Cambridge Audio 640A or Nad C352 CT
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New member Username: The_seekerPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-06 | I have a pair of Monitor Audio B2s and want to pair them with a good amp. here in India both these amps sell for around Rs 26k, but i don't know where i can audition the Nad in new delhi. have heard the CA 640A and it sounds nice, but i also don't want to pass up on the Nad as it is known to be great. any advice, suggestions? i'm even willing to replace my speakers if required, as long as the budget doesn't go thru the roof. |
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New member Username: NikePost Number: 5 Registered: Dec-05 | salim, I would go for NAD. 352 also has two pre-outs which means i can connect a sub-woofer to it as future upgrade. I have not heard CA but can assure NAD is very detailed. what cdp do you have? |
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New member Username: The_seekerPost Number: 2 Registered: Feb-06 | hi nike, my cdp is certainly not a great audiophile choice, it's actually a pioneer DV-585 universal disc player. am planning to upgrade soon as i get the amp-soeaker combo right. |
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TSH Unregistered guest | I have MA Silver 6s and NAD 352 amp. I auditioned Cambridge as well and did not like the sound. The NAD balances the somewhat bright MA speakers pretty well. |
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New member Username: NikePost Number: 6 Registered: Dec-05 | frankly, i enjoy the NAD 320BEE more than 352. I find the 352 less on bass and lacks the musicality (though its more detailed). You can even go 320BEE and save money for NAD 542 CDP which is another great choice. I am using the same combo with PSB B25s and am happy  |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 978 Registered: May-05 | Nike - I own the 320BEE, so this isn't intended to bash it - The 320BEE doesn't have "more" bass than the 352, it has a bump around 120 Hz to give the impression of more bass, and gives it a "warmer" sound. If you were to do a frequency sweep in a good room with a good pair of full range and flat speakers, the 352 would measure flatter (less dips and peaks), and the bass would go down lower. |
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Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 345 Registered: Mar-04 | The C320BEE, although a nice budget amp, sounds very thin next to a C352 or C372. As for the Cambridge, it's a great rock amp but not as detailed as the Nad. If you listen to mainly rock I'd say get the Cambridge but the Nad is more revealing. |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-05 | Hi guys, I have just been given a NAD 352CT amp and a pair of Monitor Audio B2 speakers. I am thinking of getting a NAD 342 CD Player or a Cambridge Audio 640C V2 CD player. Which one should I go for ? Both have rave reviews (think 640v2) has more hype ... but would the NAD amp work better with NAD Cd player ?? I listen to mainly pop, jazz, vocals, slow rock and world music ! Thank you for everyone advice ! |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1207 Registered: Nov-05 | If you mean a NAD C542 CDP then that's one. I highly recommend it with your setup. |
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Silver Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 129 Registered: Aug-06 | I second that, I have the same C352+C542 combo with PSB Image B25 and I am quite satisfied with it...This is a good entry level setup, exceptional performance for the price... |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 3 Registered: Dec-05 | Thanks for the Advice. But if I have to choose between Cambridge 640v2 and a NAD 321BEE to go with the C352CT - which would be better ? Thank you ! |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 162 Registered: Mar-06 | I would far and away go with the Cambridge 640c v.2 or if you can find one the Cambridge 540d DVD player that in the Oct 2006 Editor's Choice awards "rivaled the NAD 542" |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 7 Registered: Dec-05 | The problem is that I have a richer sound voucher. If I get the Cambridge, it would be cheaper but by far all the advice I got is to go for the NAD. I went to richer sounds and of course everyone of the staff told me Cambridge 640CDP is the best. I know they are Cambridge sole distributor - so I am quite skeptical. They then told me it has two DACs ... but I am not sure if it makes such a difference ! |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 6335 Registered: Dec-04 | sell the voucher for 90% of face value, sell it at the store, and get the Nad 542 somewhere else. A cambridge dv player is the LAST choice. |
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Silver Member Username: Jingka99Kuala LumpurMalaysia Post Number: 142 Registered: Aug-06 | victeo 18, you are forgetting the golden rule in buying audio stuff, trust your own ears!!! Have you listened to both NAD C542 and CA 640C together with your C352 and MA B2? Don't let the voucher confine you with CA, I am not impying CA is not good though.... I agree with Nuck's suggestion, it will give you a free hand to choose the right CDP that suits your musical taste... |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 163 Registered: Mar-06 | this is a no-brainer. Get the CA- even their Azur 540D DVD player will smoke a 542 compare them side by side and see. The 640c v2 is in a totally different class than the 542 - hear for yourself. You CANNOT go wrong. Even the 540c v2 is better. Same DAC as the 640c, only 1 instead of 2. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 6344 Registered: Dec-04 | Uback, it IS going with a 352. I think you smoked your voucher. How do you figgur a uni DVPlayer beats a seasoned matching dedicated cdp? With a de rigeur cable selection, at that?! |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 8 Registered: Dec-05 | Actually I have asked - Richer Sounds does not demo, and even if they did - they said they did not have B2s. Other retailers do not carry CA. Hence the difficulty. I have now narrowed it down to CA 640v2 and NAD 342 CD player and nothing else. I have studied them both closely and the difference is the DACs. The NAD seems to only have one. 8 years ago, on a recommendation of a friend, I bought the a Muscial Fidelity XA1 + Bi-amp with 2 XP power amps and B&W 601 Speakers / VDH interconnects and QED Cables. The setup worked really well with Musical Fidelity X-Ray CD player. Therefore I am persuaded that One brand system might have the synergy. Hence I am not sure if CA works better than NAD or if NAD amp + NAD CD would have a synergy factor. Hence all the questions. I am thankful for all the advice so far. Today I bought QED interconnects ... would any one have advice on cables? QED Silver Annviversay XT has all the hype but I was wondering it is good for the NAD 352 amp + Cambridge 640CDP + Monitor Audio B2 system + QED 3 interconnects ? |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 164 Registered: Mar-06 | I stand corrected. I auditioned a new 540d DVD player against the 542 and I thought the sound was better. So did The Absolute Sound in the Oct 2006 issue. I think the term they used was "Rivaled" the 542. I have heard the 640c v2 and the player to beat it up to the next budget level would be the $1000- Rega Apollo. Considering our friend had Musical Fidelity in the past, I would personally spend the extra money and get an Apollo. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1602 Registered: May-05 | Victeo, Seems like everyone's got an opinion... Regardless of how much the Cambridge unit may "rival" the NAD 542, it won't have the synergy with your NAD 352 that the NAD CD player will. Add to that that "rival" could mean anything from nearly equal to similar, and again the NAD wins. I've heard them side by side. I wasn't too impressed with the Cambridge. Not bad by any means, but nothing special to my ears. Also, look up Uback007's previous posts. I don't think there's an instance where he recommends anything but a Cambridge. The Apollo is the first time I've heard him prefer something else that I recall. |
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Silver Member Username: Jingka99Kuala LumpurMalaysia Post Number: 143 Registered: Aug-06 | If you can't demo the NAD amp + CA CDP, Then the safest bet is to go with the one brand system, IMHO...The CA 640C v2 and NAD C542 are both decent players and exceptional on it's price range and individual merits...Now it all comes down to system matching I guess... The CA uses 2 Wolfson DAC in symmetric mode, one for each channel which was claimed to improve channel separation to provide better resolution while the NAD employs Burr Brown Sigma Delta DAC with built-in Pacific Microsonics Digital Filter for HDCD decoding... DACs is one thing but there are other things there worth considering such as the quality of capacitors used, op-amps, transformers and clocks plus of course the design layout so it's quite difficult to judge a player on DACs alone... |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 9 Registered: Dec-05 | It's really strange but I just cannot find any opinion on the net on any using a NAD amp with a CA CD player. There is one person who uses NAD 372amp + CA 542 CDP with Sonus Faber Speakers and it seems that he adores it ... Most people seem to be "one brand man" ... esp when it comes to NAD and CA ! |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 165 Registered: Mar-06 | Mr Pitt, I like CA stuff- yes. You took the time to research my integrity. Bravo.(although it may denote that you spend entirely too much time here) IMO the CA stuff for the money is MY preference. I like NAD as well..but I prefer the CA stuff over it. The sound is typically British, which I like- a little more laid back and relaxed than the NAD stuff. I think you would have to jump up another 500 quid to the Apollo get a noticeable improvement. While we are checking peoples "trends" of posts -lest us not forget how we evolve...in the future as my budget increases, I may begin touting another brand and as part of that evolutionary process, I hope you dont take the time to tell me and everyone else here that I have switched my tune and am promoting another brand besides CA if you, once again, decide to conduct a research study to my post's subject matter. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1603 Registered: May-05 | Uback, I didn't do any "research" of your previous posts. None was necessary. I check the board once or twice a day if I've got a few extra minutes, and it seems to me (and I believe a few others have said it as well, but I won't research it) anytime CA is mentioned you tout it as you state. I can't recall you ever recommending something over it, unless of course its the scenario you mentioned regarding the Apollo. Re-reading my original post, it sounds like I was taking a shot at you. That wasn't my intent. I was merely pointing out your overwhelming preference to the OP and stating he should take this into consideration. Nothing more or less than that. |
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New member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 10 Registered: Dec-05 | Hi everyone ... Thanks for your advice so far. All of you are trying to help and I appreciate your advice greatly ! I have a question for all senior forummers/avid Hifi enthusiasts/experts - I listen to mainly to vocals, classic rock, some jazz, classic "cross-overs" which is the rage these days (Josh Groban, Katherine Jenkins?) + some world music, a little of classic (not to much - LOL)... Do you think choosing either a NAD/CA source would really really make a difference? I have heard that it is the Amp + Speakers that carry the weight and source is not as important as the other two... personally I think I like a laid back sound - NAD and Cambridge are quite british ... and by far, I think most people agree that Brits make the best hifi (the other outstanding thing of course is football clubs) LOL ... Any thoughts on this ? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1604 Registered: May-05 | Victeo, I thoerize that a good reason why people stick to a one brand approach at this price point is system matching. IMO there seems to be a big difference in the general sound characteristics between brands than at other price points. At this price point, differences are out-right. One brand is bright, another is warm, another is overly smooth, and yet another seems overly aggressive. While these traits remain true in gear no matter what the price point, when you compare gear that costs far more, the differences become far less obvious from one brand to another, maybe even to the point where you're splitting hairs. I don't think I'm doing too good a job at explaining this, and it's just my opinion. I'm sure some people will strongly disagree. My main point is that at this price point, the gear has more of a stronger sonic signature, whereas the further you go in price there is less and less of a sonic signature. There are a few exceptions, but this to me is the overall general rule. The more sonic signature you have, the harder to match brands and have good symetry. With less sonic signature, it may be much easier to mix brands and have the system sound right. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1605 Registered: May-05 | "I have heard that it is the Amp + Speakers that carry the weight and source is not as important as the other two..." Not to sound the wrong way here, but many people will say you've heard wrong. Here's my run down from experience - Recording quality Room acoustics Source Pre-amp Speakers Amp Cables I recently came to this conclusion. I had a long demo with a great salesman who was having a slow day. We changed amps, pre-amps, speakers, sources, even cables. From this long demo, I came up with this heirchy. There's a saying in Hi-Fi - Garbage in = garbage out. No matter how good everything is down stream, if it's fed a garbage signal (in this case the source), it'll amplify garbage. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean that you shouldn't spend more money on a component that is lower down my ladder here. Different components cost different prices to build. For instance, most $1000 CD players that I know are on a higher level than say $1000 tower speakers. I'm not saying that there's an overwhelming difference between each type of component. If one is off, the rest will be as well. Even though the amp is near the bottom of my list, its still very important. But as long as its fully capable of driving the speakers in the system, I think there's a bit more flexability in it than anything else. As long as the speakers are being driven sufficiently, are in the right room, and are set up properly, I don't think they are as important as most seem to think. |
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Bronze Member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 11 Registered: Dec-05 | Stu Pitt - thanks for all the posts. I find it very informative indeed. I have quick query: "One brand is bright, another is warm, another is overly smooth, and yet another seems overly aggressive." Are you saying that CA is bright generally, NAD is warm, CA is smoothm and NAD is aggressive ? Sorry I am quite muddled as it is ... thanks again ! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1606 Registered: May-05 | Victeo - I wasn't saying any particular brand was any of those traits. It was a generalization. I would say that CA is more laid back and smooth sounding than NAD. To some ears, such as mine, maybe a little too much so. Of all the brands at this price point - NAD, Rotel, Marantz and CA for example, I think CA and NAD may be the most similar to each other than the others. This stuff can get a little confusing. Try not to drive yourself too crazy with it. The only way you can go wrong with buying any of this stuff is if you don't listen to it first. Forget about what magazines, people on a forum, or even sales people tell you. None of them are paying for it nor living with it in your home and system. Listen to the gear and buy which ever sounds best to you. If I listened to others, I'd definately be looking at buying a completely different system than the one I'm getting in the near future. |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 166 Registered: Mar-06 | you should look at Soundesign, their stuff is really great.. :-) :-) |
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Bronze Member Username: Malco49Baltimore, Maryland Usa Post Number: 67 Registered: May-05 | check out www.audioenz.co.nz or www.audioreview.com for some nice cambridge reviews i use the 640C azur v2 with 540A v1 and PSB imageB25 bookshelf speakers and have enjoyed. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 6379 Registered: Dec-04 | Well done, Stu. |
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Bronze Member Username: Malco49Baltimore, Maryland Usa Post Number: 68 Registered: May-05 | i agree stu's post makes sense.however for those who are of us who are "learning" to listen sometimes reviews as well as forums such as these prove invaluable. and i just feel i have to give cambridge some props as i totally enjoy mine system |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1611 Registered: May-05 | "...however for those who are of us who are "learning" to listen sometimes reviews as well as forums such as these prove invaluable." Absolutely. I've learned so much here. I think the biggest asset to us is it helps keep us from making very big mistakes. A lot of people have been steered clear of companies with big names and little to no quality to back it up. Couple that with sharing reliability issues, listening experiences, tweaks, etc. and its an invaluable resource. When I was saying don't listen to what people here tell you wasn't meant in a negative way in any shape or form. It was actually done hoping that he would go out and form his own opinions. Who knows, maybe he'll stumble across something completely different and be happier. All the descriptions in the world aren't going to mean anything if he doesn't compare the gear for himself. Also, I didn't mean to imply Cambridge is inferior to NAD in any way. Its a very good product and on par with NAD IMO. The CA sound just isn't my cup of tea. If he had a CA amp, I would recommend a CA CD player. |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 167 Registered: Mar-06 | I have discovered Primare, Musical Fidelity, and Moon. Methinks this is going to get pricey. Anyone want to buy a 640A? We're looking at at least $1350 to get into the game. I listened today to the CA 840A - Primare I30 ( i think ) Moon I-series and MF A3.5 - while it will pain me to spend additional money- this afternoon I evolved to the next step. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 6399 Registered: Dec-04 | Uback, see Classe as well, used, if you can. Rather good. |
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Bronze Member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 12 Registered: Dec-05 | Uback - I have MF ... it's really nice ! |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 168 Registered: Mar-06 | Today, I heard a couple of units from Rogue Audio -the Metis and some other 'greek god' named stuff from theirs- Was very impressed for what you can get for the money. I also heard Conrad-Johnson pre's and amps as well -that stuff will be 10 years out for me at the way its prices - but my my.... Paired with some Joseph Audio speakers. Kid in a candy store was I today :-) I love this hobby! |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 169 Registered: Mar-06 | Vic, what do you have from Musical Fidelity? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1616 Registered: May-05 | Uback, Check out the Naim Nait 5i ($1425). Phenominal in every way. If you liked the Primare and Moon stuff, the Nait may have more of what you're looking for. |
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Bronze Member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 13 Registered: Dec-05 | Uback - its the old stuff: X-Ray CD player X-A1 Integrated Amp 2 XP power amps If you like very dynamic sounds etc they are great ! |
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Bronze Member Username: Victeo18London, London Uk Post Number: 14 Registered: Dec-05 | Stu - I think I am going to go with NAD this time round. And use the Voucher for a (DAB/FM) Denon Tuner in Richer Sounds! Just got a pair of 5m Silver Anniversary Cables with airloc banana plugs for £50... really cannot wait ! LOL ... Many thanks for your advice ! |
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