Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD vs Sony BDP-S570 / S770

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys,

Just reading through the WHF reviews of both these products and just wanted some clarification on the performance of the 2 models.

The BDP-S570 (& S770 if as stated on here is the same) says in its review "market-leading sound and pictures" where as the CA mentions "Not quite the best Blu-ray pictures £400 can buy" but from what I can make out is exceptional with sound. Now I cant see myself using SACD or DVDA, so it mainly gonna be for movies.

So if the S570 / S770 has market leading sound and pictures how does it compare to the CA BD650 on these aspects ?

 

[bigboss]

You've got an excellent receiver. Do you want the blu-ray player to decode audio, or bitstream to the receiver to decode it? If it's the latter, then audio performance shouldn't really matter.

 

[Anonymous]

I want to bitstream to the receiver. Just out of intrest noticed you have a Harmony one, which is another piece on my wanted list. What do you think of it, worth getting ? Where you get yours ?

 

[bigboss]

EvertonMonkey:I want to bitstream to the receiver.

In that case, don't worry about audio performance. Just concentrate on the picture quality & buy which you feel is the best. IMO, Cambridge Audio should be considered only if you're after a universal player or are looking for superior audio if your AV receiver is not good enough. Otherwise, if you're bitstreaming audio, you can get players for a lot less, offering you better value for money.

All your equipment is Sony.......a Sony player will complement well.

Just out of intrest noticed you have a Harmony one, which is another piece on my wanted list. What do you think of it, worth getting ? Where you get yours ?

I bought the Harmony One from play.com, when it had a crazy deal, selling it for £69.90. It's certainly one of the best investments I've made. Even at current price, it's well worth it.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been looking at the S770, but now thinking about the S570 after pretty much 'crossing' off the CA 650BD after your advice. Oh decisions, decisions. Have been waiting for the S770 really, but after seeing the comments about it being a S570 with better case and backlit remote I'm a bit dubious about paying £100 extra, but the WHF review does suggest it is slightly better than the S570.

£69.90 is a crazy price, Currys currenly selling for £129.99

 

[manicm]

If you don't need SACD or DVD-A playback it has to be the Sony.

 

[Anonymous]

manicm:
If you don't need SACD or DVD-A playback it has to be the Sony.

ha ha yeah but which one

 

[professorhat]

I compared the S570 and the CA 650BD indirectly in the recent Savvy Shopper article (i.e. by comparing both directly with my older Sony BDP-S550). From that, I can conclude I'd prefer the CA over the S570 for both video and audio.

However, that was my opinion and I'm sure others would disagree. Also, is it worth the extra money? I'm not sure personally as I never had to make that decision since I went with the Marantz BD7004. So I'd suggest doing a similar audition process yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
I compared the S570 and the CA 650BD indirectly in the recent Savvy Shopper article (i.e. by comparing both directly with my older Sony BDP-S550). From that, I can conclude I'd prefer the CA over the S570 for both video and audio.

However, that was my opinion and I'm sure others would disagree. Also, is it worth the extra money? I'm not sure personally as I never had to make that decision since I went with the Marantz BD7004. So I'd suggest doing a similar audition process yourself.

What made you prefer the CA over the sony for video and pic ? What made you go for the Marantz in the end over the other 2 ?

 

[bigboss]

manicm:

If you don't need SACD or DVD-A playback it has to be the Sony.

Actually, the newer Sony models play SACDs.

 

[professorhat]

EvertonMonkey:professorhat:
I compared the S570 and the CA 650BD indirectly in the recent Savvy Shopper article (i.e. by comparing both directly with my older Sony BDP-S550). From that, I can conclude I'd prefer the CA over the S570 for both video and audio.

However, that was my opinion and I'm sure others would disagree. Also, is it worth the extra money? I'm not sure personally as I never had to make that decision since I went with the Marantz BD7004. So I'd suggest doing a similar audition process yourself.

What made you prefer the CA over the sony for video and pic ? What made you go for the Marantz in the end over the other 2 ?

The main aspect was the player's ability with detail during motion. I used Casino Royale as a test disc and the bomb maker chase scene - this highlighted the "noise" present on the cheaper players during fast motion.

The CA and the Marantz had a noticeably "chunkier" sound as well compared to the others which were very similar to my existing S550.

 

[bigboss]

professorhat: The CA and the Marantz had a noticeably "chunkier" sound as well compared to the others which were very similar to my existing S550.

Did you allow the players to decode audio, or bitstream it to the amp?

 

[professorhat]

Both were bitstreaming to the amp since this is how it would be setup at home.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the S570 actually looks at little better than the S770, might wait to see the article in next months mag comparing the ranges of Blu-ray players, Im sure I seen it mentioned somewhere in these forums.