REVIEW:Cambridge Audio 840W Power Amplifier

Posted by Lookout Mountain Man (A) on July 26, 2010 at 21:08:12

We had been happily using my McCormack DNA1 Deluxe for the last 12 years to drive my Apogee Stage Ribbon speakers until with a bang and accompanying smoke the amp was consigned to the cupboard for future repair. So the hunt was on for a replacement amp.
The Apogees are very hard to drive being a 3 ohm, low sensitivity unit with a large panel for base and midrange and a ribbon for the upper midrange and treble.
I did not want to spend more than a $3000AU on a new amp and so searched out candidates that would be capable of doing justice to these speakers. Wanting to reduce my carbon footprint I also investigated affordable class D amplifiers.

We auditioned the Rotel 1572 Class D and the Cambridge Audio Azur 840W power amplifiers. The two amplifiers sounded very different indeed.

The 840W exceeded our expectations on every count based on our experiences with the old DNA1. The 840W provided tight powerful bass which allowed us to hear bass instruments which were previously hidden in low frequency grunge. The midrange was clear, natural and detailed without any etch or grain. The amplifier provides resolution in time and space which projected a good sound stage and natural decay of notes. The amplifier sounds sweet immediately on powering on but opens up as it warms. After 4 weeks of daily use the amplifier seems to be fully run in and sounds noticeably better than when new.

The amplifier has multiple protection and relays which will protect my speakers in the event of a catastrophe. I have a two channel system and do not need some of the extra features available such as remote power on. I found the line out useful for connecting my subwoofer. This amplifier is enormously powerful and is capable of drawing up to 2400W from your mains when required. An added bonus was that the 840w is quite a bit smaller than the DNA1 so I could use a smaller entertainment unit to house it.

Cons:
On idle it uses 180W and so the case gets hot due to the heat sinks being inside the case.
The unit is not as sensitive as the DNA1 and is just OK being driven from a CD level ( 2V RMS) via an attentuator

This is a superb amplifier but we could not believe we could get this sound quality for the $2500AU we paid for the unit. I can recommend this unit without any hesitation.

System
• Logitech Squeezebox Classic
• Coaxial Digital SPDIF cable
• Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic
• Passive Control Unit using VALAB Attenuator
• Nordost Blue Heaven Interconnects
• Cambridge Audio 840W Power Amp
• RSC Prism Speaker Cables
• Apogee Stage Speaker on stands.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Topic - REVIEW:Cambridge Audio 840W Power Amplifier - Lookout Mountain Man 21:08:12 07/26/10 (0)

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.