timjeter

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $995.00 from Uptown Audio

Summary:
This is a very neutral if not warm sounding CD player that plays most anything well. Using transparent cables will reveal the best of this player. A burn-in of 150 hours is needed to hear its true colors. I would differ with other reviewers who describe the sound as thin or sharp. It wizely does not have mid-range bloom which would make the sound mushy. I think the Cambridge people are on to something with their upsampling technology. The sound is rather analog in nature and once and for all does away with considerations of using vinyl.

If you can swing a grand for a disk player this is the way to go. If the transport holds up this will be my last CD player before getting a server. I wish this technology had existed 10 years ago. It would have saved me a lot of ear bleed.

Strengths:
A solution for what ails most digital playback systems.

Weaknesses:
Very long burn-in

Similar Products Used:
NAD, cheaper Cambridge stuff, etc.

philltubes

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is not so much a review but early impressions of the 740c. I have only had this player for a bout 2 weeks but have about 120-130 hours of burn in time. During the burn-in process the 740c sure has changed a lot, early on it sounds overly detailed with some edge and has a plasticy, cardboardy coloration with some grain thrown in and loose bass. But, it's not all bad, during the burn-in you can still hear some very good attributes, so many run of the mill CD players have a homogeneous sound, the 740c has wonderful layering/seperation of instruments and vocals with excellent speed.

After 120-130 hours the 740c has smoothed out with increased dynamics, excellent detail and tighter bass. The sound highlights the individual instruments instead of a more confused homogeneous mass presented by the majority of players in this price range. Vocals are very good, you can easily hear backup vocalists distinctly from the lead singer, other cd players tend to lump all the vocals together giving the impression that the lead singer sounds like the sum of all vocalists, the 740c seperates these vocalists to the point you can hear each and every one of them and what they contribute to the piece of music.

Even after 120 hours I am hearing changes for the better, let me say that this player may not be for all systems or listeners tastes, I would not put the 740c into a bright or lean system, if you are using a tube preamp the tubes can be changed to balance the sound of the 740c. Do not give up on this player, give it time to fully break in, the choice of interconnects and power cord are very important, in other words if the 740c doesn't automatically click in your system you will have to work to make it click. I didn't go into features or specs. but I must say that Cambridge deserves a lot of credit for making a player that doesn't sound the same as other players, give it a listen to see if it fits your tastes and your system. I'll give it a few more weeks and let you know how the 740c sounds in my system.

Strengths:
Very clear, fast, great detail. Make sure you give it the proper break in period.

Weaknesses:
May be too detailed for some tastes and systems. Long break in period that will have some giving up before they hear the full potential of the 740c.

Similar Products Used:
Jolida JD-100, Benchmark Dac 1, Eastern Electric Minimax, Rega Appolo

dpl35

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.93 of 5, 15.00 votes

Price Paid:  $895.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
This review is for the Cambridge Audio Azur 740C CD player. This unit is the same as the 840C with the exception of the lack of XLR outputs. I've owned it for about 5 weeks, so I now feel I can submit an educated review.

I'm not going to get wrapped up in all the adjectives that reviewers use to describe a piece of equipment. But I will say that this CD player is excellent, very detailed but not edgy. It is built very well, and includes a very user friendly remote.

I find it more useful when a reviewer includes other brands that he has tested/owned as a comparison so I will do the same. I've owned a few nice CD players, Lexicon RT10, Consonance 120, Cary T308, and the Esound E5. All good CD players, I found the Lexicon to be disappointing with CD playback, music sounded a bit veiled to me. The ESound was detailed but could also be edgy depending on the associated equipment. I still own the Cary T308, which has a tube output. This is a great CD player, with a nice smooth tube sound. The 740 sounds closest to the Consonance, which also was an upsampling unit.

In my opinmion, the 740C is the best of the bunch. It is very detailed and clear, you can hear the nuances of the recording, especially with well recorded CD's. And you do not get any edge with all the detail.

If you do not need the XLR outputs, save the money and get the 740C, its an excellent CD player.

Strengths:
detailed sound
Lack of any edge

Weaknesses:
None so far

Similar Products Used:
Lexicon RT10
Consonance 120
Cary T308
Esound E5

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.