I've tried cheap DVD players but the mechanical operation noise has been too distracting to enjoy.
I have quite a few CDs containing audio which flows from one track to another. Unnecessary gaps in playback destroys the listening experience for them as unnecessary silence interrupts the music flow. Also, while the gaps are silent, the player creates more mechanical sounds as the laser resets to change tracks. Pink Floyd DSOTM and The Wall are good examples, but there are plenty of others. It's very common in live and orchestral music albums.
Aside from the annoyance, introducing gaps in CD audio doesn't conform to the Redbook audio standard and means the players are essentially broken out of the box. It *shouldn't happen*, but it does because modern cheap DVD players read the CD audio as Track-At-Once (TAO) like a CD-ROM.
It was used in the early 80's as a way of noise reduction technique. It was implemented on a number of albums in the 80's but is not used nowadays. Still, as part of the Redbook standard, all CD players *should* support it but many don't. It should also be implemented in DACs, but many don't.
Read about it here:
wiki.hydrogenaud.io
Yes you may be able to find a good quality and good condition DVD player which meets your requirements for cheaper. I've been lucky to find an early 2000's era Pioneer DV-686A new in box that does all the above (although I don't use the DAC). You never know how much life they have in them though as the components fail with age and use, so it's great to have a well-priced current option. I need one to replace a Sony Blu-ray player which doesn't have an inbuilt display.
In addition to the other requirements, I'd also like it to support HDCD. I'd much rather HDCD support than MQA.