Strenghts: Crisp and clear treble, tight bass.
Design.

Weaknes: Midrange and power.

Similar Products Used:

Audio Analogue Puccini.

Paid: 150 € used.

Warm, detailed, balanced and very musical

None thus far

Bought this looking for an upgrade to the system in my bedroom. Buying online, I tend to rely on reviews like these because it is not often possible to preview equipment. Hence, I am posting this review for other on-line punters out there. I have paired it with a Sony XA2ES CD Player, Wharfdale 9.1 speakers, Qunex interconnect and qudos biwire. Replacing a Sony TA-F448E amp. The Sony amp proved a damn hard act to followand a great amp. The first supposed "replacement" didn't beat it!
The Cambridge is an upgrade, being slightly warmer and very musical. I've linked it to a Sub, but not too bass shy without.At least I have that option through the pre-out. Volume aplenty on tap, and refined, balanced tone that suits me in a wide range of musical syles. I'm really happy with it and almost disappointed that, in the meantime, my quest for budget musical nirvana in my bedroom in fulfilled. I still wonder how it would match up to a Rotel or Nad, but am not prepared to spend money for a blind test!

Customer Service

Hopefully will never be required!!

Similar Products Used:

Sony TA-F448E
Mega M105b Handmade NZ audiophile amp

power, bass, great reproduction

none really

I have the A500RC so i gather 65w into 8ohms running a set of B&W Matrix 1's that recommend 50-120 watt input. I had these linked up to a yamaha 75w mini system which sounds like garbage but it is a 5 by 75w amp which sounded ok with the B&Ws but wow, due to the reviews on this forum in the main i dumped the idea of a x.1 surround amp from yamaha or denon or onkyo or marantz and ended up with a real kicker. this amp will blow the b&w's at 2 or 3 o'clock on the dial, mainly in the bass department, great for jarre or sylvian, it is an unbelievable sound. Even my ipod with a 3 dollar cable sounds fantastic.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, polk, B&W,

Loud and Dynamic but never aggressive. Designed to work well with budget (probaly under $750)speakers.

Midrange while good is not stellar.

Cambridge Audio (not to be confused with Cambridge Soundworks) is a London, UK based company who has produced high value bang for buck audio products since the late 60's. There are two versions of the A500. The initial version featured 50wpc and featured a different amplifier section. The early version of the A500 featured mixed reviews and was quickly updated to the A500RC. The newer version of the A500 features a new TRIAT amplifier and is rated at 65wpc. There are several features which make the amp notable in the budget catagory. First being the addition of a remote control which will also control Cambridge audio CD players and tuners. Second tone controls, which can be defeated and bypassed at the push of a button. Third a preamp out. This can be usefull for biamping, use as a subwoofer out or to run the A500 preamp inconjunction with a power amplifier. The amp is currently used to power a pair of Focus Audio FS688 monitors ($2600) which feature the supurb 9900 revelator tweeter and a Custom made mid/bass from Eton of Germany. In otherwords what would appear to be a classic mismatch. Probably the best compliment I can give to the A500 is that although it was meant to be a 'stop gap' amp until I can get something decent I feel in no hurry to upgrade. This is a fun amp with a naturally loud, alive and dynamic sound. Still it is never aggressive and has that natural warmth and sweetness that is common in British Amps. If you are asking the question: "Is it worth upgrading over the HT amp I got at Circuit City?" Resounding yes! A/B comparisons to a Sony (100wpc) and Sherwood (105wpc) shows a clear and substantial improvement in every area. I found this to be true even when using some budget Aperion 502d's ($380) speakers. Treble loses the metalic edge. Midrange becomes more palpable. Bass better control. Biggest areas of improvement though are in the areas of clarity, detail, slam and dynamics. How does it compare against more expensive midprice amps? While not being able to directly A/B I much prefered the Cambridge Audio to the Jolida 1701a hybrid ($500). Admittedly though I never much cared for the overall sound of the Jolida. Comparing it to a Jolida 202a tube amp ($750) proves more interesting. Despite not liking the 1701a I really loved the 202a. In comparison the A500 has more slam, tighter imaging and more treble extension. Where the A500 falls down is in the area of midrange. The tube amp has that in the room palpability that adds a lushness to female vocals, acoustic instruments and adds a roundness and solidity to the instruments. Does this diminish the A500? Not at all the 202a can hold its own against many amps costing twice as much. Bottom line this amp would be an excellent choice for someone taking their first step into high end or those looking to put together a great second system on the cheap.

Similar Products Used:

Jolida 202a, Jolida 1701A, Yamaha CR2020, Harman Kardon Hk460i, and several budget 'Circuit City type Receivers'.

Loud and Dynamic but never aggressive. Designed to work well with budget (probaly under $750)speakers.

Midrange while good is not stellar.

Cambridge Audio (not to be confused with Cambridge Soundworks) is a London, UK based company who has produced high value bang for buck audio products since the late 60's. There are two versions of the A500. The initial version featured 50wpc and featured a different amplifier section. The early version of the A500 featured mixed reviews and was quickly updated to the A500RC. The newer version of the A500 features a new TRIAT amplifier and is rated at 65wpc. There are several features which make the amp notable in the budget catagory. First being the addition of a remote control which will also control Cambridge audio CD players and tuners. Second tone controls, which can be defeated and bypassed at the push of a button. Third a preamp out. This can be usefull for biamping, use as a subwoofer out or to run the A500 preamp inconjunction with a power amplifier. The amp is currently used to power a pair of Focus Audio FS688 monitors ($2600) which feature the supurb 9900 revelator tweeter and a Custom made mid/bass from Eton of Germany. In otherwords what would appear to be a classic mismatch. Probably the best compliment I can give to the A500 is that although it was meant to be a 'stop gap' amp until I can get something decent I feel in no hurry to upgrade. This is a fun amp with a naturally loud, alive and dynamic sound. Still it is never aggressive and has that natural warmth and sweetness that is common in British Amps. If you are asking the question: "Is it worth upgrading over the HT amp I got at Circuit City?" Resounding yes! A/B comparisons to a Sony (100wpc) and Sherwood (105wpc) shows a clear and substantial improvement in every area. I found this to be true even when using some budget Aperion 502d's ($380) speakers. Treble loses the metalic edge. Midrange becomes more palpable. Bass better control. Biggest areas of improvement though are in the areas of clarity, detail, slam and dynamics. How does it compare against more expensive midprice amps? While not being able to directly A/B I much prefered the Cambridge Audio to the Jolida 1701a hybrid ($500). Admittedly though I never much cared for the overall sound of the Jolida. Comparing it to a Jolida 202a tube amp ($750) proves more interesting. Despite not liking the 1701a I really loved the 202a. In comparison the A500 has more slam, tighter imaging and more treble extension. Where the A500 falls down is in the area of midrange. The tube amp has that in the room palpability that adds a lushness to female vocals, acoustic instruments and adds a roundness and solidity to the instruments. Does this diminish the A500? Not at all the 202a can hold its own against many amps costing twice as much. Bottom line this amp would be an excellent choice for someone taking their first step into high end or those looking to put together a great second system on the cheap.

Similar Products Used:

Jolida 202a, Jolida 1701A, Yamaha CR2020, Harman Kardon Hk460i, and several budget 'Circuit City type Receivers'.

The ability to present a wide stereo image, smoth but at the same time very precise and detailed. Great bass.

No headphone outlet.

This a great amp. The sound is smooth, big, precise and you wants to hear more music once it is turned on. It also has an ability to play the small/fine/different levels in voices and instruments. This is HiFi that makes you happy. If you listen live music from time to time you will realize that it play very correct. Equipment used: CD: NAD 521i - Speakers: Audio Pro Image 40. Cables: Tara Labs.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer A209R, Yamaha AX396, Cambridge A300, older NAD amps and receivers,

detail

sound too hard

Detail and good sound

Big images, superb bass, alot of detail, you will hear musical instrument which are in the back ground, loud and clear. Finish in silver is great. Stereophile says class "C", I say a solid class "A".

The speakers binding post will not accept banana plugs.

I auditioned it with the following: Cambridge audio D300 CDP, MITerminator interconnect, JMLabs Chorus 706 Speakers. The first thing I noticed was how big the instruments are, the drumming sounded so big and life like, and not just the drums, every other equipment too, like guitars, piano, and very detailed and smooth yet big images, man this thing is really great. I am comparing the sound of this integrated amps with the following: Creek 4330, Audio Research LS3B, Marantz MA500, MA6100, MaCormack TLC, DNA 0.5, non of these produces the sound as convincing as this little amp does. Now that is an amp which will creat any musical event with a thunder. I can catch the words on rock recordings really loud and clear. I am not sure why "WhatHiFi" magazine of England rated this only a 3 star product. Are you reading this "What HiFi"?, I suggest you try it with a different set of speakers and source.

Similar Products Used:

Creek 4330, AR LS3B/Marantz MA500, MA6100, MaCormack TLC/DNA 0.5, etc.

Richness Bass on tap Middle range as full as any amp I've heard

Top end not quite the biz

Having been after a cheap system for a while I finally spotted a cambridge audio D500 cd player on ebay for £80 boxed as new and still with original cambridge audio tapes and seals! So I snapped it up along with the T500 tuner for another £50! I then used Richer sounds to audition a few amps, and ended up getting the A500, as the maratz's seemed to lack the low end presence I required, despite being very musical, and the lower-end cambridge audio amps just weren't clear or crisp enough. Hifi: A500 Amp T500 Tuner D500 CD Eltax Liberty 5+ Floorstanders Cd-amp = CA Pacific interconnects Tuner-amp = CA atlantic interconnects I'm also using the original power cords, as they seem to fit snugly. The first time I powered it up the sound was quite well defined and on playing a selection of CD's from Drum n bass to Mozart the sound was tight at the lower end and very rich in the middle range. The problem was with the top end, which was harsh and very loose. So I just left it turned on for a day, playing music at a reasonable level whenever i was in the room, and the sound mellowed noticably, with a rich musical bas/mid and some clear and defined top end. Having now had the set-up for a good 3 months, I have no complaints! For the price I got it at (£500 for the lot) the system is sounding superb and when cranked up to a respectable level it fills the room with wall to wall music as rich as anything. Dance and Club music has all the oomph you could want (with tone-defeat too!), and classical music comes across exceedingly well although not as well as I'd hoped. A marantz would benefit the classical ear, but definately at the expense of the bass. All in all, a fine Amp, giving oodles of power and bass whenever you require, but still letting the music do its thing - rich sounds, and... presence, if thats a good word to use. The only niggle is the lack of crystal clarity at the top end, which I do notice sometimes with piano solo's etc - it just doesn't quite right. Very good, but not right.

Airy and delicate mid and treble. Strong bassline. Plenty of power.

None yet!

NAD C320 vs Cambridge Audio A500 (2x85W/6 ohm). I replaced my NAD C320 with the CA A500 for some times ago and the difference in sound is allmost like day and night. The NAD brings you the big lines in the music in a very "rocky" manner. It plays very loud and "gutsy" but not with the airy and openess that the A500 deliever. Whatever kind of music you play the A500 will give you an airy and delicate sound with lots of bang in the bottom and a lot of finesse in the midband and hights. My speakers are the old but excellent PSB500 (sorry they dont make speakers like that anymore)and these speakers realy shine with the A500. When I used the NAD on these speakers they sometimes sounded mushy and uninvolving but with the A500 they produce a sound that is, in a way, both enjoyable and relaxing with plenty of details at the same time. I use Kimber PJB as interconnect between the source (NAD C541) and the A500.