PS3 to Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD whats your thoughts

[dirtydean]

Can anybody give me some feed back to my thoughts???

Im trying to get the best out of my kit as listed below. I am using a PS3 fat for my Blu-Ray/cd player and dont think i am getting the best sound/pic as i would like. I was thinking about a Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD.

I've read you can get slightly better pic and sound for the money but i rearly like listening to clasical music especially Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture, so i want a good all rounder and thought this would be best?

With the price tag of £400 i will have to save up and cut down on smoking to get this, but as i jumped into buying stuff before i thought id ask my new Forum/AV freinds what there views were.

Many Thanks

Dean

ps a few weeks ago i was happy with what i had but now i am hooked and want better. I am doing the wifes head in, but she knows it makes me happy so puts up with it.......

 

[Anonymous]

dean , normally to get better stereo sound the best thing to do would be to buy a dedicated stereo integrated amp , but your sony avr doesnt appear to have the pre-outs neccessary for connecting to one ..

also , with your kef home cinema speakers , i doubt the improvements a proper stereo amp may give would be enough to warrant the outlay..

and with those speakers , i doubt you will get much better (if at all) sound using a blu-ray player like the azur ..

to get the improvements your looking for may involve new speakers / stereo amp and cdp or possibly a dac imo , might get expensive ..

also , i wouldnt think you will see anything like a £400 improvement in picture quality over your ps3 from an azur , maybe a tad better , but not much imo ..

 

[dirtydean]

maxflinn:

dean , normally to get better stereo sound the best thing to do would be to buy a dedicated stereo integrated amp , but your sony avr doesnt appear to have the pre-outs neccessary for connecting to one ..

also , with your kef home cinema speakers , i doubt the improvements a proper stereo amp may give would be enough to warrant the outlay..

and with those speakers , i doubt you will get much better (if at all) sound using a blu-ray player like the azur ..

to get the improvements your looking for may involve new speakers / stereo amp and cdp or possibly a dac imo , might get expensive ..

also , i wouldnt think you will see anything like a £400 improvement in picture quality over your ps3 from an azur , maybe a tad better , but not much imo ..

Hi Maxflinn

I read a while ago now that the PS3 fat dose not have bitstream output but decodes it internally before sending it over to my av via LPCM. As one of the main reasons for changing my kit in the first place, was for this I feel a bit left out (if thats the right words)

I also so want if poss from now on buy a bit better than before, so if i do upgrade my speakers in a few years i wont have to replace everything else at the same time...

Or dose that sound daft????

Dean

 

[Anonymous]

not daft at all , but imo changing your speaker package now will give you a bigger improvement in sound than changing anything else ..

if you sold your kef system , and added £500 , you could perhaps get something like the monitor audio br5 av package , £845 , perhaps a touch less if you bargain

..

i dont know if the bigger speakers will fit with your wife/room ? if not then the br2 av pack might ? under £700 id say..

you will get a decent improvement in both home cinema and stereo sound imo , even from your ps3 , then in time when funds allow , you could look at a proper bdp which should bring a little more improvement ..

just my thoughts , im sure others will chip in too ..

anyways .. bedtime

 

[bigboss]

I would agree with maxflinn here

 

[dirtydean]

maxflinn:

not daft at all , but imo changing your speaker package now will give you a bigger improvement in sound than changing anything else ..

if you sold your kef system , and added £500 , you could perhaps get something like the monitor audio br5 av package , £845 , perhaps a touch less if you bargain

..

i dont know if the bigger speakers will fit with your wife/room ? if not then the br2 av pack might ? under £700 id say..

you will get a decent improvement in both home cinema and stereo sound imo , even from your ps3 , then in time when funds allow , you could look at a proper bdp which should bring a little more improvement ..

just my thoughts , im sure others will chip in too ..

anyways .. bedtime

Hi Maxflinn

Just thought I'd let you know i think i have made my mind up....

I had a thought today, i've got 2 other Blu-Ray players one in the back room a Sony BDP S300 and upstaires a Samsung BDP P-1605. The Sony is a early player that the kids use and dose not support ddhd of dts hd but the Samsung dose, so i hooked it up to my amp and set it to bitstream. What a diffrence not only in sound (the first time i think i've heard dts hd wow wow wow) but the picture too (even my wife agreed) im glad i thought of this as it has opened my eyes.. o no i feel the bug again...

So im going to go with the cambridge....

Thanks for replying again.

When it comes to the speakers i've only just bought my Kefs and im realy happy with them. (but may be a upgrade in a year or 2). Also my room is a bad layout and the smaller the better when it comes to the speakers. (ill post some pics soon of my kit and lay out) i would love more space to have something like the monitor audio br5 av package , and a set up like bigboss (bigboss your set up is one of the i've seen it should be showen of in the mag) but this may come in the future if i move house.

Thanks again guys im learning so much from you all....

Dean

 

[professorhat]

I think you'll notice a reasonable improvement in both picture and sound quality with the Cambridge.

 

[dirtydean]

professorhat:

I think you'll notice a reasonable improvement in both picture and sound quality with the Cambridge.

Hope so

Dont think ill get it till next month though, money and all that.

Car'nt wait...

Dean

 

[Anonymous]

cheers dean ..

 

[Anonymous]

dirtydean:professorhat:

I think you'll notice a reasonable improvement in both picture and sound quality with the Cambridge.

ÿ

Hope so

Dont think ill get it till next month though, money and all that.

Car'nt wait...

Dean

I'm also in the market for an upgrade and the Cambridge bluray is on the hit list...but if you're getting one, be aware that I have seen Richer Sounds (the official distributor of Cambridge gear) marking the price down for it from £400 so be sure and haggle as it's been around a while now and should be coming down in price anyway...

Look forward to hearing what you think of it...keep us posted...good luck !!ÿ

 

[dirtydean]

ricardo65:dirtydean:professorhat:

I think you'll notice a reasonable improvement in both picture and sound quality with the Cambridge.

Hope so

Dont think ill get it till next month though, money and all that.

Car'nt wait...

Dean

I'm also in the market for an upgrade and the Cambridge bluray is on the hit list...but if you're getting one, be aware that I have seen Richer Sounds (the official distributor of Cambridge gear) marking the price down for it from £400 so be sure and haggle as it's been around a while now and should be coming down in price anyway...

Look forward to hearing what you think of it...keep us posted...good luck !!

Thanks Ricardo

I sure will haggle, but like i say, i dont think i will get it till next month, just car'nt aford it yet, Dog to the vets, weddings and all that.

I like things now rather than later so its killing, ill me keep reading reviews anyway....

Dean