Hi-Fi: Cambridge Audio Azur 550A Integrated Amplifier & Azur 550C CD Player
 – Review – 78

A quick scan through Tone’s back pages will reveal that Cambridge Audio has received uniformly favourable reviews over the years. Any reason to stop now, then? Not at all. This English brand is justly famous for having brought genuine hi-fi to a price point low enough for the curious to get their first taste of the audio jollies Tone reviewers take for granted.

But let’s not dwell on the price factor, lest we give the impression that buying into Cambridge Audio is somehow slumming it. That couldn’t be further from the truth. CA gear is well built, and everything is created and designed in-house with a clear vision of what’s important about hi-fi. This has never been more apparent than with the quite splendid Azur 550 matching integrated amp and CD player, which herald a new chapter for the company, in that Cambridge has started completely afresh with brushed aluminium fascias and svelte designs, and a host of technical improvements and innovations that we’ll doubtless discuss in more detail on www.tone.co.nz.

The amp is a mere 60 watts RMS, but it’s so superbly in control that even using large floorstanders at high volume there was no sign of any drag or clipping. To get real traction out of the low end, however, smaller speakers and possibly a powered sub might be preferable. Certainly, the superb clarity means you never want to drive the units as loud as you might need to with inferior amplification, because you simply get what you need out of music at a slightly lower volume.

Speaking of that need, I could swear there’s a slightly valve-like sweetness and emotionality about this sound; tracks that I had recently played and enjoyed on both an excellent Yamaha and my own old favourite Perreaux actually made me feel slightly teary on the 550, and that’s saying something.

The gorgeous Emiliana Torrini sounded fresh as a flower and her backing was both astoundingly detailed and mellow. Cornelius was as airbrushed and dynamic as he’s supposed to sound, and the steely electronic tones of dubstep star Benga came across with a precision that sounded just right.

Both the 550 amp and CD player look great, will easily meld into any environment, and are fabulously easy to use, which brings us to the newly designed remote: it will control both units, it’s one of the most solid, intuitive remotes this reviewer has come across, and a sheer pleasure to use.
GARY STEEL

iPod Utopia

As convenient and cool as they are, iPods just don’t sound that good, even when your files have been lovingly downloaded at full size or ‘lossless’. Cambridge Audio’s iD50 provides a solution for those who want iPod convenience but better sound. With the iD50′s high-quality DAC, when you’ve got your iPod connected it’ll be hard at work getting the very best audio results possible out of even the most compromised sound files – though we would never recommend downloading at low bitrates. Of course, it’s ideal to use with other Cambridge products, as it can be controlled with Azur remotes. Another of the cool things this diminutive dock can do is play your iPod’s visual files on your TV. Put quite simply, this high-quality add-on rocks. $399

Tech Specs

Azur 550A 
Integrated 
Amplifier

POWER: 60 watts RMS into 
8 Ohms
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 5Hz-50kHz (-1dB)

CONNECTIONS: Inputs x 6, outputs x 2, tape in

OTHER FEATURES:

• Sanken output transistors with external emitter resistors

• ALPs ‘black box’ volume pot

• Toroidal transformer

• CAP5 protection technology

• Buffered input circuits

• Control bus and IR emitter in connections for simple multi-room integration

• Pre-out for connection to external power amp or 
active sub

• Front-mounted iPod/MP3 player connection

DIMENSIONS: 120 x 430 x 350mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 8kg

Azur 550C CD Player

DAC: Wolfson WM8740
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz-20kHz
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO: >100dB
OTHER FEATURES:

• CD text display for suitable discs

• Audiophile-grade toroidal transformer

• Selectable choice of sharp roll-off or slow roll-off filters

DIMENSIONS: 85 x 430 x 305mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 4.8kg

PROS

• Amazing price

• Real high-end sound quality

• Latest technology

• Ergonomic and aesthetically appealing

• Brilliant remote

CONS

• I’m stumped to think of any

VERDICT

Its price is almost unbelievable given the superb quality, features and performance

Contact

www.pqimports.co.nz

This article is from Tone issue 78.