Cambridge Audio Azur 650A or 740A

admin_exported

New member
Aug 10, 2019
2,556
4
0
Visit site
I was thinking about buying Azur 650A amp but I found second hand 2 yrs old Azur 740A for the same price as 650A. And they look and work perfectly fine.

Which one do you think I should buy?

I will be matching with a pair of B&W 685.

Thanks!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
hi

Personally I wouldn't buy either (sorry!)

I took my mum to buy a first separates system and they put on Cambridge stuff which having heard nothing else, she thought was 'OK' but I thought it had no emotion or involvement, so I asked the shop to put on some NAD stuff at the same price and Mum immediately heard what I meant and ended up buying that ......... so whilst I know it's all relative in this game, and each has their own likes sound-wise ... perhaps you can buy better, even if it is second hand!

Good luck
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I think BigAir is spot on - I recently have just had the exact same experience.
 
I'm pretty much of the same view - I'm not a big Cambridge fan.

However, when I looked on Richer's website a couple of weeks ago, they were selling the 740A (probably online price only) @ £399.

Based on a pound-per-pound basis I would certainly edge towards the 740A, safe in the knowledge that should it fall short of your sonic requirements, they provide a 28 day returns policy.

Although, personally, I would look at Rotel RA-04/05, Marantz or Nad offerings. The sound from these IMO is more cohesive.
 

gregory

New member
Sep 9, 2007
45
1
0
Visit site
Plenty of cambridge fans on this site as well so dont be swayed by the this is better than that brigade, go and have a listen and make your own mind up. Yes there are more revealing brands but its the music thats emotional not the equipment.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
gregory:Plenty of cambridge fans on this site as well so dont be swayed by the this is better than that brigade, go and have a listen and make your own mind up. Yes there are more revealing brands but its the music thats emotional not the equipment.

Well said Gregory, I'm more than happy with the 650's performance.
emotion-21.gif
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Yep, i agree with gregory, recently got a 650C and the sound is great
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
'Have a listen and make your own mind up' - YES exactly ......

The trouble is that often people only listen to one offering, perhaps well reviewed and not having other things for comparison may think it's good. Arguably - if you are spending more than your last kit cost, it should sound better somehow, but there is better and then there is BETTER.

If you have shortlisted something due to recommendation by way of friends or magazines etc that's great - but I suggest you should ALWAYS hear several options at your price point - as many can bear-out and as happened with my Mum (and me in the past too) it's about spending your money wisely and the only way to be sure is to compare and contrast. Then you have the reassurance that you have bought wisely and heard the difference YOURSELF to know which ticks your boxes - whatever aspects of the sound you want to re-create.

Yes it is all about the music, not the kit - but only listening will enable you to know which kit creates your version of that musical message..... which kit conveys the music in a way you prefer .....

Some want detail, some want timing, some want imagery, some musical emotion, some warmth ..... blah blah blah ..... and if you've not compared products it's not really possible to say you have specifically given yourself a chance to find the best solution for your own needs .......

Good luck!
 

gregory

New member
Sep 9, 2007
45
1
0
Visit site
Thats a fair point BigAir but did you take your Mother to several different demos or just settle on the Nad. I beleieve the OP would be happy with Cambrigde or Nad and maybe several other brands but asked about the differnces between the 2 amps mentioned not to dismiss them. For some Rotel are to clinical sounding, Naim to upfront, the list goes on but i do agree that you should demo other gear and in time as we get the chance to upgrade to something BETTER we have more experience of the sound were after. Most people when they start off in the world of hifi will upgrade at some point, it's rare that the first system we buy will stay with us forever, a long time maybe but the the chance to upgrade will hit us at some point. If you look at my profile you will see the brands i have owned, all sadly gone now due to lack of space and raising funds for another project, i now have a system that though budget meets my needs, it comprises Rega P2 with a Denon DL-110 Cambridge Azur 340A and Mordaunt Short MS 914i speakers, they all work beautifully together and i have no need to upgrade just yet but i will in the future and the Cambridge will be still be present.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Thanks everyone for very thoughtful advices!

So I went to the store to check out how they sound today. I narrowed down to CA 650A and NAD 326BEE in the end because I actually wanted own a brand new amp rather than a second hand.

As I own a CA 540R amp, I was more familiar with the sound of 650A. I thought it sounded more soft and accurate. Yes, I totally agree that 326BEE has more interesting character and emotion to it but I often play a house music at home, I thought 650A can handle punchy music better than 326BEE to be honest. So I choose 650A over 326BEE in terms of reliability and the strength. I really liked both of them.. It was very tough call..

Thanks again for all your opinions. It really helped me out..
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
White Rabbit I think as the 650 settles in you will be very happy with your choice.
emotion-2.gif


It has a very true performance and does not lack emotion, people keep calling it bright, it is better termed dynamic with plenty of attack.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I've just made a budget Hi-Fi purchase and I also narrowed my decision down to the CA 650A and NAD 326BEE. Although I was also matching and purchasing speakers at the same time. Please note my HI-Fi experience is minimal and I'm just going on what I heard.

The speakers were between Mordaunt Short Aviano 1, Dali Lektor 2 and Wharfedale 10.1. It really was all about matching for me. With the Mordaunt Short Aviano 1's the NAD was warmer and more musical than the exciting and open CA. With the Dali Lektor 2's I thought the NAD sounded even better. I was starting to lean towards the NAD but still admired the open sound of the CA, it was just a little too bright for me. The shop assistant was however loving the CA. We then introduced the Wharfedale's. The NAD was pretty consistent and I thought I had a extremely tough decision to make between the Dali's and Wharfedale's, but I was wrong. On the CA it was like I got the best of both worlds with the Wharfedale's. They tamed the CA making for a much more musical performance but maintained the openness. Suddenly the NAD sounded very narrow. The shop assistant also agreed. I made him set up each setup several times, just to make sure ;) Anyway my point is you need to mix,match and listen. I was very close to purchasing the NAD and if it had been the week previous (the Wharfedale's weren't available) then I would of. Of course I would of still been very happy with the NAD.

I'm enjoying my purchase :)
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts