NAD M5 vs Cambridge 840c

WOOPS......also for $2000 or less consider the
Meridian G 08.

I have had the MF A5....a superb overlooked player
on this site. They can be had for a great price on
Audiogon also. The price has really come down on these over the last year and a half. For less than $1300
you cannot go wrong. If you are willing to spend that
$1800-$2000 look at a Cary 303/300, Esoteric Dv-50s
or a Raysonic cd-168. All used of course. The Raysonic
cd-128 is a real gem below that $1200 mark. I personally
preferred it much more than the MF A5. Of course in my system. TO EACH HIS OWN !!!!!!

I preferred the NAD to the 840 which I found a little sterile. I found the MF A5 and the Primare CD31 were far more musical than either the NAD or Cambridge. I went for the MF while my brother preferred the Primare. All of the above players were auditioned in the same system at a dealer, the system consisting of Bryston amplification and a pair of Mordaunt Short Performance 6 speakers (as I own the speakers, I was very familiar with their sound).

I do not have experinece with that particular NAD but a friend and I did try the 840. We used it in two different systems wit Cardas Neutral Reference and thought a Denon 1650 sounded better. However when he switched to balanced (not an option for me) Zu cable it really changed for the better. I now have a Sony SCD XA777ES and he has the 840 keith

I owned both and compared them side by side. IMHO the 840C was brilliant in balanced mode but just good in single ended mode. The balanced amp left the house and so did the 840C. In a single ended system, the NAD M5 had more body and musicality, it continues to please. However if I ever get a balanced system, I might have to give the 840C another shot.

I owned both players. I preferred the NAD. However neither IMO can compete with either the Modwright (sony or denon) or the Exemplar 2900, or the rega Saturn. I have listened to them side by side.

Just another two cents.......the "gem" in the Cambridge
line is the 740c. If you do not need balanced outputs
save yourself some money and audition this player. It
comes real close to the 840c.

I personally found the M5 to be much better sounding than the 840c. Both are very good players. Without getting into
the usual three paragraphs why the one is better than the other, I found the NAD to be much more musical and detailed while being less digital than the Cambridge.
Plays SACD and HDCD also. A tad shy on bass. A good
power cable will help the bass. I even thought it sounded
better than some of the players costing much more which
I have owned.

The DAC feaure and MUCH BETTER resale value go to the Cambridge. The 840c is no slouch for sure. It comes down to personal taste. I do not even look at magazine reviews anymore.

By the way take a look at a Meridian or an Esoteric DV-50s if you can spend up to$1800-$2000.

Oddly enough I recently posted a similar entry asking about the differences between the Cambridge 840C Azur (which I own) and the BAT VK D5SE. While I have not auditioned the NAD M5, I can say that the upsampling 840C is to my ears a great value in your price range. Many of my older redbook CD's came to life with the upsampling feature, and the musicality of the player. Some say the 840C is a bit forward sounding, which I have not noticed in my system. The reviews the 840C received prompted me to take the leap of faith and buy it without auditioning it, and remain quite happy with it after 9 months. In hindsight, while I would likely have purchased it anyway, it's always recommended to do some sort of direct A / B comparisons with a few favorite CD's and on amps and speakers that are close to what you use. Good luck!