Whatever you think of new formats – or newish, or even allegedly forthcoming for that matter – CD is unquestionably the principal source for decent-quality home music systems. It stands to reason, then, that a good CD player is an essential part of any such system. Or does it? You could use a multi-format player, or a music server, or even an iPod or similar... in each case alone or with an external DAC to bump up the sound quality a bit.
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There's not necessarily anything fundamentally wrong with any of those options, but none has the sheer convenience of a dedicated CD player and, after a bit of an uncertain blip in the market caused by people wondering whether the time was indeed right to opt for some more hi-tech source, the breed is once again clearly established as the source component that one has to have. Plenty of folks have one of the others as well, but very few lovers of high-quality home music replay exist without CD.
The really cheap CD player market has pretty much collapsed, and we're not that sorry to see it go. There's nothing that can't be made a little cheaper and a little nastier, but if you were the type to play a well-loved music collection on a $150 CD player you wouldn't be reading this. So just where, then, does sensible sound quality start on the price scale?
Within the following group, we consider players ranging from $850 to $2000. To most audiophiles, that's the budget-to-midrange market sector. To the manufacturers, it's a critical proving ground. Given the volume of sales within that price range, even now, there's a strong incentive to try very hard indeed to outstrip the competition. As a result, there is every reason to believe that some pretty decent sounds can be had for $850 to $1500. It's enough money to allow for the use of decent parts and build quality, and none of the players in this group requires any apology or special pleading on grounds of appearance or ergonomics.
You may be looking to upgrade a cheap or elderly player, or simply to build a system from scratch. In any case, unless your budget permits the unhesitating purchase of a Wadia, a range-topping Meridian or similar (if only!), we recommend you peruse our findings on the following pages and listen to any or all of the equipment with the help of your friendly local dealer. You'll be glad you did.
Cambrige Audio 640C v2 ¦$850¦
¦www.synergy-audio.com
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For: An effortless flow of music.
Against: Not the most "exciting" performer.
Conclusion: You should certainly hear this one; a super low price.
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The Azur range feels shiny and new even now, but this ‘version 2' model has itself been around for quite awhile now. It was intended as a mild electronic revision of the first 640C, adding a second DAC (a recent Wolfsen part) so that each channel now operates in differential mode – a well-established way of knocking an extra couple of dB or so of noise and distortion on the head. In similar vein, the analogue stages use differential mode and as a result, the circuit features a large number of op-amp chips. Surprisingly, these are the time-honoured NE5532 type, a component out of favour with many, but certainly not all, audio designers.
These are mounted on a dedicated audio board, fed from a separate PCB bearing the drive-related components; Cambridge proudly claims on the screening cover to have made its own servo electronics and thus must be commended on achieving gratifyingly fast disc loading at barely two seconds from pressing ‘close'. The mechanism looks as if it's been built, or at least modified, by Cambridge, as it has a substantial rubber damping layer on it, with the aim of reducing jitter at source.
The power supply uses a medium-size toroidal transformer and modest smoothing capacitors. The various elements of the player are linked internally by a lot of wiring, not all of it amazingly neat. The LCD display isn't to every-one's taste but is clearly visible under practically any conditions and the machine is smart overall.
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SOUN
D QUALITY
As the cheapest in the group by a large margin, this player ran the risk of flailing in the wake of the others, but in fact nothing in the listening notes made by our ‘blind' panel suggested that was the case. It wasn't the favourite of the day, but it also received its share of praise. One listener found it bland and uninteresting in the first two tracks of the test sequence but seemed to warm to it in the third and fourth. Others were more sympathetic, but the 640C appears not to be an "exciting" performer.
What it does well is the subtler side of things. The initial presentation may not grab you, but after a while one is apt to realise that the sound is registering almost subconsciously with your brain. It's clear that where the music had more to offer in terms of subtle interplay than immediate impact – this was most true in the Rossini excerpt – the sound was consistently better liked.
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Consistent with that, the character of the player was described several times as "soft" and also "dark", though there were also a couple of comments about a trace of harshness in the treble when it gets busy. Very little was said, most of it mildly positive, about detail, while a lone comment on bass suggested that it had good extension and reasonable control.
Though these ‘blind' listening notes are far from overtly negative, our sighted tests left us feeling considerably more enthusiastic, particularly in the context of price. It may not beat the best in this test in terms of musical impact, but at half the price its understated and natural style of music making is truly impressive. If your budget won't stretch beyond $1000, the Azure 640c v2 remains the player to beat for lovers of civilized sounds.
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