Speed, detail, musicality. Solid build. Good remote control.

none

Upgrading definately causes problems. Moving from an Arcam 8r amp to a Musical Fidelty x-80 amp made my Kef Q35.2 speakers too aggressive. So I bought some Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 standmount speakers. This was a good move. My NAD 540CD had given me good service but I decided to upgrade, ony I had little dosh. Having seen the reviews for the azur 640C I took a chance because of its price. Bingo.....what an upgrade!!!! The most obvious upgrade I have ever made. Perhaps I was lucky to get a good model, but there's no arguing that this is a serious bit of kit. Clarity, speed, attack, detail, articulation and musicality are its forte. Truthfully it is definately better than many players costing double or more. The new twin DAC version they say is even better. If you're lucky enough to get a trouble free version you will be delighted. The Azur 640C is a real Hifi bargain. What more can I say?

Similar Products Used:

Nad 540 Maranz Arcam Musical Fidelity X-ray (is no better than the Azur.)

well I wouldn't know, because I never got a functional CDP.

I have two words for Cambridge Audio: Quality Control.

Serious quality issues. The first player did not power on. Replaced power cord to no avail. Received a replacement player several days later, from this replacement player there was no signal from left channel. Tried different interconnects, made no difference. I will never buy another Cambridge Audio product again. This has just been a disappointment and a hassle.

cost, possibly the sound (could not get it to stop skipping long enough to thoroughly evaluate).

transformer hum similar to that of a plasma tv, but louder. not able to play any cd longer than 30 seconds without skipping.

After reading quite a few rave reviews, and some critical ones, I decided to give this cdp a shot. I've had a Denon 1560 for probably 9-10 years, so I figured technology has advanced enough to offer a distinct enough sound upgrade to warrant a new player. Before purchasing the CA 640, I told the salesman I was concerned about audible transformer humming point blank, after reading some reviews in this forum. He assured me this issue was only in the first series of production and the bugs have been worked out. So I decided to give it a try. When the CA 640 arrived, I was impressed with the packaging and overall appearance. All positives quickly vanished when I plugged the player in. Even in stand by mode, the humming from the transformer was so loud that it was audible with 1 inch wood cabinets closed and standing 6 feet away. I popped in a disc, which sounded remarkably more analog than my trused old denon for the first 30 seconds, getting me to think that I could learn to ignore the constant hum. That tought went up in smoke, as the player began to skip, or just plain stop, never being able to run for more than that initial 30 second passage. I know the manual says to be patient, but after enjoying years of reliability in the Denon 1560, my confidence in the quality was shaken enough to pack it up and send it back. I have since ordered a Rotel 1072. I'll give this player a "2", on the chance that the skipping /stopping problems would reside.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel 1072

solid feel,great sound stage

remote feel is solid, can't read the small lettering because I'm old.

Wow, I had an NAD 502 for many years and the display went out again[once under warranty] and figured it was time for an upgrade. Read many reviews about this unit but have to agree with the "veil removal". It's almost like a weight has been removed that allows the sound to be more fluid and flow with finess. Just listened to two albums I have listened to well over 20 years and it's like they are diffrent recordings. Wow.

Similar Products Used:

NAD 501

No rack ears. I have 2 24 space racks and prefer gear with rack ears.

It requires a thorough break-in period. Mine had some quirks with skipping tracks, refusing to play some older CD's. These annoyances slowly disappeared as the unit approached and passed 36 hours of operation. Great piece of audio equipment.

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Not worth mentioning.

clarity, detail

build quality: extraneous noises

I went through three of these before giving up. Loved the sound coming out of my speakers, but hated the extraneous noises coming out of the player: excessive mechanical whir from the transport mechanism and/or loud electrical hum from the power supply. I think Cambridge has some quality control issues that need addressing. While they're working on those, I will be trying out ARCAM.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge D300 Denon heavy-as-a-tank higher-end CD player of a decade ago (model number long since forgotten)

detail , clarity, outstanding value for the money, straight forward unpretentious design.

non aparent yet

This was my first major CD player upgrade. I upgraded from a platter type Denon 380 player. I was instantly impressed with the sound quality. This is the first time I have heard detail, soundstage and the lack of noise is very noticeable in terms of the listening experience. The most important improvement I noticed was the way the music became more "organized" for lack of a more appropriate Hi-fi term. The vocals no longer collided with other instruments which is important to me because I like Jazz vocals. Makes me wonder how the other Cambridge audio gear sounds.

Sound quality; smooth and quiet drive mechanism; good build quality; handsome looks

Nothing that bothers me (I've seen other complain about the display; mine is only bothersome depending upon light in the room)

This CD player was purchased to replace an older Sony 5-disc Cd/DVD player. I have spent months looking at and listening to many CD players before I picked the 640C. The soundstage on this CD player is awesome. It feels wide open and airy. I can hear new details in the music that were unrevealed with my Sony. I listen to a variety of musical styles, from jazz to rock to rock/rap. While I can't say that Limp Bizkit sounds better with the new player, I will tell you that Dave Brubeck Quartet sounds like they are playing in my living room. Outside of the musical quality, it also is a very nice looking unit. The drive is quiet and smooth. CD's load very quickly. Overall, I highly recommend this CD player. Following is my system setup: Cambridge Audio 640C CD Player Anthem Pre-2L Pre-Amp Anthem MCA-20 Power Amp Energy Veritas 2.4 Speaker Perfect Circle 12g Bi-Wire Cables Braided silver interconnects FYI - I bought this unit at Cinematic Systems in Maryland. They were awesome. They offered to deliver unit to the house for demo (10 days, no obligation) in order to help with purchase decision. I defered on that and just ordered over the phone. They delivered it right to my office. They will deliver to home as well and help with set up (no cost).

Similar Products Used:

Sony CD/DVD

detail and accurate sound and soundstage PRICE!!!

none so far

i've had this product for a few months now and i am very impressed. very detailed and accurate sound without any harshness. makes my cd's come to life effortlessly. i have had zero problems with this unit, it has worked flawlessly. the level of sound quality from this player is astounding given its price. couldn't be happier.

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arcam, nad, rotel

Gives you 90% of the total possible enjoyment that can be obtained from CDs. The cheapest of the rival players that offer you that final 10% cost 4 times as much.

Not as viscerally exciting or as loud as other more forward-balanced rivals. A display-off option would have been a great bonus.

Aesthetically the Musical Fidelity X-Ray V3 was the perfect match for my new amp the X-80. However I did not purchase it for several reasons. Its sonic performance is very good, but not really commensurate with its high asking price. Secondly, instead of using a Sony cd transport mechanism as previous MF cdps did, it housed a Philips instead. Having been severely let down by two short-lived players which used such transports, I have become an avowed enemy of this useless brand. Thirdly, CD replay no longer constitutes the centre of my audio universe as it did five years ago. A new CDP will be competing with my concert DVD discs for my time. I needed a new CD player which provides audiophile sound without the audiophile price. The NAD C542, Rotel RCD-02, Arcam CD73T, Denon DCD-1650SR and Cambridge Audio Azur 640C were my shortlisted options. The C542 sounded wonderful at normal levels but just like NAD's amps, of which I was a 2-time owner, it turned brutish and hard at higher volume levels. The effect is like being hit with an iron-mailed fist. The RCD-02, ai-yai-yai-yai-yai, was about as subtle as a naked dancer pressing her assets against the front window of a XXX shop. It is so upfront and soundstaging has scarcely any depth to it. The CD73T produces a charming sound, but unlike Arcam's higher-priced players, it was subtly obvious that it violated the basic principles of hi-fidelity by presenting the listener with a midband that is noticeably fluffed up and prettified. The DCD-1650SR, one of Denon's most acclaimed players ever, was the best of the lot with a performance that came dangerously close to the X-Ray V3's and at half the price too. However it is unfashionably big, being almost as unwieldy and heavy as a NAD C372 amp. My half-width X-80 would look dwarfed next to it. So after careful consideration I decided on the much sleeker 640C which offered the second-best performance amongst these five machines, and the best visual match for my amp. Sonically there is really nothing to criticise about in the 640C. Any flaws it might have would be what it omits that other far pricier CDPs include. The 640C may not have the midband lusciousness of the X-RayV3 or the super silky smoothness of the DCD-1650SR, but it makes up for that with a musical presentation that is supremely engaging and which kept me listening for hours on end. I think it must be its low jitter specs that makes everything I play through it sound so clean, fulfilling and truthful. This must be the meaning of 'high fidelity' - that every particular spatial cue on a CD is presented to you just as the sound engineers had intended you to perceive it. If a background vocal, guitar or piano is meant to be not as loud as the lead vocals, then that is how the 640C will reproduce it. As a _softer_ element set in the back of the soundstage. That also means that the 640C may be be as immediately exciting or as loud as some price rivals. Lovers of rock music may find more fulfillment through Rotel CDPs because its house sound is very upfront with little soundstage depth. Background rock guitars will be amplified and brought forward to share centerstage with the leads. I agree sometimes that this balance can add to the excitement of listening to music, but it really isn't very 'hi-fi' scientifically. Anyway, I was still caught unawares and totally blown off my seat when I played rock group Rammstein's title track from their latest CD "Reise Reise". The 640C may not be as upfront as a Rotel or NAD but it obviously had plenty of dynamic reserves. "Reise Reise" roared through the speakers with a ferocity and clarity that was both terrifying and thrilling! What made it so thrilling was how musical and mellifluous the 640C made the entire rock-track sound without losing any impact. Every musician in the huge soundstage was accurately reproduced at his individual volume level, so perfectly proportioned, and Till Lindeman's great voice never sounded more realistic and menacing. Stunning! The whole experience was so exciting because the 640C reproduced the rock track sound with care for accurate spatial cues, whereas a Rotel would make it (superficially) exciting by slamming the same music in your face without much thought for hi-fi virtues. That said, the 640C's greatest strength lies in its reproduction of acoustic and vocal-based material. If classical, opera, jazz, RnB music are your main tastes, this is the player to have in the sub-$1000 arena. By the way, I haven't experienced any problems with transformer hum or the cd tray. Perhaps my unit is from a later production batch which had rectified earlier problems.

Similar Products Used:

Musical Fidelity X-Ray V3, Denon DCD-1650SR, Arcam CD73T, Cyrus 8 and 6, Rotel RCD-1072 and 02, NAD C542, Marantz CD-7300.