elnero
Headphoneus Supremus
I managed to get to an audio dealer on the mainland that carries the Cambridge Audio Azur 540C and 640C. Listening was initially done through the headphone jack on one of the Cambridge amps and later with an NVA headphone amp. This is a brief comparison done in an audio shop so take it for what it is, it's not scientific and my impressions might be different given more time but in the end these impressions are what we have to go by when buying equipment. I should also note to those new members that my listening preferences lean more towards "musicality" than "neutrality" and "accuracy". I use those terms rather lightly as everyone has a different perception of their meaning but by using them I think most will understand what I'm getting at.
The first thing that struck me about the new Azur players was how attractive and well built they appear. There was an older 500SE beside them and it looked sorely out of place. Cambridge has definately upped the build quality significantly with the Azur line.
There wasn't anything that reached out and grabbed me when I started listening to the 540C. It was making music and it was doing it quite well, definately much better than my DVD player that's for sure. It had a sweet top end and midrange with a nice solid bottom which seemed to have good extension as well. There was quite a bit more detail than I'm used to hearing but it presented itself with a subtlety that didn't draw attention.
Switching to the 640C I could immediately tell these are from the same family but the 640C is definately the more mature sibling. Tonally they are very similar but the 640C added detail and effortlessness with an extra element of space, blackness and air around the instruments.
On a whim I switched over to a nearly twice the cost but older Arcam CD72. This is where I realized how special the Cambridge players are. I didn't listen for long to the CD72 but what I got from it was a bit more bass slam, faster, brighter and the impression of more detail but also added what I felt was a level of digitalitis. The CD72 sounded edgy by comparison. It just didn't sound effortless or natural in the way either of the Cambridge players did. I hesitate to use this comparison as it's been awhile since I've heard a good turntable but it's the best way I can think of to describe the difference. To me it was like switching from a decent analog source to a decent digital source. I don't want to say that the Cambridge players are on par with a good turntable but it was reminiscent of the times I've heard a good turntable then gone back to CD.
As good as I felt the players were I definately thought a good headphone amp would be a distinct benefit. The Cambridges headphone jack is OK but does sound quite flat. Luckily I got to swap out the Cambridge amp for an NVA heaphone amp. I've only heard the NVA one time before and was mightly impressed with how sweet it sounded so it was no surprise that an already good sound turned great with this setup. The soundstage opened up, everything had their own space, the bottom end became effortless, the tonality of instruments shone through much more. This is a bit odd to describe but for me it was almost like the headphones disappeared. Now this is pretty darn close to what I've been striving for!
Again I switched back to the 540C with basically the same results, still a strong family resemblence but the 640C just took it to higher level if you will. And again I switched to the CD72, and again there was that edginess to the music. I personally would take either Cambridge player over the Arcam any day but I'm sure others would disagree.
The 540C IMO is a great player, especially for the price it's retailing at ($489.00 CND). I could easily live with it and depending on my budget I just may. The 640C ups the ante significantly IMO and easily justifies the extra price tag. If I can manage that much ($699.00 CND) then definately that's the player I'm going after but I won't be disappointed if I can only afford the 540C. I strongly recommend anyone looking for a relatively cheap CDP to look into both these players, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
The first thing that struck me about the new Azur players was how attractive and well built they appear. There was an older 500SE beside them and it looked sorely out of place. Cambridge has definately upped the build quality significantly with the Azur line.
There wasn't anything that reached out and grabbed me when I started listening to the 540C. It was making music and it was doing it quite well, definately much better than my DVD player that's for sure. It had a sweet top end and midrange with a nice solid bottom which seemed to have good extension as well. There was quite a bit more detail than I'm used to hearing but it presented itself with a subtlety that didn't draw attention.
Switching to the 640C I could immediately tell these are from the same family but the 640C is definately the more mature sibling. Tonally they are very similar but the 640C added detail and effortlessness with an extra element of space, blackness and air around the instruments.
On a whim I switched over to a nearly twice the cost but older Arcam CD72. This is where I realized how special the Cambridge players are. I didn't listen for long to the CD72 but what I got from it was a bit more bass slam, faster, brighter and the impression of more detail but also added what I felt was a level of digitalitis. The CD72 sounded edgy by comparison. It just didn't sound effortless or natural in the way either of the Cambridge players did. I hesitate to use this comparison as it's been awhile since I've heard a good turntable but it's the best way I can think of to describe the difference. To me it was like switching from a decent analog source to a decent digital source. I don't want to say that the Cambridge players are on par with a good turntable but it was reminiscent of the times I've heard a good turntable then gone back to CD.
As good as I felt the players were I definately thought a good headphone amp would be a distinct benefit. The Cambridges headphone jack is OK but does sound quite flat. Luckily I got to swap out the Cambridge amp for an NVA heaphone amp. I've only heard the NVA one time before and was mightly impressed with how sweet it sounded so it was no surprise that an already good sound turned great with this setup. The soundstage opened up, everything had their own space, the bottom end became effortless, the tonality of instruments shone through much more. This is a bit odd to describe but for me it was almost like the headphones disappeared. Now this is pretty darn close to what I've been striving for!
Again I switched back to the 540C with basically the same results, still a strong family resemblence but the 640C just took it to higher level if you will. And again I switched to the CD72, and again there was that edginess to the music. I personally would take either Cambridge player over the Arcam any day but I'm sure others would disagree.
The 540C IMO is a great player, especially for the price it's retailing at ($489.00 CND). I could easily live with it and depending on my budget I just may. The 640C ups the ante significantly IMO and easily justifies the extra price tag. If I can manage that much ($699.00 CND) then definately that's the player I'm going after but I won't be disappointed if I can only afford the 540C. I strongly recommend anyone looking for a relatively cheap CDP to look into both these players, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
