Thanks! for sharing- George.
CDP Repair or Replace? Seeking advice Please
Hi,
First, thank you for your kind response!
I own what may now be considered a vintage CDP, it is a Cambridge AZUR 840C which I primarily use as a DAC streaming TIDAL. I also have a SONY SCD-2000ES SACD player connected via COAX to it to play CD's. Well, the AZUR transport coughed up a furball and will not spin a disk, which sounded better than the Sony connection. I called a dealer and they said it would cost about $300 to repair it, I asked about (not that I have the coin) upgrading to the AZUR 851C and they were quite emphatic that my $ would be best spent repairing the 840C, they did not try to sell me anything else, again, just spend the $300. Question is, what would you do? Thanks!
First, thank you for your kind response!
I own what may now be considered a vintage CDP, it is a Cambridge AZUR 840C which I primarily use as a DAC streaming TIDAL. I also have a SONY SCD-2000ES SACD player connected via COAX to it to play CD's. Well, the AZUR transport coughed up a furball and will not spin a disk, which sounded better than the Sony connection. I called a dealer and they said it would cost about $300 to repair it, I asked about (not that I have the coin) upgrading to the AZUR 851C and they were quite emphatic that my $ would be best spent repairing the 840C, they did not try to sell me anything else, again, just spend the $300. Question is, what would you do? Thanks!
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mr_m241 posts04-13-2017 12:01amGeorge. Is that Sanyo laser the same one used in the newer Cambridge 851C???Yes just to confirm all the Azures except for two use this laser/mech and the fist one one azur340c used either, I'd say it was a MkI and MkII CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur340c CS4338 KSS-213C / SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur350c WM8728 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur351c WM8728 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur540c 1 x WM8716 Sony KSS-213C CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur540c v2 1 x WM8740 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur550c 1 x WM8740 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur640c 1 x WM8740 Sony KSS-213C CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur640c v2 2 x WM8740 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur650c 2 x WM8740 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur651c 2 x WM8742 Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur740c 2 x WM8740 + Anagram Upsampler Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur840c 2 x AD1955A + Anagram Upsampler Sanyo SF-P101N CAMBRIDGE AUDIO azur851c 2 x AD1955A + Anagram Upsampler Sanyo SF-P101N Cheers George |
I agree with George. buy a working new or used Sanyo mechanism and replace it. It is not difficult at all to replace the drive mechanism, and that definitely appears to be the problem. I don't understand the logic of buying a new unit when you are happy with your existing unit. It is a computer drive. When the drive fails, replace the drive. Especially if you are happy with the sound of this unit. Why spend extra money if you don't have to. I bought a used Naim Unitserve music server recently. The drive mechanism read one disc and didn't read others. It also ejected disc about two feet. Funny. The existing drive was a Teac DW-224SS-W93 drive built in 4/2010. I contacted Teac and they told me the replacement drive is a DV-W28SS-VM3. So I bought one and replaced the old unit. I also opened the old unit and cleaned the lens and lubed the moving parts and it worked much better. Its not rocket science. The unit works great now. enjoy |
why are you thinking of messing with the laser? OP "Well, the Cambridge AZUR transport coughed up a furball and will not spin a disk, which sounded better than the Sony connection." Why not for $10 lousy bucks? Is it taboo to fix things yourself around here? The old ones rats**t anyway so can't be damaged any more. It’s literally a few screws and a couple of connectors to replace it. (No adjusting to be done) http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=Sanyo+SF-P101N&_sacat=0 Cheers George |
Hi, jafant. I think I paid around $450 for the Sony SCD-2000ES. It turned out to be an absolute steal. Not only does it hold 5 disks, it plays hybrid SACD's and has both TOSLINK and COAX outputs for playing CD's on an external DAC. In terms of SQ, it gives my Cambridge a run for the money, of course, the Cambridge is better (except for SACD where the Sony edges out the Cambridge). Using it as a transport connected to my cambridge for playing CD's it does the job, but the Cambridge sounded better playing CD's with it's own transport. I think after reading all of these posts, and the fact that most of my listening now is through TIDAL, I'm going to save my $ and time and Use the Cambridge as a DAC. If and when the Cambridge dies, or when I can afford an upgrade, I'll replace it at that time. |
grmYour Cambridge AZUR 840C has a Sanyo SF-P101N laser/mech in it. They cost under $10usd for the whole mech with laser, if you have just a little mechanical knowledge they take around 1/2hr to 1hr to install with no adjustments needed, $300usd is a ripoff, do it your self. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=Sanyo+SF-P101N&_sacat=0 Cheers George |
Grm, Cambridge AZUR 840C is supposed to be a nice (mid-fi) player but if I was in your shoes, then I would probably sell it in ebay as defective and bought Denafrips ARES for $600 + $50 shipping. You can use your Sony as a transport and have a real high-end DAC for cheap. I just bought one for my smart TV and it is just crazy what you will get for the money. I don`t say that it is better than my reference player but it is way, way more than you will get from some $2000 to $5000 DAC/players. And yes I have owned quite a bit of digital from this price range plus some up to 20K. |
From what I've read about both Cambridge players, they have different sonic profiles. The 840C often characterized as sounding highly resolved and warm whereas the 851C has been said to have a cooler, drier sound. So I would recommend repairing the 840C or perhaps looking into a Marantz player which will have a similar sound profile as the 840C. To be very clear, all of what I'm saying here is based on what I have read not experienced. All the best! |