, but the ace team at Sevenoaks S&V in Manchester suggested that I should listen to them. I'm very grateful for their advice, because to me the Rega system sounded clearly better than the others, so I bought it.
I found that the Naims were fine, but not very musically engaging and just a little harsh in places. The Cyrus combination was a little better, but very close in sound. The Marantz Pearl Lites were strong on vocals, but a bit confusing when listening to busy instrumental sections (though they were fresh out of the box).
I thought the Audiolab kit was excellent, with great detailing of the instruments. When I compared this to the Regas I found the latter to be warmer and projected the music as a unified piece, rather than separate elements. My choice was which I wanted to hear more of - the detailing, or the song. I chose the song, and therefore the Regas (and I also think that the Regas provided good detailing anyway). I'm absolutely delighted with the Regas, and look forward to re-discovering my music collection. I recommend anyone to at least listen to the Rega equipment.