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218.186.11.1
Hello to those who I have communicated just a few threads below,Guess what? I bought the 840c today. Brand new in the box and I have so far played it for 3 hours and it is running-in. You can say I bought it almost blind (or deaf) for that matter. I played it for 20 minutes at the store and in ten minutes, I know pretty well that I was getting it.
Initial impression:
From what I have spoken to KT88, yes, it is not as fluid sounding as the rega saturn. Its signature is very much Orpheus/Anagram sound but it is not as good as the Orpheus Zero CDP, which I used to own. The surprise is, it sounds very similar to the Mimetism 20.1 CDP, which I also had at home about 3 months back. Needless to say, the Mimetism uses Anagram architecture too!What I can say for now is that the 840c is a poor-man's Mimetism. The Mimetism 20.1 costs 3X more than the 840c, but sonically they are almost identical and that by itself is a spectacular feat. FWIW, a 3 month gap does not help in my comments here, but the "feeling" of listening to both players reminded me of their similarities and presentation in music. Both created the same emotional response in me.
As a sidetrack, the Orpheus Zero CDP is at least 4X more than the 840c. The Saturn's price is 1.75X of the 840c. I admit that I was more for the Saturn's fluid analogue sound which I think is more superior sonically, but the cheaper price and 2 digital inputs on the 840c made my decision.
Maybe when I have the time, I will report back when the 840c has crossed the 100 hour mark.
Christmas is early for me! Cheers! ;-)
Follow Ups:
Just a thought, you think CA will do the same thing like they did last time and pull out a 840C version 2?The version 2 for the other 2 CA range came on without any price increase. Talk about value!
That's silly. Of course they will eventually build another player that will be the successor to this one. You don't just expect them to fold up shop now after designing this one do you?;-) - "Well, that's it guys, we did it." "Better gather up all of your tools and head to the mills; no need to ever build another CD player now." ;-)!The V2 units of the 640 series were significant improvements and came out quite a while after the initial product release. They incorporated another complete stereo DAC and created a dual differential design. The 840C is at another level and includes that initially. They could offer a unit with more expotic parts at a premium but that is unlikely. More likely will be a different player yet at a lower price point. Time will tell. Meanwhile, holding out for what might or might not happen in the future only guarantees one thing - poorer sound today!
-Bill
Thanks for all your comments and here is my response,Hello Quint,
You are right! The law of diminishing returns is a painful one, especially in digital audio. I was not willing to spend too much on a digital format as this medium is still evolving. Generally, I have seen and heard many top $10K players in its heydays, trashed by $2K newcomers 3 years down the road. Will the 20 year old CD medium continue to evolve at this rate? I don’t know. The evolution might slow down, but until then, I am happy with a $1.5K budget as a cutoff line.Hi Mysticaldodo,
I live in South East Asia. The 840c is made in China, while the Saturn still comes from the UK. Therefore, the price of the Cambridge is lower (naturally deflated? ;-p) than Western countries’ and so the value-for-money factor goes up even further.Dear Tostadas,
Thanks for your tip. I am not ready to destroy the player yet! But I will be playing around with some isolation products later when the sonic is more stabilized.Hi PureAudio,
Oh! I forgot to mention that I didn’t use the stock cable provided. I took it home and immediately plugged my Oyaide L/i50EXs into it. So I don’t know how good the improvement over the stock cable it is yet. As at now, it sounds pretty good to me. I have Synergistic power cords too, but it is now loaned out to a friend.Happy Holidays, folks!
...thing you might consider is to upgrade the power cord. I use the Asylum cord on my Cambridge and the improvment was not insignificant.
WB, you haven't hear what the 840C is fully capable of until you install Herbie Audio's Tenderfoots. The two front footer are easy two unscrew from the inside. The back two footer are the problem because they are located under DAC board. What I did was turn the CD player over and with a hacksaw split the back plastic footers in half until the screws fall out but I'm sure you will destroy your warranty. What I'm hearing is more audio information, decays are lingering longer, bass is deeper and tuneful. Well let me put it this way, you will need a $2,000 combo table, arm, cartridge to compete with the 840C, it's that good. Can I make a suggestion, since the front footer are easy to reinstall, replace them with the Herbie Audio Tenderfoots, if you hear a difference for the better, go ahead and destroy your warranty.
.
No
Hi, WB:The 840 is a great player--and not just "for the money." I agree that the Rega is more fluid-sounding, but who knows if that fluidity is truly accurate? Regardless, congrats on your new player. Sure, there are always "better" things out there, but, as you noticed, the law of diminishing returns often kicks in with a vengeance. Enjoy!
The Saturn cost more then 2x over here :(Looking forward to your observations :)
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