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70.57.101.174
Fellow InmatesI am interested in this CD player because it has digital inputs for use in a PC based system also. I would appreciate any feedback you can offer regarding its sound quality.
Thanks
DSG
Follow Ups:
Following a week of listening to the new Cambridge Audio Azur 840C, it appears to be an excellent CD player and DAC. Very smooth with great imaging and soundstage depth. The bass is very agile, yet is rich and full when the source material calls for it. Highs and the midrange are clean without "digital" harshness or glare. The noise floor is vanishing low so the music emerges from a very black background enhancing dynamics. The decoding from a Cambridge DVD-89 player and cable converter is very similar and seems equally good with glass Toslink and a variety of coaxial cables. Give the 840C a listen if possible, it is worth the effort. A formal review will be coming along in the near future.
Just happened to be at the book store and gave it a quick read tonight.
The review is of the integrated amplifier and not the CD player
I'm still waiting for my free issue to come in the mail.
I appreciate the time and effort spent to respond to my question. Now I need to audition the player.DSG
We have one here and have a local customer who owns it also. We also have the Rega Apollo and the Rega Saturn in the same room as well as a few turntables. We have only had the 840C in one system so far and it sounds very good indeed.Initially I will agree with others here that it is smooth, easy to listen to but not in a really sweet or a rolled-off sort of way. It has amazing dynamics and excellent bass response. It is as heavy as many amplifiers, way larger and way heavier than any other Camabridge Audio product, no kidding - it outweighs the 640A! The new 840 series is really the first high end products that they have made. Not merely just great performance for the money, they now offer excellent quality and performance when compared to products at any price.
One of the most notable things is the separation of instruments and channels. Very distinct and that shows up in both good and somewhat bad ways depending upon how the recordings were mixed. It is not a flaw by any means as even the real obvious ping-pong stereo type mixing sounds very good when done properly, it just allows you to hear into the mix and if it is done abruptly and at different frequencies, etc then it does almost stand alone. Clarity of vocals, intruments, room ambience, etc is all retrieved very realistically. If there is any flaw, it may be that it is not the most "organic" or "fluid" sort of sound, but really comes close to pulling that off as well. Not too many nits to pick really.
I have the Rega gear in close proximity and they definately sound different and as many would imagine, you get just about what you pay for in each. Each has their own voice and all are very easy to listen to and really advance the digital format to a level that makes analog work that much harder! Probably the very best feature is the almost unique to Cambridge, pair of digital inputs. That allows two additional sources to get the same access to this new DAC as the CD player, so you get three for one here. That tempts me as I have only three sources that I use at home in my main stereo. I combine two by using a DVD player as a dual format unit, connected to my preamps internal DAC, and also have the satellite receiver connected to its other input. This unit would allow all of that but also a dedicated CD player. I would only need to get a decent, affordable DVD player for the video portion. That would allow the use of a tube preamp which does not have a built-in DAC, etc and so open a few new doors (perhaps even a revolving one, argh). I like what I have now, but this is really cool ;-).
-Bill
RE:"The new 840 series is really the first high end products that they have made."Cambridge Audio was a pioneer in high end digital long before they turned their attention towards the NAD/value conscious segment of the hobby. Their CD1 was widely regarded as the very finest CD player of it's day, iirc retailing for the then astronomical price of $3000 in 1986 dollars and with performance surpassing the more widely known and coveted Meridan players.Cambridge Audio were the very first to introduce a two box cd player and won numerous industry awards for their innovative designs.
I don't recall any super expensive products, but I do remember their DACs and transports, etc. They have certainly always had better digital products than amps as long as I have known them. The latest crop of amps is the best that I have seen them produce. Their CD players have always been the best bang for buck that I have found yet I have never seen any of the quality of the latest Azur series. So it's nice to know that they go back even farther with some nice pieces that were designed more as an engineering challenge rather than as a commercial product.
-Bill
Thx for the info.Finding personal opinions for the 840C is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I distrust few hours audition (even with my own ears) but for some reason where I come from, they refuse to bring in the 840C unless its on special order, not even a demo unit is available.
The Rega Saturn is way overpriced here (old fashion dealer), so I'm hoping this thing would be the giant killer. I believe the Apollo is probably not in the 840C league, anyway its overpriced here too ;)
I'm kind off worried about what Hi Fi Choice said about the anti alising not quite doing the trick. Did anybody hear anything off with the treble?
Well, they are very expensive and have a limited number of potential customers so bringing one in for show and tell is not always a wise business decision. You have both furthered and exemplified that point with your pricing comments, which are unfair to the dealers. You must understand that these products are not "overpriced", they are frankly just expensive. If they were indeed "overpriced", then the dealers would gleefully bring them in by the truckloads. They simply cannot afford to do that, not even a single piece.Your "old fashioned" dealer is likely one to respect and one to support. He is still there and still bringing nice products to your community. Keep calling them "overpriced" and "old fashioned" or whatever and shopping on-line. Very soon, they will either also stop carrying any demos or pull out of town entirely. Then you will not have any place to see or hear any nice products. It is the paying customer who supports his local dealers that permits those same dealers to offer excellent demos and service. I think people are finally begining to realize that as the internet has aged and the once new frontier has destroyed some of the older, more friendly and reliable ones. Certainly not all dealers are polite, helpful, or whatnot but they are just people like you and I'd be willing to bet they their behavior is learned. If you were to support them by buying products after using their showrooms, they would probably be much more receptive to supplying top quality service and yes, even better pricing. That's the way that it works here anyway.
-Bill
I am interested in both machines, and I wonder which is the one to go for.Previously I had a Orpheus Zero CD Player and I know the Cambridge's DAC is a joint development with Orpheus Laboratories. Like you I like the option of the DAC inputs which my Squeezebox could use. But till now, I have not listened to the 840C yet.
As for the Saturn, I do like it's musicality and flow in music.
I am caught in a bind here... ;)
They are both great sounding players. If you have heard the Saturn, then you are half way there to making a decision. Yes, you really should hear both if you are that torn about it. If you already have a suitable DAC for the Squeezebox, then the Saturn will make for a great main system player and one that you can be certain of as you have heard it.Tonally, I find the Saturn to be warmer and easier to listen to than the 840. Both are non fatiguing but the Saturn has a richer, more analog sound. The 840 is at least its equal in dynamics and is possibly greater in that area, which is truely amazing as the Saturn is very dynamic. Where they part company is that the Saturn manages to do that without getting too analytical or forward. I don't want to describe the 840 as being one that suffers from the typical digital flaws as it does not. It also has an amazingly high level of resolution without glare. It is just that it really strips recordings bare so that you can here things like micing techniques which would not be noticable on lesser machines. The Saturn also has that sort of resolution and I can't say that it is quite as great, but nearly so. What makes the Saturn special is that you still get to hear the micing techniques if you listen for them but they don't impose themselves on the recording in such a way as to separate its parts. The Saturn provides a more fluid rendering of the details and so I keep going back to describing it as "very analog like". I also have four turntables and cartridges set-up in the same room so it is rather easy to compare them all even though they are not all connected to the same system.
Some people might prefer one clearly over the other as the differences are noticable. Obviously, the different loading styles, with the Satun being a top loader and the 840C being a front loader, may help some people decide due to placement desires. Both sound so nice that you can't really say that one is better than the other. They do portray the same discs somewhat differently and the best advice that I can give you is to listen to both. If that is not possible, then you might consider that the Cambridge 840C seems to provide greater separation and perhaps a more dynamic, articulate view while the Saturn allows a similar level of resolution and bass with a smoother overall layering of the sound. I hope that helps you. I find often that the more you read, the more confused or torn you become, so there is no substitute for listening.
-Bill
KT88,
I have been trawling the asylum for information on the Saturn and 840C and your single post is the most helpful to my search. I understand what you mean when you said the 840C is the more "Analytical" one between the two machines, as I can easily relate it to the Orpheus Laboratories' sound.Once again, thanks for your wonderful information. I think I know what I want for Christmas now!!!
Cheers!
It seems that the older we get, the harder we are to shop for. My little girl asked Santa for "Chocolate" this year (she's two). I love the simplicity and innocence of that :-)!
-Bill
Hello Kt88...did you notice a big difference in the sound of the Saturn after you played it for a 100 hrs. or so?? I just got one a week and a half ago..
thanks
Matt
Not really. You will notice a difference from cold to warm operation and it can take that player like two or three full days to warm up and stabilize due to its heavy cast aluminum chassis. I find that to be true with any preamp or digital gear of any quality. The first 30 minutes have the most effect, then the next, then after a few hours it becomes really esoteric and very little change can be heard.I don't really recommend leaving most gear on 24/7 but that may actually not really hurt it either. As long as you turn off the display, it will not effect that. I leave my preamp and amp on all the time. Warm-up differences are subtle but many people can hear them. Not everyone even has hearing to allow that, so you may not notice any improvement at all beyond say an hour or two of warm up time. I would venture to say that most people looking into gear at this level probably can hear some warm up effects but then I can't hear for them either. In any case, I would not get too bothered by that. Just enjoy the tunes and it will occur at its own pace and if you can hear further improvement, great, and if not, well at least you have been enjoying the tunes!
-Bill
You have really gone the extra mile and have my thanks.
I just got the Cambridge Audio 840C a week ago. On first listen it did not sound good, no depth to the soundstage and the placement of the imaging were vague. After about two hours I started hearing some depth perception. I have now had the Cd player on continuously for 190 hours and it has open up beautifully. This is an easy player to like with no listener fatigue even after several hours of continuous listening and it has develop a nice full body 3D imagining of the singers but not to the extend that one hears from a good vinly setup. At it's price, I don't think you can do better.
Hi everyone. I just yanked out the original cheap plastic footers from the 840C and installed 4 Herbie's Audio Lab Tenderfoots. I'm not kidding, the subjective audio improvements is something like 5-10%, taking this CD player into killer territory. The bass is more tuneful, the imaging more realistic, highs are shimmering while at the same time sounding warm and organic. I can't help but think this is the sound Cambridge Audio engineers were after.
I have heard it very briefly in-store. I liked it much better than the 540 / 640 lineup, thought it had no problems in the highs, but beyond that can't say much. So... seems to be worth a longer listen.
Dear Inmates, It would be interesting to compare the 840 with the Rega Apollo CD player. Or even the Oppo Digital player as featured in this month's issue of the absolutest journal; it sells for one tenth the price. Keep listening. jkwinn
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