Cambridge Audio’s new Azur 651 Series brings hi-fi to the digital music generation…

Azur 651A Integrated amplifier $899 RRP

Azur 651C CD player $899 RRP

Download 651A Tech Specifications

Download 651C Tech Specifications

To embrace the wider variety of ways we enjoy music, Cambridge Audio, the UK’s best-selling hi-fi manufacturer, is excited to unveil the all-new 651 Series. Comprising the 651A integrated amplifier and 651CD player, it significantly builds on the strengths of the 650 Series with a range of design enhancements, even higher specification components and retuned audio circuitry. Offering connections for music sources of all types from computers to more traditional hi-fi sources, the 651 Series represents a true taste of high-end specialist audio while maintaining Cambridge Audio’s legendary value proposition.

Like every Cambridge Audio design, the new 651 Series was conceived and developed at the company’s Research and Development Centre on London’s vibrant Southbank.

The 651 Series is first and foremost, focussed on delivering the purest, most realistic sound reproduction possible. This is achieved through a combination of exceptional in-house design talent and the specification of custom developed premium components which are crafted to Cambridge Audio’s specific requirements.

In both models for example, expensive toroidal transformers are specified over more commonplace laminate designs because they deliver a smoother, purer sound that’s remarkably free from interference and distortion. And to embrace the way in which consumers are now storing their music, the new 651A amplifier now features a USB audio connection to enable direct connection of PCs. Meanwhile, the matching 651C CD player benefits from a completely new DAC design together with filter configuration derived from the company’s award-winning DacMagic.

Azur 651A Integrated Amplifier

Thanks to the explosion in digital music, the personal computer has for many, replaced towering CD collections. To reflect this change in tastes, Cambridge Audio has taken the decision to add a USB audio connection to its 651A amplifier rather than adopt the more common and easier to implement approach of including USB connectivity on a CD player. This driverless connection bypasses inbuilt soundcards of a connected Mac or PC and allows the 651A to take care of the delicate digital to analogue conversion process.  Meanwhile, connection support for analogue sources like CD players, iPod docks and tuners is better than ever.

A premium toroidal transformer is key to the 651A’s design strengths and enables it to offer unruffled performance with music of all types. Class-leading power of 75 Watts per channel remains a significant advantage, meanwhile a film type ALPs volume pot means it also performs as well at low levels as at higher volumes.

Adding to the audiophile specifications are separate transformer taps for left & right channels, twin rectifiers and separate PSUs for dual-mono operation of the left and right power amplifiers.

In pursuit of its sound-first approach to design, Cambridge Audio shunned the addition unnecessary features and gimmicks to enable the inclusion of premium components which it believes add genuine benefits to the sound of the 651A.

• Audiophile grade oversize toroidal transformer and substantial extruded heatsink for lower noise and quieter PSU operation
• 2 x 75 Watts RMS into 8 ohms
• ALPs film type ‘black box’ volume pot for superior channel balance
• Custom output stage using Sanken output transistors with external emitter resistors for reduced thermal modulation and increased current delivery
• Separate transformer taps for dual mono operation of the left and right power amps
• Fully updated and re-tuned CAP5 protection technology
• Pre-out and Sub outputs for connection to external power amps and/or active sub
• Control Bus and IR Emitter In connections for simple multi-room integration
• 5 x RCA inputs; 1 x 3.5mm input; 1 x USB input
• Front-mounted iPod / MP3 player connection
• Gold plated low-loss hi-fi speaker terminals
• LED indicator shows which speakers (A, B or A+B) are selected
• Acoustically damped full metal chassis and thick brushed aluminium front panel
  • Supplied with new Navigator remote – also controls Azur CD players and docked iPods
  • Low power (<1W) standby circuits
  • Available in silver and black

The 651A is designed to drive almost any speaker with ease offering excellent bass response and dynamic control thanks to a retuned output stage featuring Sanken output transistors. These offer considerably lower thermal modulation effects than comparable transistors.

Ensuring protection against overloads, faults and clipping, Cambridge Audio’s latest proprietary CAP5  system offers unrivalled peace of mind whilst guaranteeing no sound degradation.

As well as the new USB Audio input, the 651A features a wide range of inputs and outputs to accommodate sources of all types. iPods and MP3 players get a dedicated 3.5mm jack and matching source control. In addition, the supplied Navigator remote features command codes for control of any iPod when connected to a suitable dock such as Cambridge Audio’s award-winning iD50.

Azur 651C CD Player

The Azur 651C CD player features an all new twin DAC implementation with the same selectable filter arrangement used in the legendary DacMagic. These enhancements in addition to completely retuned audio circuits make for an even purer, more lifelike experience than its highly regarded predecessor.

• New twin Wolfson WM8742 DACs arranged in dual differential (i.e. one per channel, in an internally balanced mode)
• High performance op amps
• CD dedicated S3 servo solution ensures maximum retrieval of digital information with extremely low jitter
• All PCBs and DAC stages feature double-sided surface mount technology eliminating wire links and giving shortest possible signal paths
• Audiophile grade toroidal transformer for lower noise and quieter PSU operation
• New selectable filters – Linear Phase, Minimum Phase or Steep, allowing the listener to select the one that sounds best to their ears or to suit the source material
• High contrast reverse black DFSTN (Double Film Super Twisted Nematic) display with CD-Text display for supported discs
• Low power (<1W) standby circuits
• Acoustically damped full metal chassis and thick brushed aluminium front panel
• Supplied with Navigator remote – also controls Azur amplifiers and docked iPods
• Available in silver and black

Twin Wolfson WM8742 DACs deliver a significant performance upgrade and are implemented in a dual differential configuration (each channel has its own DAC to process information). A sophisticated Two-Pole Dual Differential Double Virtual Earth Balanced Bessel filter configuration rejects virtually all noise and distortion present in the DACs and filters them to produce an unprecedented level of performance.

The new DACs also feature a selectable digital filter with three settings to suit lister preferences and their particular system set-up:

• The Steep roll-off filter exhibits strong attenuation of aliasing images outside the pass band (i.e. above 22.05kHz) at the expense of a little pre and post-ringing in the time domain.
• The Linear phase filter uniquely features ‘constant group delay’ which delays all audio signals at all frequencies by the same amount meaning all audio is fully time-coherent at the output.
• Minimum phase meanwhile does not feature constant group delay but rather the co-efficients have been optimized without feed-forward so that the impulse response exhibits no pre-ringing in the time domain

Where many CD players use drives designed for computers, Cambridge Audio avoided this approach due to the noise and impurity it adds to music and created its CD-only S3 Custom CD Servo^TM drive. This audiophile design gives the 651C the ability to retrieve maximum digital information. S3 employs a custom designed chipset and the latest double-sided surface-mount technology for ultra short signal paths with freedom from wire links. Circuits and software have been meticulously designed and S3 dynamically adjusts focusing, tracking and output level of the laser in real-time, allowing for maximum retrieval of the digital information and jitter minimisation. This is all made possible by the implementation of a powerful ARM7 processor and complemented by a highly accurate master clock oscillator and carefully designed impedance-matched clock buffering scheme.

Meanwhile, the well-proven transport guarantees incredible rigidity and the CD drawer itself has been designed to offer a smooth, high-end feel. And to ensure simple operation, a high contrast reverse black DFSTN (Double Film Super Twisted Nematic) display offers excellent feedback of the 651C’s impressive features which now include CD-text support.

As with all Azur CD players, a high quality toroidal transformer ensures lower noise and less waveform distortion for quieter PSU operation.

In summary…

This exceptional duo breathes new life into a highly competitive category combining sensational performance with Cambridge Audio’s legendary design quality. Avoiding the addition of unnecessary features and gimmicks and instead focussing on achieving the purest, dynamic sound possible, the 651 Series is designed to bring alive music of every type and optimised to maximise the performance of every possible source.