Azur 840A

Cambridge Audio breaks new ground with an entirely new class of amplifier in the shape of the 840A which marks the zenith of Cambridge Audio’s critically acclaimed Azur line-up.

Embracing Cambridge Audio’s patent pending proprietary Class XD™ technology, the 840A brings together the quality of Class A amplification, the power economy of Class B designs, and most amazingly of all, avoids many of the distortion pitfalls inherent in Class AB designs.

  Click here to read an exclusive Hi-Fi World interview with the designer of Class XD technology

Completely separate pre-amp and power amp toroidal transformers and circuits make the 840A effectively a pre and power amplifier combination in one chassis

Another enormous benefit is its ability to integrate seamlessly with a home cinema system. Fixed level inputs allow the 840A to provide the front channel amplification to systems which use an AV receiver. The receiver continues to provide centre and rear amplification.

In addition to this innovative technology, the 840A uses an extremely sophisticated resistor ladder and relay attenuator for volume control and the same high quality relay switches for input selection. This enables high isolation between inputs, very accurate channel balance and leaves the amplifier completely free from the distortion associated with conventional semiconductor switching and volume control.

As with all Azur products, the foundation of the Azur 840A's is a bespoke chassis. This comprises an incredibly thick 7mm front panel and extruded side panels, both fashioned from aluminium, which combine with a 2mm formed steel base plate and specially designed vibration absorbing feet. The result is an ultra rigid, low resonance, acoustically dampened platform for the electronics to sit in.

Great attention has been paid to ensuring that all functions can be operated from the stunning aluminium-faced Azur Navigator remote. As well as offering full control over all the 840A's features and functions, this neat handset also enables track skip plus play and pause of iPods™ connected to Apple's iPod Universal Dock

 

 

How do you improve on what is considered the world's best budget CD player? Well, if you read the latest reviews it looks like Cambridge Audio has done it again. "If we could give products six stars, then these CD players would get them" said What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision about the 640C and 540C. A month later they went on to give the 640C a Best Buy award. Soon after, the 640C went on to pip products costing twice as much to the post when it won Hi-Fi Choice's esteemed Gold Award!

The 640C takes the very best of its forbear and includes a whole raft of improvements to add even greater refinement. Key to these are two Wolfson WM8740 24-bit/192kHz DACs(digital to analogue converters) - where the previous model featured one.

The latest unit also includes a high-specification toroidal transformer for extremely low distortion and excellent signal to noise ratio.

These and many other technologies such as a completely separate power supply and upgraded audio filter and regulator stages, result in the delivery of a huge dynamic range and a wonderfully clear, clean sound.

Like all Azur products, the 640C sits on an acoustically damped chassis and features a solid aluminium front panel with ergonomically designed controls. Where most CD players at this price are constructed from plastic and skinned with metal, the 640C's all-metal construction offers incredible rigidity.

The 640C's clear display is now dimmable via the brand new Azur navigator remote control. This too is superbly finished in aluminium and is perfectly weighted. It controls all the 640C’s features and allows tracks to be accessed and programmed directly – all from the comfort of your armchair.

All in all, it's hard to imagine a more accomplished CD player at this price point. The only difficult decision is whether to choose the silver or black finish!

Azur 640T

Cambridge Audio invites you to discover a whole new world of crystal clear reception with the all-new award-winning Azur 640T DAB/FM tuner. A great choice of new and established FM and AM stations now broadcast digitally to offer interference-free transmissions.

Following the huge success of the award-winning DAB 500, Cambridge Audio introduces a tuner that harnesses the true potential of both DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) and traditional FM broadcasts.

The 640T incorporates the very latest highly integrated DAB chipset from Texas Instruments coupled to a high performance Wolfson WM8716 24-bit/192kHz DAC (digital to analogue converter), ensuring the best possible performance.

The state-of-the-art 640T features Natural Contour Technology (NCT), developed by Cambridge Audio to counter the sometimes 'flat' presentation of compressed digital sources (such as some low bit-rate DAB radio stations). Two settings are offered: 'Warm', which adds an analogue-like warmth to 'digital' sounding programmes and 'Lively', which breathes life into the sound quality of heavily compressed programmes.

A key benefit of the 640T – which has already scooped a fantastic review from leading magazine Hi-Fi World – is the ability to select radio stations by name, meaning frequencies don't have to be remembered. In addition, the comprehensive information panel displays artist name, song title and even lyrics where broadcast.

Let the 640T help you say goodbye to memorising station frequencies, suffering atmospheric interference on Medium Wave broadcasts and enduring FM crackles – welcome to the digital radio revolution.

Azur 640P Phono pre-amplifier

The 640P phono pre-amplifier (sometimes known as a phono stage) also uses superior amplification circuitry for its MM and MC stages to provide the lowest possible distortion and noise. In addition, the flagship model employs multi-parallel capacitors to achieve exceptional RIAA accuracy of only 0.3dB up to 50kHz and features a defeatable subsonic filter. The Azur 640P phono pre-amplifier employs a comprehensively specified Moving Magnet stage, as well as the higher gain needed for compatibility with high-end Moving Coil (MC) cartridges. This raft of technologies combines to offer a hugely dynamic, involving and open sound.

Both units feature the now customary Azur acoustically damped steel chassis and a robust anodised aluminium front plate.

Interconnects

Upgrade your system in 30 seconds!

Getting the best from your hi-fi or home cinema set-up can be a complex process, but before making expensive component upgrades, you can quickly and cost-effectively optimise your current system by selecting new interconnects.

Cambridge Audio interconnects are one of the most simple yet effective means of ensuring your hi-fi or home cinema system performs to its full potential.

Cambridge Audio's wide range of interconnects provide an instant leap in quality over standard phono cables and offer incredible value. As the UK’s best-selling specialist interconnect brand - with over one million cables sold - Cambridge Audio offers a comprehensive range to make the most of your system.

Developed for two-channel and fully-featured multi-channel home cinema systems, a variety of specially designed analogue, digital and optical cables are available to vastly improve your overall listening experience. What's more, each Cambridge Audio cable is hand assembled by specialist cable makers and features a lifetime warranty.

While many hi-fi components are supplied with basic interconnects to help you get started, these rudimentary ‘patch’ cables simply don’t justify the significant investment made in hi-fi or home cinema systems.

Leading magazine What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision recently advised ‘10% of the total cost of your system should be spent on cabling’.

Make the 30 second upgrade today!

Cambridge Audio’s AV components offer dazzling picture playback
 as well as audiophile quality sound reproduction. 

Home Cinema Receivers

Home cinema is exactly that: all the magic of a movie theatre, though in the comfort of your home. Cambridge Audio components let you enjoy jaw-dropping picture quality and envelop you in the finest Dolby Digital surround sound. We do this by employing the most advanced technologies available. But don’t be intimidated, as ever these critically acclaimed Cambridge Audio components are a joy to use.

 

DVD Players

It’s not hard to see why DVD players have become so popular. Offering spectacular picture quality and incredibly realistic surround sound – with both movies and music – Cambridge Audio DVD players deliver a new level of home entertainment.

As ever Cambridge Audio is on hand with a range of class-leading designs which offer all the latest features and enable you to get right inside your favourite movies!

 

DVD57RWi

Flagship of Cambridge Audio's well-received 50 Series DVD recorders, the DVD 57RWi offers a wide range of enhancements including improved connectivity and user menus whilst retaining the same high quality video performance found across the rest of the range.

The DVD57RWi can record over two hours' DVD quality programming on a single-sided DVD+R and over six hours of material in long play mode. In addition, the 57RWi supports all DVD plus many other formats and facilitates viewing and editing of digital videos and photographs.

A wide range of inputs includes a Firewire connection which greatly simplifies video transfer from camcorders. There is also an RGB Scart, two composite video, two S-Video and two phono inputs. A progressive scan component output delivers the very best picture possible This optimises the vertical resolution for both PAL and NTSC sources when connected to a plasma panel, LCD TV or LCD projector. A Scart output is also provided.

 

Azur 640H Music Server - with AudioFile technology

640H rear panel

view larger image.

Azur 640H Music server

The Azur 640H music server is an audiophile quality hard-disk server which incorporates the high-quality CD player from the Azur 640C and allows you to load your entire music collection onto the 160GB hard drive.

Built on Cambridge Audio’s proprietary AudioFile technology, the Azur 640H music server can access music stored on any PC or Mac when used with a wireless or wired network. Multiple Azur 640H music servers can even be linked so that content on each can be seamlessly accessed by each other. You can even use its wireless capability to effortlessly create a multi-room hi-fi system.

The Azur 640H music server can download songs from internet services, transfer music to and from hard disk portables or stream directly via the Internet, for example playing one of the thousands of net radio stations. When connected to a broadband network, the Azur 640H music server instantly retrieves artist, album and track information using an advanced web-based look-up system.

The Azur 640H music server has been carefully designed to keep audio electronics completely separate from higher noise electronics such as power supplies. This enables the Azur 640H to deliver infinitely superior audio output.

Like the multi-award-winning 640C, the 640H music server features a Wolfson chip and filter for huge dynamic range, clarity and low distortion. An audiophile toroidal oversize transformer is used where most competitors use a PC power supply.

And, like the rest of the Azur range, the Cambridge Audio 640H Music server employs a specially designed low resonance, acoustically damped chassis which takes in a thick aluminium front panel for ultimate rigidity. Available in black or silver, the 640H also features a full function bespoke remote control with hot keys and alphanumeric keys to enable you to search your music collection alphabetically – either by album, track or genre.