Cambridge Audio Azur 651A Amplifier

Around forty years back, every single integrated amp subsequently made aspired to be like this one. Gilded with umpteen different fascia knobs and styled, blessed with a significant quantity of electricity, buttons and switches, this can be the kind of thing that might have captured the interest.

So the choice to give this everything to switchable loudspeaker sets of Cambridge Audio gives away the undeniable fact the amp is directed at general users, rather than self conscious audiophiles.

This latter characteristic is de rigeur but it is not common to see it on something cheap. It will not get the hires bunch in a spin nevertheless, it is just 16-bit/48kHz resolution.

Sound quality

Although one among the amps that are more affordable in the group, the panelists were rather effusive relating to this, ranking it pretty near the very best general. Their excitement for it did not come from any character that is particular yet, but from its total deficiency of vices. There aren't many layouts at or near this cost, the panelists believed, that have this kind of well rounded performance.

For instance, the Vivaldi track had a lot of life and drive - the 651A brought the attention of the listener to the phrasing of the violins. Tonally it had been pretty even - although lacking the Yamaha's A-S500 subterranean lows, it went in and did the occupation down below. There clearly was no awareness of it being not breathing or just overwhelmed by the programme content it had been requested to copy.

VCMG duly seemed remarkable. Fruity large and punchy - when the Cambridge was kicked in by the groove was able to run with this. It was commended by one panelist for its picture place that was excellent, also it had been enjoyed because of its stage depth that was adequate also. On the downside however, it turned out to be metallic sounding than Myryad Z240 or the NAD C356BEE - tonally somewhat closer than maybe it might be.

Jim White verified this, the panel believing his voice came over somewhat meekly.

Really, it had been believed the 651A functioned best on easy, tough content, where it seemed quite great really. A superb functionality in the cost, afterward.