2. amps-preamps
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set up question cambridge

I recently purchased a cambridge 840e and 840w. My speakers are sonus faber grand piano home. My question is I need to set the volume control at the -30 level about 2'o clock leval to have any real volume to my speakers (scale -96 to zero). On my previous amp peachtree decco 50w the volume set at 9 o'clock was the same as the cambridge unit 200w. I checked the connections a couple of times and it appears to be correct. It just appears the cambridge unit has a somewhat muted sound or something is not right with the unit. Any reccomendations to trouble shoot this will be appreciated.
rpssb
9 responses Add your response
thorman
1,262 posts
 
I could be off target but The Sonus Farber probably needs a whole lot more power..Its possible theres just not enough power there to light them up...........
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
I think there is something wrong with your amp; you should not have to turn it up that much to get a similar volume. In terms of loudness, the difference between a 50W and a 200W amp is not that much.
zenieth
381 posts
 
Sounds like a loading issue to the cartridge. What is the preamp output ohms to the cartridge?
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tanglewood
43 posts
 
i have the same issue. i have a cambridge 840a v2, 840c and dynaudio c1's. i have to turn the volume to half way to get moderate sound. beyond that it starts getting loud and at 2 o'clock is fairly loud. i spoke with matthew at audiopluss services and he said this is the way the cambridge is designed. so as long as you get plenty of volume when you turn past half way i think it's ok.
jylee
306 posts
 
The issue you are seeing has to do with the gain, not the power. Every amp has different amount of gain. The position of the volume knob has profound effect on the psycho acoustics. Many people "think" the amp sound inferior when they see the volume turned up higher. Your speaker might very well need more powerful amps, but you should give it more time before making a hurried decision.
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rpssb OP
11 posts
 
This is response from a Cambridge dealer: This is typical. 0dB is the maximum gain of the amp.This sort of control uses what is called linear taper. Older style control used an audio taper. With an audio taper, you get about 80% of the control's usefulness in the first half of the control's rotation. With linear taper, it is actually linear. i.e. -50 is about equal to a conventional control turned up about 1/8 of a rotation. It takes getting used to, but the benefit is incredibly precise channel matching at any volume setting.
Thanks Jack for your explaination.
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knownothing
1,584 posts
 
This is probably a good thing if you think it sounds good when turned up to the desired listening level as it will give you much greater ability to control the volume at lower levels. Cheap volume pots often have problems with channel matching at lower volumes. The 840e has a fairly sophisticated system for attenuating volume.

Curious, how does the Cambridge pair sound to you in general?
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