General Information
The new Cambridge Audio Azur 550C CD player offers mind-bending performance from what at first appear to be a relatively modest design. That's because simplicity and purity is the name of the game when it comes to delivering excellent dynamics, clarity and superb timing from music of all genres. Performance is way beyond what you'd expect from a player as affordable as the Azur. "Cambridge Audio gear is well built, and everything is created and designed in-house with a clear vision of what's important about hi-fi," notes New Zealand's Tone magazine, Issue 78. "This has never been more apparent than with the quite splendid Azur 550 matching integrated amp and CD player, which herald a new chapter for the company." But arguably the most important development is the introduction of an entirely new in-house designed servo solution. Whereas many 'comparable' CD players utilize an inferior CD/DVD-ROM derived drive, the 550C takes full advantage of Cambridge Audio's audio-only, CD transport which is coupled to a new highly sophisticated S3 Custom CD Servo. This third generation audiophile servo employs an all-new chipset and the latest double-sided surface-mount technology for ultra short signal paths with freedom from wire links. The net result gives the 550C extraordinary ability to retrieve maximum digital information while maintaining extremely low jitter, quashing the digital noise that affects your listening pleasure. After extensive listening tests, Cambridge Audio's engineers decided that it was possible to raise the performance of the trusted Wolfson WM8740 DAC to even greater levels, So this legendary 24-bit, 192 kHz-capable DAC proudly features once again. The Wolfson DAC also features a selectable digital filter with two settings, enabling you to tailor output to best match your taste.
