Cambridge Audio 840A V2 or Sugden A21a series2?

tonky

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750 gbp against 1300 gbp. Is the price difference worth it. I have heard the Naim Nait5i and the CA 840A and prefer the 840A. I am not able to get a dem of the new Sugden at the moment (not in stock in Leics yet)

If anybody has experience of both amps - what do you think? - worth the difference?

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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Any minute now, Drummerman will be along to tell you that...
1) in his opinion the Sugden is definitely worth the extra £550
2) you should take his word on this, and buy the more expensive amp now over the internet
3) the last thing you should do is go further afield than Leics for a demo, or simply wait until you can get one in your local dealer.
Thought I'd save him the trouble...
 
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Anonymous

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Sudgen without a doubt, or a Sonneteer Alabaster, both easily see of a Cambridge.
 
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Anonymous

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The Sugden sound is lush, sweet and clean, you will not look back. What are your speakers tho? They are low-powered, but can still drive speakers with average sensitivity/load

Can't comment on the CA amp except i had an A5 about 10 years ago, it was dull
 

drummerman

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[quote user="tractorboy"]
Any minute now, Drummerman will be along to tell you that...
1) in his opinion the Sugden is definitely worth the extra £550
2) you should take his word on this, and buy the more expensive amp now over the internet
3) the last thing you should do is go further afield than Leics for a demo, or simply wait until you can get one in your local dealer.
Thought I'd save him the trouble...

[/quote]

Wrong my little rabbit.

I have'nt heard the new baby sugden with its 'greatly improved' power but if its anything like its predecessor its a very aquired taste and completely different to either naim or the cambridge. So to compare them is like asking if emmental cheese tastes the same as gruyere.

I try and describe what the Sugden 'house sound' is; Its very 'pristine' and clear with little of the 'grain' of some (but not all) AB solid staters. Its not a 'powerful sound' ala Naim but more detailed and the bass is understated to say the least. It also seriously lacks drive and attack and I somewhat doubt they have addressed/solved that problem with this newest version. Thing is, this is an amp where speaker matching is more important than usual, even if it is perhaps a bit more able to drive difficult loads so again, a marked difference to the afromentioned amps.

To best sum it up it is, in my opinion, a product that tries to be an alternative to good Transistor and Valve Amplifiers yet fails to capitalize on either ones strengths.
 

drummerman

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[quote user="tractorboy"]2) you should take his word on this, and buy the more expensive amp now over the internet[/quote]

... and I certainly would'nt recommend that without listening to it first.
 
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Anonymous

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Agree with Drummerman, altho I don't believe they are a compromise betwen transistor and valve amps, just an in-between, of sorts.

When i replaced the Primare power amp with the Sugden Masterclass power amp, it sounded amazing: the clean, detailed sound, with lush midrange and amazing wide holographic soundstage, but at first it did indeed feel like some of the dynamics, range and power had gone. However, it took me only about an hour to get used to that, and switching back to the Primare sounded more artificial and "digital". Later I changed all (the rest of) the cabling over to Nordost, which complements Sugden perfectly, bringing in some extra excitement, evening out the balance, and with a leaner, tighter and deeper bass (there was plenty of bass without the Nordost, but a bit soft and more at the upper bass level).

Another great quality of Sugden (well, the Masterclass power amp), is that it reproduces the acoustics of a recording incredibly well - therefore on a good recording, the preformers seem more "in the room". It does indeed have one of the sweetest, grainless trebles, which is good for poor recordings and poor sources (like freeview).

So, I would say, yes go for it, as you will love it in the long run, but it's still (as always) worth auditioning before you buy.
 

drummerman

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[quote user="peteAllen"]
Agree with Drummerman, altho I don't believe they are a compromise betwen transistor and valve amps, just an in-between, of sorts.
When i replaced the Primare power amp with the Sugden Masterclass power amp, it sounded amazing: the clean, detailed sound, with lush midrange and amazing wide holographic soundstage, but at first it did indeed feel like some of the dynamics, range and power had gone. However, it took me only about an hour to get used to that, and switching back to the Primare sounded more artificial and "digital". Later I changed all (the rest of) the cabling over to Nordost, which complements Sugden perfectly, bringing in some extra excitement, evening out the balance, and with a leaner, tighter and deeper bass (there was plenty of bass without the Nordost, but a bit soft and more at the upper bass level).
Another great quality of Sugden (well, the Masterclass power amp), is that it reproduces the acoustics of a recording incredibly well - therefore on a good recording, the preformers seem more "in the room". It does indeed have one of the sweetest, grainless trebles, which is good for poor recordings and poor sources (like freeview).
So, I would say, yes go for it, as you will love it in the long run, but it's still (as always) worth auditioning before you buy.
[/quote]

... ahem ... great comparison ... just in case it escaped you, the fella is looking at amps around 1k not £3000. Oh, did I mention that it also sounded rather 'brittle' if I remember right?
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="drummerman"]
... ahem ... great comparison ... just in case it escaped you, the fella is looking at amps around 1k not £3000. Oh, did I mention that it also sounded rather 'brittle' if I remember right?
[/quote]
Very true, I got carried away, as i just love my sugden. Apologies.
 

Thaiman

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Sugden masterclass and A21 s2 are very different in sound! While they both come over as smooth amps, masterclass series has so much more resolution and uncomparable Dynamic range. I wasn't too impress with A21a and it is certainly one that need demoing to see if the lush midrange suited to your eyes.

As for CA 840a v2 I haven't got a chance pop over my local RS and has a listen yet but mk1 was very good being cystal clear top end and wide soundstage. Bass is tuneful too if not as deep as some. However some may found the sound come over too clinical....almost perfect digital sound!! the amp didn't moved me emotionally at all.
 

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