Price Paid:  $499.00 from Shop/ New

Summary:
After a few years over on the dark side (basic home theatre) I needed something to listen to in the office/study like the previous reviewer. It started as a whim and I looked at Rotel, NAD, Denon, Yamaha and even (oooops) Sony and Panasonic when I called into a shop where they had the Cambridge Audio....Admitly He did cheat by demonstraiting the Cambridge 640C and 640A combination running into ProAc Studio 130's......after that it brought back memories of real audio listening, real music produced with a good solid bit of wellie behind it!! ProAc's and the 640's are a magic combo but $6500 on a student's budget....no fair!!!!

And so after a few mad thoughts...(anyone have a share shotgun and stocking I can borrow?? lol ) I thought about it a bit more realistically and looking at the size of the study/office 9' x 12' I had a look at the rest of the range and the 340A/340C combo at NZ$1000 made alot of sense plus I remembered my old speakers that I left with my parents, a local brand called Boland Accoustics that I used to drive with a Rotel 840BX2 amp and later with Musical Fedelity A1X ( note AC current through the DC board is NOT a good thing!! Which lead to me going to basic home theatre all in one systems )

Upon recovery of said speakers ( 1" flurio tweeter over 2 x 4.5" mid/bass drivers in a infinate baffle box approx 8" x 9" x 16"s with freq response down to 35KHz?at 4Ohms rated to 40WRMS and a peak of 80W ) the result was detailed, fuild and there is a good feel of the bass because of the huge power reserve that the amp has.....none of this ' yes you want some bass?, can you hold on for a sec while I wake up the boys handling that......'

The sound out of the box was all I had hoped for and more.......

I think this system is ideal for someone who wants to move beyond the "Walmart" stereo for the same sort of price....ok so you might loose some neat lights, maybe only be able to play one cd at a time.....oh the horror lol

In short, these two plus a good bookshelf speaker or even a simple 2way floorstander which in the US should run you all up well under $1000 and dont tell me that a "walmart" stereo wont run you that much......

Strengths:
Detailed, deep and strong......
Plays like its 100+ WRMS not 40!
Its simple/cheap? yet still has a Direct Souce button, Bass and Treble controls if you need them?....A remote that controls the CD Player as well (said CD remote back in its box) A and B Speakers
Oh and one other thing.....all the connections on the back have the descripition written upside down as well as the right way up so when your changing leads leaning over it you dont have to try and read upside down

Weaknesses:
Well still running it in......maybe too bright? too fast?
I have heard that it does take a while to run Cambridge gear in.....just like a car so I will leave it at that for now......

Similar Products Used:
I started years ago running a simple system made up of a Creek 4040 amp circa 1980's with a Dual Turntable with B&W 110i's which morfted over the years to a Rotel 840BX2 running a Yamaha CD player and the Boland Accoustic MM120's ( see above) and then the final version was the Musical Fedelity A1X until the day it got "ACed"

broadw

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.92 of 5, 13.00 votes

Price Paid:  $250.00 from AUDIOADVISOR.COM

Summary:

I needed a decent stereo system for my medium sized office at work, and was looking for one that wasn't too expensive, yet still produced good sound. I didn't need alot of power, since the music would rarely be played at loud volumes. I listen mostly to classical and jazz during work hours, but go to rock and pop when I'm the only one in the building.

Cambridge Audio has had a pretty good reputation for building well focused amps for a few years now... they try to keep things simple and dire ct, and seem to know where to spend money inside the amps.

I have had the 340A for 6 months now, and I have to say I am very happy with the purchase. I have it paired with 2 Infinity Primus 150 speakers ($120), and the sound is really impressive. In terms of components, I have it hooked up to an Onkyo T-4017 tuner ($60 on ebay) and a generic Portland DVD player ($40 Walmart) so I can listen to CDs as well as MP3s I have burned onto CDs. The Onkyo T-4017 is really an amazing tuner, and I can't recommend it highly enough. They sell for very little on ebay, and you will be amazed at how good FM can sound, especially when it flows through a quality amp like the 340c, and some excellent bookshelf speakers like the Primus 150s.

I was a little worried that the 340c might be underpowered for my office, which is 14' x 28'. Believe me, there is plenty of power to spare! Before I even reach 50% on the volume control, my ears are hurting, and the room is filled with sound at only 25%.

This setup might be a little underpowered if you like to listen to alot of rock and love your bass. For classical, jazz, and pop, I think it would be a great setup for an office, dorm, or bedroom. Don't worry about the watts, as long as you are reasonable with the speakers. I am thinking about adding a sub to give it a bit of boost, but I very rarely miss bass.

Overall, this amp is a very good starting point for a hifi system for small and medium sized rooms. It produces very musical sound, and I'm sure you will be happy with it.

Strengths:

Excellent high and midrange production.
More power than you would expect from the wattage ratings!
Nice clean look to it.

Weaknesses:

Could use a bit more bass for rock, but this is not a surprise at this pricepont.

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Price Paid:  $300.00 from Loeffel HiFI Studio,

Summary:
Great little amp for a rather small room, very nice to look at, too!
Iread a review in a german Audio magazine, where it was compared to the NAD
521 BEE. All things considered, they said it was wise to spend that small amount more and get a more versatile NAD system, but that the Cambridge Azur was much prettier... who wouldn't agree?
Anyway the guy in the Cambridge outlet was a helpful guy, not a fanatic as you will often find in small hifi-shops.
Listening tests revealed so much more detail over my old Technics amp, it was a revelation. But it had enough oomph for my needs, so I bought it right away.
I'm very happy with it after 5 months and I play KEF iQ3 loudspeakers on them, to keep the chain british.
So, if you need a touch of audiophile for little money, if you like clear,simple design, the Cambridge Azur is a great amp. Impress your ears and not your buddies eyes!

Strengths:
first impressions
-good quality even in the packing
-good cable terminals
-funny but useful upside-down writing at the terminals
-beautiful chunky metal infrared controller

sound
- enormous detail and precise timing
-easyly up to its job in a smaller appartment
-british flair, not bass-happy, but crisp basses instead of japanese muddy bass
-mature and punchy and good to a musicians ears
--don't use crazy priced interconnects, sound got thin when I tested some
- other amps sound like cotton-packed if you're used to this one

Weaknesses:
- not for everyone's ears, might sound cold and anlytic needs some getting used-to
-volume hard hard to regulate at low levels with infrared controller

-neutral and analytic sound can get tiring sometimes, doesn't cosset your ears

Similar Products Used:
none