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| Cambridge Audio Azur 840C CD player |
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 Average Rating: 5 out of 5 No. of Reviews: 4 RRP: £750 Year: from 2006 Description:
Size: 115 x 430 x 360mm
Weight: 8.5kg
Line out: Single ended, balanced
Digital out: Coax, optical
DAC: 24-bit upsampling
Formats: CD, CD-R, CD-RW
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|  | | Posted: 07/06/08 | | 'VERY GOOD FOR THE MONEY.' | | Strengths:
An excellent DAC that you can use for your DAB radio and Squeezebox.
Well built | | Weaknesses:
A little plain looking.
Doesn't play MP3s natively. | | Overall:
This is a stunning player for the money. It supplanted a Meridian 506 in my system.
The 840c is heavy and well built. The CD drawer is a little basic but overall it feels like quality and is certainly a lot for the list price.
The sound is neutral bordering on the smooth and the unit is viable in an high end system.
Most importantly, it can be used as a DAC for other sources like the Squeezebox or for DAB radio. For many of us, we are at the point of leaving CD behind. After you've got rid of your CDs, the player still has a life as a really excellent DAC with very advanced upsampling technology. It's actually best to think of it as a DAC that happens to have a CD transport rather than as just a CD player.
I suspect this is going to be my last CD player. |
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| | | | Performance | | 100% | | Build | | 100% | | Value | | 100% |
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| | | | Posted: 02/04/08 | | 'CLEVER AND REFINED NOISE REDUCTION' | | Strengths:
These comments are based upon the use of the balanced outputs of the 840c into a Krell KAV 400xi and Martin Logan Advantage electrostatic speakers. The 840c’s dither is set to “off” (do play with the circuit, its educational and sometimes useful, usually on early DDD recordings). The 840c’s transport is also used to supply raw digital data (16 bit mode) to a Lexicon DC2/ 24 bit digital controller, used in two channel modes, for the cross feed of interaural time differences as well as the creation of a spectral tilt (as in the old Quad tilt control).
Used as a transport for the Lexicon, the 840c sounds just like my 17 year old Sony EX7SD. The Sony is a 32 pound “tank” that in feel and mechanical smoothness is superior to the 840c, but in today’s money it would cost more than $4,000. When plugged into the 840c for digital processing and analog output, the Sony EX7SD sounds “just like” the 840c!
The balanced and unbalanced outputs of the 840c sound almost the same. As the Krell’s volume control is a resistive ladder network, I cannot match outputs closer than 0.3db. Thus the small differences, if any, can be the result of this volume difference.
As to sound, I did not compare (in home) the 840c to any CD player or digital converter still in production. Yes I auditioned a few in dealers’ show rooms, but with different speakers, preamps, amps and rooms, one does not know what part of the system is responsible for the difference in sounds.
The “big” difference I found between 840c and other CD players (in home) is in the handling of the leading edge or bite of musical instruments such as violins, flutes, horns and so on. This is especially true when the musical instruments are being taken to their limits. There is a fine line between what I call bite and hardness and the 840c manages to stay on the “correct” side of the line more often than not. Older digital converters often go too far over the line and the “truth” becomes hard and distorted. The Lexicon DC2 on the other hand over compensates (I call it the “dithered twice” sound – that is why you may want to play with the 840c’s dither circuit, you may like the sound of “dithered twice”).
| | Weaknesses:
Does not have a sealed transport and is prone to dust in the laser assembly area. Do not stack the 840c to create the chimney effect. | | Overall:
Neutral but detailed sound that can, to some degree, be tailored to taste and other equipment. |
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| | | | Performance | | 100% | | Build | | 80% | | Value | | 100% |
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| | | | Posted: 03/09/07 | | 'FABULOUS CLARITY' | | Strengths:
Utterly professional and unswervingly true across all ranges and for all types of music. I'm matched with the 840A sending balanced output to Dynaudio 140's and quite honestly when real musicians hear it they are gobsmacked. | | Weaknesses:
You will throw away your bad recordings and hastily copied disks because it shows them up. | | Overall:
I have wondered whether the 740C would have been good enough for my ear because this certainly exceeds all my expectations and I think is almost too good for me. |
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| | | | Performance | | 100% | | Build | | 100% | | Value | | 80% |
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| | | | Posted: 10/04/07 | | '840C IS ANOTHER LEGEND PLAYER' | | Strengths:
Has a level of spaciousness and resolution that is above and beyond that of a player at this price point.
Great detail and resolution.
dig ins and outs
upscaling
balanced output
sound quality | | Weaknesses:
Takes a long time to sound its best.
We have found out of the box a very ordinary almost lifeless sound.
Takes at least 200 hrs before sounding its best. Make sure you listen to one that has had plenty of playtime | | Overall:
This player is a must listen and is a giant killer for the price. |
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| | | | Performance | | 80% | | Build | | 100% | | Value | | 100% |
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