[Jam_Master_J]

I'm looking into getting a decent stand-alone source. I'll be using my Grado SR-325s and PIMETA with it(unlikely to do any major upgrades for a while)and my new stereo rig I'm doing up in coming months consisting of: Either Adire HE 10.1 or GR AV3 speakers and some kind of stereo amp(probably a Cambridge Audio one).

I'm trying to decide between the 540 DVD and 640C CD. Now, I'mpretty sure the 640 will be at least slightly better than the 540 for red-book. However, the 540 also gives me DVD audio and is cheaper($489CAd vs $599CAD). I don't plan on buying a ton of DVD-audio, but it would be nice to have the option.

What do you guys think is a better source for my situation?

 

[RHMMMM]

I have heard the 540D, but not the 640C. From what I heard of the 540D - it was excellent. I loved the build of the unit too. It was very sturdy and the remote was heavy and metal, I think...and heavy metal remotes are always a plus in my book, even though they don't have anything to do with sound quality.

I was actually thinking of getting the 540D at one point, but I opted not to in favor of the future purchase of a universal player or high end CDP. If it was between the 540D and 640C, though, I'd probably go with the 540D because of its capabilities and lesser price - and it sounded good to my ears.

 

[Jam_Master_J]

Quote:

It was very sturdy and the remote was heavy and metal, I think...and heavy metal remotes are always a plus in my book, even though they don't have anything to do with sound quality.

This is good news, I'm a big fan of solid build quality and lots of metal, even if not having any real sonic effect(also see SR-325).

 

[Jam_Master_J]

Any other opinions?

 

[Pat]

I've been using my 540D as a DVD player for about 6 months now. It definitely holds its own against other budget CDPs in terms of redbook playback. However, the 540D does sound a little cold for my tastes. I actually find the old D500 CDP model more musical. Also, the transport is slow, clunky and feels unresponsive. It takes way too long to load discs. The button layout on the remote also sucks. Personally I'd never use it as a primary CDP.

But I'm being picky here. I still think it's a great budget player. Plus it's built like a tank and looks more expenisve than it is.

 

[Tuberoller]

The Azure players are my favorite budget redbook players right now and both these players illustrate how far digital sound quality has come over the last few years. To my ears these players sound nearly identical to the much more expensive Arcam players. Just a few short years ago we all would have been paying big bucks for the great sound quality we can get in the Azure 540 and 640. As much as I love the resolution and detail of the 540,the 640 adds a measure of midrange definition and tonality that is worth the added price over the life of the player. I think you'll simply listen more and enjoy that listening more when you get added sonic performance in the mids,where most of the music is. Both players have killer,deep and authoritive bass and this is what I think makes some of the budget redbook-only players such great deals. The combo players often skimp on the deepest bass and most of them I've heard closely follow this pattern. There is no-short changing of the bass with the azure players and I think they are easily the most "analog" sounding of the current budget players.

 

[Jam_Master_J]

Thanks for the reply!

Would you think that my current SR-325/PIMETA combo is of a high enough calibre to make the differences between the two players noticeable?

 

[Tuberoller]

Yeah,I've only heard one PIMETA but it sounded pretty good. The SR-325 are a known quantity that sound great so you should very easily be able to hear the differences.