To upgrade or not to upgrade??? CA 751bd.

[atkins4725]

I'm contemplative upgrading my CA 650bd to the new CA 751bd and just wanted some expert advise before I go have a look this sat. I don't bother askin the staff at richer sounds for their opinions anymore. I always find they tell me what i want to hear, IMO. How much of an improvement in cd playback can I expect (if any) baring in mind I already run my current CA 650bd through a DACmagic which I believe to have the same Wolfson wm8740 DAC's. Only the new player has 5 of them and the DACmagic has twin wm8740 DAC's ???

 

[Gareth82]

Hi, just thought i would help you with my opinion. I have not heard the new cambridge audio with cd play back but would of thought that yes, you would get a better quality because of those five Wolfson wm8740 DAC's, but if your only using your current cambridge audio as a transport for cd playback and you like the quality of it's Blu Ray playback then why don't you upgrade your current DAC instead to something like a Rega DAC? Although the new 751BD has got those five DACs built in i would of though that a better quality stand alone DAC would do a better job.

However if you decide that you don't want to cahnge your DAC and do want to change your Blu Ray player then i would suggest also thnking of the Marantz UD7006 or the new Denon DBP-2012UD (reviewed in this months mag).

 

[atkins4725]

Thanks for the swift reply, Gareth. I have an issue with keeping kit to the same brand mainly cos i like it all to look the same and not miss matched, maybe I have OCD having said that, I did consider the rega DAC just yesterday but then decided I'd rather hit two birds with one stone, I'm a bit of a movie buff and the CA allows me to do exactly that. I was just concerned that I would shelling out £800 and not getting a decent leap in sound quality due to already using the DACmagic. Do you know how the DAC's in the rega compare to the 5 wm8740's in the CA???

 

[Gareth82]

I know what you mean about keeping all your kit to one make, hence all of my recent Arcam stuff

The Rega DAC uses a pair of Wolfson IC DACs which should be better than the dual DACs in the DacMagic but weather it is a match for the five DACs in the 751BD is something i guess only your ears could answer. It would be best to try and get a instore or home demo of the Rega DAC and 751BD.

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works, but have you considerd going for one of the DacMagic internal upgrades or getting a stand alone Cambridge Audio CDP?

 

[atkins4725]

I hadn't thought about the upgrade path, I'll have a browse on the web. I have thought about a dedicated CA cdp but apparently the 650c to match my amp wouldn't offer much in terms of improved sound quality. I was hoping some information about the higher end models such as the 750c/850c would be available but i can't find anything, Maybe there is none to find??. Is it really worth adding another box if the CA 751 does both blu ray and cd so well??? My local richer sounds don't have a demo room. They demo on the shop floor and to be honest it's pointless. Not sure they'd allow me to take one home and demo it????

 

[John Duncan]

Ask me next week...;-)

 

[plastic penguin]

Ask me next week...;-)

Wadda you up to, JD? There's been a bit of "I'll let you know later" or "Ask me next week" from you today. Is this a Tesco conversion week?

 

[John Duncan]

Wadda you up to, JD?

Ask me next week...

 

[Gareth82]

IMO i think you would be best to upgrade your DacMagic or buy a better DAC. The Cambridge Audio BDP you have is already a very good machine and although your tempted by the newer 751BD it may not be much of an upgrade over what you already have. Plus if you upgrade/change your DAC any other devices you have connected to it will also benfit from the upgrade

 

[plastic penguin]

Wadda you up to, JD?

Ask me next week...

 

[DandyCobalt]

This thread might be useful. http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/cambridge-audio-bd751-vs-bd650-personal-review