Also own a Cambridge 851C. Far from harsh but it’s not dead sounding either so if you play very poor recordings, well you get it. I run Synergistic Black fuses (was current at the time) with WyWires power cord. Listened to the CAL’s from the past and the more current Marantz players and they’re very good but I’ll keep the Cambridge. Had a brief home audition with the 840 as a local shop had a used one in so I took it home; still a nice player but not as revealing as the 851C. My 851C sounds much better than my stock Oppo 205 as well. Was using the DAC only in the 851C with a streamer which sounded wonderful but latter went to an RME DAC. If you’re only looking for a CDP/DAC, the 851C is a great player for the money. Very flexible player if you want to also plug a streamer into or go direct to amp. Fuses and power cords will make a nice improvement as well. Also, if you have a balanced preamp or amp (going direct) it does sound best balanced out. Lastly my 851C sits on Daedalus DiD’s isolation feet which improves things even more. It’s a wonderful player if properly set up.
CD Player Recommendations…
Looking for CD player recommendations that mate well with a Musical Fidelity A308 integrated and Revel F30 speakers. Cabling is Discovery Essential speaker cables and matching Essence interconnects. I’m thinking the player should be on the neutral to perhaps slightly recessed/relaxed mids to synergize with the A308 and F30’s more forward characteristics.