Cambridge Audio Azur 651C
Looking for a sassy CD player at a decent price, you say? Cambridge might be a
good place to start...
About 15
years ago, mainstream Japanese manufacturers left the budget hi-fi arena,
leaving smaller specialists like Cambridge Audio to cater for cash-strapped
audiophiles. The money no longer seemed to be in two-channel, so they all raced
to the home entertainment side of the electronics market. However, Cambridge
Audio thrived, producing a range of budget separates
that sounded superb at their respective price points - even if they lacked some
aesthetic and operational sophistication. This latest range addresses these
latter issues, and the 651C feels pretty polished at the price, inside and out.
It has a swish brushed aluminium case - way nicer
than what it was offering even just a few years ago - and a crisp DFSTN (Double
Film Super Twisted Nematic) display with full CD Text
support. The disc tray is smooth acting and the machine is pleasant enough to
use.
The 651C feels pretty polished at the price,
inside and out
Inside,
there’s a good-quality mechanism with custom servo and master clock, and a toroidal transformer supplies power. All printed circuit
boards use double-sided surface mount technology, eliminating wire links and
giving ultra short signal paths, says the company.
The unit has dual-layer damped feet to minimize the ingress of vibrations, and
it has an ‘eco-friendly’ standby mode. The 651C has the usual optical and
coaxial digital outputs round the back, plus remote control socketry,
and is available in a choice of black and silver finishes.
On test
The Linear
and Steep filters still have pre- and post-ringing artifacts in the time
domain, but the former offers a constant (time coherent) group delay while the
latter has a very sharp cut-off at the edge of the audio band (-4dB between 19
and 20kHz). The Minimum phase filter is arguably the
most interesting because its time domain response has more post-event ringing
but no pre-event ringing, which is subjectively preferable.
Cambridge Audio Azur
651C rear view
Its general
performance is also first rate, offering a 2.3V output from a low 46ohm source
impedance, a wide 109.5dB A-wtd S/N ratio and very
low 120psec jitter. Distortion is also very well managed, not only plenty low
enough at 0.003%, but also held to this value right across the 20Hz-20kHz frequency range.
Sound quality
Spending an
extra $82.46 over the Teac buys you a substantial step up in sound. Whereas the
Japanese player does a good job of making a nice noise - covering its tracks so
as to disguise its failings - the 651C doesn’t have those failings in the first
place. As a result, you get a player that sounds richer and more rounded, and
drills down into the detail better, slotting the musical information into place
in a way the cheaper player can’t.
For
example, the New Order track sounds far more realistic and less processed.
While the Teac’s rendition is surely enjoyable, the Cambridge starts to tell
you what is really going on. From the opening bars, the hi-hat sounds more
metallic and less airbrushed; you sense that you can hear the full attack and
sustain of the sound, and know when it falls away completely. As the first
verse kicks in, the synthesizers’ chiming harmonics are better conveyed and
everything falls into place more cohesively. Again the
sustain of the lead keyboards is better and this gives a sense of the
song gliding along in a way that the cheaper player just can’t muster.
Internal 651C CD Player
The richer
tonality of the Azur is again in evidence on the Siouxsie and The Banshees track, Swimming Horses. The piano
work sparkles beautifully; the sound is lustrous and more immersive, and the
bass guitar gains extra heft. Vocals are better carried - more alive and
emotive - and the song becomes more poignant and arresting to listen to. This
rather overshadows the more subtle ‘hi-fi’ improvements, but they’re still
there all the same; stereo imaging is tighter and more focused and the soundstage
is more expansive.
Indeed, by
the overall standards of the group, this player comports itself very well -
it’s a very engaging machine that conveys the music in all its glory. The only
obvious downside is a slight looseness in the bass compared with some of the
more expensive machines.
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Details
·
Product: Cambridge Audio Azur651C
·
Origin: UK/China
·
Type: CD player
·
Price: $577.19
·
Weight: 4.8kg
·
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 430 x
85 x 305mm
· Features: Twin Wolfson WM8742
DACs, 1x RCA phono line output, 1x XLR balanced
output, S3 custom CD servo mech
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