Cambridge 840
NotaSuv
Posts: 3,851
About 2 months ago I sold my Sony 555ES player and treated myself to a 840 which I found at a fantastic price...3 months old and under $800.00 just couldnt pass it by after all I have heard and read about this unit. I am not one to do reviews and use all of those key musical terms BUT this lil unit has really opened my ears to hearing some very sweet music coming from my system....the W4S int amp paired very well with my Mirages and the 840 is the icing on the synergy cake :cool: I am at a place where I am very happy and finally see no need to go any further upgrade wise.......
Music is clear,precise and expands all around the speakers with the music played on real instruments in a real space, unlike other players I have had where the music had a slight veiled sound. I am using a W4S 500 int amp with a pair of Mirage M-1 speakers and this player has really taken my little system to a whole new level. It has really allowed me to hear the emotion of the music if that makes any sense. The soundstage really expanded and fills my entire listening room. Instruments have taken on a much more real sound and I become drawn into the music more than ever. I find myself listening for hours now instead of just one disc for the night. My older CD's have really been brought to life with me hearing subtle details in the recordings that I have not heard before. Much easier to pinpoint just where each different sound is coming from in my room. Strings and wind instruments sound as if they are right there in the room with you and the piano will give ya goose bumps.. all have a tonal accuracy that I have never experinced before....the fact that the dac can be used as a stand alone is a big plus as is the fact that the unit can be upgraded any time new firmware is released for no extra. I did dynamat the inside and just need to find different footing to isolate it a bit more. I am also going to give the XLR outputs a try in the neat future
I am sure there are much better players out there but probably way beyond my price range. This unit puts a smile on my face every time I fire it up and thats what really counts as I see this being in my system for years to come.
Music is clear,precise and expands all around the speakers with the music played on real instruments in a real space, unlike other players I have had where the music had a slight veiled sound. I am using a W4S 500 int amp with a pair of Mirage M-1 speakers and this player has really taken my little system to a whole new level. It has really allowed me to hear the emotion of the music if that makes any sense. The soundstage really expanded and fills my entire listening room. Instruments have taken on a much more real sound and I become drawn into the music more than ever. I find myself listening for hours now instead of just one disc for the night. My older CD's have really been brought to life with me hearing subtle details in the recordings that I have not heard before. Much easier to pinpoint just where each different sound is coming from in my room. Strings and wind instruments sound as if they are right there in the room with you and the piano will give ya goose bumps.. all have a tonal accuracy that I have never experinced before....the fact that the dac can be used as a stand alone is a big plus as is the fact that the unit can be upgraded any time new firmware is released for no extra. I did dynamat the inside and just need to find different footing to isolate it a bit more. I am also going to give the XLR outputs a try in the neat future
I am sure there are much better players out there but probably way beyond my price range. This unit puts a smile on my face every time I fire it up and thats what really counts as I see this being in my system for years to come.
Post edited by NotaSuv on
Comments
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Nice write up and review!
I owned a 640c V2 - I personally liked the clarity/detail that the CA presented.
Was considering an 840 - read some good stuff on it. Oddly though, there were a couple of comments that it lacked bass....do you notice that?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I do not have the 840C, but have heard nothing but praise for it. I do have the 840E pre-amp, and the 840W amp (2), and they are great bang for the buck. Add them to your 840C and really move up the sound ladder.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
Erik Tracy wrote: »Nice write up and review!
I owned a 640c V2 - I personally liked the clarity/detail that the CA presented.
Was considering an 840 - read some good stuff on it. Oddly though, there were a couple of comments that it lacked bass....do you notice that?
Bass is not a problem at all BUT when I added the W4S 500 I saw a HUGE improvement in bass.......I guess its that synergy that has brought all together into one sweet sounding rig...well at least to my ears....anyone in the charlotte area is more than welcomed to come over for a listen..... -
Bass is not a problem at all BUT when I added the W4S 500 I saw a HUGE improvement in bass.......I guess its that synergy that has brought all together into one sweet sounding rig...well at least to my ears....anyone in the charlotte area is more than welcomed to come over for a listen.....
Oh...I'm a big believer in system synergy as I try things out for myself (imagine that) :biggrin:
I ended up going a different route to get SACD/CD playback - so I'm in a 'happy place' right now.
Glad you are enjoying the 840C! Would be interested to know if you notice a difference with XLR vs RCA.
Keep us posted!
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I'm one of the people who complained about the lack of upper bass. I've A-B'ed it to a few other machines and it was the case every time. In some setups this may be advantageous though. Otherwise, I found it to be a nice sounding machine."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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As for XLR vs. RCA, IMO both the STI and 840C sound better via balanced than single ended."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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As for XLR vs. RCA, IMO both the STI and 840C sound better via balanced than single ended.
Thanks Face I am going to give XLR's a try next week....... -
Thanks for the review. I also considered getting one of these, but opted to go the SACD route instead.
Glad you are happy with your new source and the synergy that all the components produce. It's nice when it all comes together sounding right.
