Cambridge Audio CD Player Has Died


I have a Cambridge Audio Azur 840C CD player that is roughly 15 years old. A year ago the left channel went dead & was subsequently repaired. However, yesterday the audio output completely died (no sound whatsoever). Although the unit has served me well, I am reluctant to continue to put more money into repairs of an older unit.

That being said, I have a question for those of you who have more expertise than I. Is there a discernible difference in sound quality between high-end CD players & those more moderately priced? Although I do have a high-quality audio system, I would prefer not to spend a lot of money on a new CD player unnecessarily.
Thank you so much.
Kit
kitjv

Showing 6 responses by jtcf

Ha!Same thing happened to me with my nine year old CD player.The parts are no longer available to repair it.So reluctantly I've decided to go with separates-Benchmark transport and a very well reviewed but inexpensive Parasound dac to start.It gives me a baseline that I can compare other dacs to.The new components will be up and running tomorrow so I'll post my first impressions then.
Most times it’s the laser and transport mechanism that gives out first.Your player can’t output a signal if the laser can’t track the disc.It’s hard to decide which way to go,I can relate.You’ve been happy with your current player,so just replace it with the new or refurbished(same warranty?).If you want to add a dac down the road the new player becomes the transport.
That’s the way I wanted to go but the player I had is no longer manufactured.I was happy with the equipment I had and not really excited about a change.Shhh....I may lose my audiophile card now:-)
Two very nice players are Marantz or Yamaha ( Crutchfield.com.)Then add a dac later.
If you stretch your budget a bit a Cambridge transport (Audioadvisor.com)and a Border Patrol dac(LTA.com) is a great combo.And a digital cable of your choosing.No affiliation with these companies,just some places to browse as you research.
I'm auditioning a Parasound dac right now that I really like except the upper midrange has a very slight glare that is bugging me.I have a new cable ordered that may clear that up,fingers crossed.Other than that one area it does everything right,silky and detailed.

Yup,the MH 25.3 is tubed.The MH 15.2 is not.If it were me I'd go for the MH 25-3.From the reviews I could dig up the 15.2 has a more analytical sound and a sibilance issue.Whatever you decide on I'd be interested in your impressions.

The Parasound I was auditioning this past month is going back.It sounded very good with small ensembles but fell apart with more complicated music.The CXC transport is perfect,it stays.

Well darn,that's too bad they are no longer available.I know nothing about the Shiit brand except what I've read.People seem to either love em or hate em.

Congrats on your new purchases!In my limited experience pretty much every new component and cable begins to show it's true colors between 25-50 hours.After that improvements are more subtle.I'm burning in a new dac right now myself.Since everything has tubes I play something on repeat at a very low level for 3-4 hours then sit down and listen for changes for 30minutes or so.At the 50 hour mark I decide if it will stay or go.