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Cambridge Audio 840c - Page 3

post #31 of 112
9/11/08 at 1:32pm
Hopefully I can buy one soon. This is a good deal, beside I haven't found any cheap Marantz or Denon players.
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post #32 of 112
9/11/08 at 3:48pm
It's back in stock in the UK at Richer Sounds now.

It's so difficult to decide between this and the Benchmark/Lavry. Just can't find a definite set of reviews to push me over the edge.

This has a CD but the DACs have head amps built in, so cost wise you lose something either way if you want just a DAC.

I'm going to be stuck with it for a long while and I don't want to regret it.
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post #33 of 112
9/11/08 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stvn758 View Post
It's so difficult to decide between this and the Benchmark/Lavry. Just can't find a definite set of reviews to push me over the edge.
Let me assist you with your decision. I own the Lavry DA10, the Benchmark DAC1, and two Cambridge 840Cs. I go back and forward between the DA10 and the DAC1 as to which I prefer (currently the DAC1), but I prefer the 840C to both of them by a significant margin. Also, the headphone amp in the DA10 and DAC1 are no more than adequate - I always use an external headphone amp with these. However, the ability to play CDs in the 840C as well as its multiple digital inputs is very useful, and outweighs the advantage of the mediocre headphone outputs in the two DACs.
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post #34 of 112
9/11/08 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross View Post
Let me assist you with your decision. I own the Lavry DA10, the Benchmark DAC1, and two Cambridge 840Cs. I go back and forward between the DA10 and the DAC1 as to which I prefer (currently the DAC1), but I prefer the 840C to both of them by a significant margin. Also, the headphone amp in the DA10 and DAC1 are no more than adequate - I always use an external headphone amp with these. However, the ability to play CDs in the 840C as well as its multiple digital inputs is very useful, and outweighs the advantage of the mediocre headphone outputs in the two DACs.
That's very helpful, thanks.
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post #35 of 112
9/11/08 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranzaddict View Post
I am interested in getting the 840c. Currently I am using a Jolida JD100 as source, although I like the overall warm and emotional sound of this tube CDP, but feel like I am missing too much of the detail and resolution. Will the 840c be a substantial upgrade over the JD100 in the resolution department, as well as bass, dynamics, smoothness, and soundstage? Is the 840c a better music maker than the jolida? A kind thanks to all!
I have never heard the Jolida JD100 but what I've read it sounds impressive, the Cambridge 840c is as you've described, lots of detail, dynamics and resolution. I was listening to Yo Yo Ma's Bach suites for solo cello last night, for the first time I didn't realise he plays through whole suites without stopping. So at the end of each piece you hear the pause and reverberation of the surroundings as well as Yo Yo Ma making slight adjustments, amazing! On the other hand listening to John Haitt's Bring the Family, there's a sense that the detail is slightly hyped, this can be overwhelming as well as fatiguing with longer listening sessions. I must say that really well recorded reference cd's like say Patrica Barber sounds excellent, double bass is very detailed and full. Chamber and orchestra are wonderful also, with only the slightest hint of the midrange being a little dry. At the moment emotionally my system is a let down I have some ridculously long and cheap power cables running all over the place, I will post impressions once I have sorted this out. Everyone hears things differently and there is no real absolute, so all of this is IMHO.
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post #36 of 112
9/11/08 at 8:35pm
I'm really intruiged by the 840c and wonder how it will compare vs. my Apogee MiniDac. Anyone ever compare these two head to head?
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post #37 of 112
9/12/08 at 1:22am
I have 840e pre-amp which is so cool and both treble and bass are tunable.
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post #38 of 112
9/12/08 at 1:59am
Eastwood Hi Fi has none left.
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post #39 of 112
9/12/08 at 2:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Audio-Omega View Post
Eastwood Hi Fi has none left.
Bummer, they had a stack there 2 weeks ago, could even pick the colour!
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post #40 of 112
9/12/08 at 3:44am
Other shops have them but I don't want to pay full price, I would rather spend it on an amp. Never mind, I shall keep looking. There is a Musical Fidelity A5 cd player selling for $2,600 but it's a bit expensive.
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post #41 of 112
9/12/08 at 4:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Audio-Omega View Post
Other shops have them but I don't want to pay full price, I would rather spend it on an amp. Never mind, I shall keep looking. There is a Musical Fidelity A5 cd player selling for $2,600 but it's a bit expensive.
I’ve not heard the Musical Fidelity A5 cd player so can’t comment on sound, but it may not compete with the Cambridge 840C in regards to versatility. If I’m not mistaken it doesn’t have digital inputs so it’s just a stand alone player for cds only also it’s not balanced. This to me would be a big drawback. Unless the sound quality can make up the difference which would be an incredible feat considering the 840’s notierity. If it was me I’d buy the Cambridge for retail, over the Musical Fidelity and save $400.
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post #42 of 112
9/12/08 at 5:22am
Yeah 840C has more options. Ebay has them every so often.
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post #43 of 112
9/12/08 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Thorsen View Post
I'm really intruiged by the 840c and wonder how it will compare vs. my Apogee MiniDac. Anyone ever compare these two head to head?
One last shot, for laughs.

I'm considering getting one of these in here and doing an A/B but before I go through that I just want to see if anyone else has already blazed this trail or not.

Ross in post 33 kind of gives me a ballpark idea since the Benchmark and Lavry are all excellent DACs and comparable to the Apogee Mini-DAC. I just wondered if there was anything more direct...


http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Me...oduct_Count=48

Seems expensive. Is there any merit to any of that?
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post #44 of 112
9/12/08 at 3:28pm
A quick question for those of you with 840c's... Is there a way to use an extrenal digital processor?
Say you put a CD in the Cambridge, digital out to say a Behringer Ultracurve, digital out to the digital in of the 840c and, voila, analogue to the setup.
As far as I know, other CDs with digital "ins" refuse to do that, but...?
Thanks!
Regards
Josep
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post #45 of 112
9/13/08 at 4:08am
yes you can upsample to 192 digital out to external DAC from 840c but it can not accept a digital in at the same time from the same 840c. To do what you want to do you'll need 2 x 840c cd player from my understanding of things

(a) 840c digital out --> DAC then digital out--> (b) 840c ---> amp

(a) 1st 840c (b) 2nd 840c
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