Cambridge 840C, YES it is as good as the reviews

I owned an 840c for about 5 weeks had the opportunity to put about 300 hours on it. It did improve with break in but in the end did not make my short list. I think that it is a great value for $1400 but not as engaging as the Ayre Cx-7e, the Opis 21 or even the Rega Saturn-all of which I felt were more musical. I will admit I am biased in my listening preferences but for the money, I really wanted the Cambridge to be at least equal or close. It would have saved me some $$$ compared to any of the other players.

Don't get me wrong the 840c is a fine player but certainly not the best under $5K. If you read TAS this month you will find Robert Harley makes the "best under $5000" claim conditional saying that it is the best under $5K player that he has heard.

I also saw Harley's response... here's the thing - this guy is Mr. Audio Biz... when he makes a statement like that, I either want to listen to one immediately (which I have) or question his credibility (which many have done) because that was quite an exagerated claim.

Truth is, I think the 840c is an excellent CDP for $1500 and a serious contender at twice that. IMO, if your budget is tight, and/or you want digital inputs, and/or you want an upsampling transport, the 840c ought to be on your short list to check out.

Mike

I extensively compared the 840c to the Marantz SA8001, and prefered the 8001.
The 840c did give more of a sense of body to instruments, but, the 8001 has a better sense of space and depth, and I can hear deeper into the recording.
The 840c, to my ears, is a great sounding cd player, but it has slightly vague imaging, and has a flatter soundstage than the 8001. It also sounds slightly more "mechanical" than the 8001.
The 840c is slighter smoother and less forward than the 8001, but I still prefer the 8001.

Hi Audio_girl,
I agree 100% with your conclusions on the 840c.
I own the Marantz SA8001 and I am very happy with it.
I also prefered the 8001 to the Onkyo DX7555,Marantz CD-5001, the Rega Apollo, and the Rega Saturn, plus it also plays SACD's.
Not bad for a less than $1,000.00 player!
The 8001 is a bargain, IMHO.

I think the player is that good. To say well you can get a player for $5000 that sounds better is like saying duh. Maybe saying best under $5k was overrated, but honestly this player is very impressive. Just pop the top and look at the parts....custom transport and all. Very impressive and sounds incredible. I stand by that and would like to A/B against the Krell and Ayre etc....

By the way, I went to hear the Krell and could not A/B it back to back to the Cambridge but it did sound good but it was a bucket of bolts. The dealer said he would not sell it to me if I had wanted it saying the transport was a ticking time bomb and I would be left with a 40lb door stop....but no, I did not want to buy it....was not worth it over the 840c! I also went into a local Tweeter to hear the Krell and when I showed up the unit froze....i.e., was dead, end of story, end of its life.

Don't believe the bashers of this player, it is a steal for the price.