Cambridge 740C

[GregLett]

Well.. I decided to get the 740. At first I as going to get the 640 then changed my mind after going over it in my head for a few days. The player should arrive tomorrow, and I hope it fits well in my system.

[Russ L]

Congatulations. The 740C and 840c have leading edge digital to analog conversion unobtainable in other CD players. At least until the others catch up.

[Briz vegas]

Maybe I missed the discussion but obviously you feel your Jolida needs an upgrade (referred to in your profile). Aeon i are a pretty nice speaker (heard them many times on Scumurculum's system with much modded Shanling T80) so you could have gone for 840 or better quite easily depending on budget and taste.

They are very revealing so I am sure you will appreciate the available additional performance from that player -the tube pre-amp is a good idea also. Let us know how you go :T

[GregLett]

Maybe I missed the discussion but obviously you feel your Jolida needs an upgrade (referred to in your profile). Aeon i are a pretty nice speaker (heard them many times on Scumurculum's system with much modded Shanling T80) so you could have gone for 840 or better quite easily depending on budget and taste.

They are very revealing so I am sure you will appreciate the available additional performance from that player -the tube pre-amp is a good idea also. Let us know how you go :T

I only posted a want ad for the 640 here,so you didn't miss any discussion
My budget only allowed for the 640 at this time, some say that the 640 is better than the Jolida. I decided I needed to stretch the budget and get the 740. The specs of the 740 look pretty close to the 840.

[Glen B]

Well.. I decided to get the 740. At first I as going to get the 640 then changed my mind after going over it in my head for a few days. The player should arrive tomorrow, and I hope it fits well in my system.

Good for you. :T The 840C was on my short-list of players to replace my dated Classé CDP-.5 but I ended up ordering the new Marantz Reference SA-11S2. It is expected to arrive at the dealer later this month. The S2 is an improvement over the now discontinued SA-11S1 and incorporates some of the features of its more expensive sibling, the $6,500 SA-7S1, including its solid aluminum transport.

SA-11S2:

[GregLett]

Good for you. :T The 840C was on my short-list of players to replace my dated Classé CDP-.5 but I ended up ordering the new Marantz Reference SA-11S2. It is expected to arrive at the dealer later this month. The S2 is an improvement over the now discontinued SA-11S1 and incorporates some of the features of its more expensive sibling, the $6,500 SA-7S1, including its solid aluminum transport.

SA-11S2:

Some day I'll play with the big boys Let us know how you like it.

[GregLett]

Well it's here! Right out of the box I like it. I've had a Monarchy dac on hand for a while playing with it in my system. The Jolida and Monarchy dac combo was not very good, the sound became too "hot" certain parts of recordings had that sound when there was way too much gain in the circuit. Just for kicks I tried the 740 with the dac and that problem was not there. Even though the dac adds gain, so far I didn't hear any significant improvement in sq. After I've had a few hours on the 740 I will do some critical listening. My buddy has a dac1 we will try in the system also to see how much I can squeeze out of this config.
So far though :T

[PewterTA]

Yep, definitely give it time. I found I had to put roughly 100hrs on to both of my 640s that I've had to get to it's full potential. My next upgrade is to the 840, just have to get the funds for it. I'm almost 100% positive I have my 640 sold as soon as I decide to jump.

[wkhanna]

I'm almost 100% positive I have my 640 sold as soon as I decide to jump.

Ahhh........if you mean your 640c V2, you better be refering to me!!!! :W

[Hdale85]

Hmm well if your going to sell your 640 then I might be able to take it off your hands Bill

[soundhound]

Bill, do run your source through the Yamaha as a pre-power down stream?

[Hdale85]

Bill goes through a Carver tube preamp through a rotel amp. I don't remember any Yamaha anything in his system :B

I have a Yamaha reciever right now but its all getting swapped out soon. Will get a Integra DTC-9.8 Pre/Pro and not sure about the amp yet. Possibly a 7 channel Aragon or something I build. That'll be my HT setup eventually I will have a 2 channel setup that will have an Aleph 5 Full Class A amp with a DIY tube preamp. But thats pretty far down the road.

[soundhound]

Yamaha, Carver, well, you know............
Thanks

[Hdale85]

Yeah he currently has the 640C the origional with the single dac. If he gets the V2 is the dual dac.

[GregLett]

Yep, definitely give it time. I found I had to put roughly 100hrs on to both of my 640s that I've had to get to it's full potential. My next upgrade is to the 840, just have to get the funds for it. I'm almost 100% positive I have my 640 sold as soon as I decide to jump.

For sure. My budget was for a 640 used. I kept waiting for someone to put one up, since I missed the ones that were up. I was able to get lucky and pick up the 740 for an excellent price, just don't tell the wife

[wkhanna]

Hmm well if your going to sell your 640 then I might be able to take it off your hands Bill

Sound great to me, Dougie!
You get first dibbs on it.
Nothing like keeping it the ‘family’!

[wkhanna]

For sure. My budget was for a 640 used. I kept waiting for someone to put one up, since I missed the ones that were up. I was able to get lucky and pick up the 740 for an excellent price, just don't tell the wife

Good for you for being patient!
It will almost always pay off.
IMHO, the 740 is a ‘Fine’ CDp.
I am sure you will be happy with it for many years.

Oh... and your secret is safe with us, Bro! :W

[wkhanna]

Yamaha, Carver, well, you know............
Thanks

With all due respect, I realize Carver may not be held in V high esteem in general or around here.
I would like to point out, however, that my unit is a C-19, and while a bit old in the tooth, it is in pristine condition, has had professional maintenance, is currently sporting some V nice Electro-Harmonix tubes, and is run exclusively in by-pass mode. I have compared it to one friend’s Bryston and another’s ARC Sp 11, and while not in quite the same league, IMHO, it holds its own quite well.

I am considering putting to together a basic passive pre using Marchand stepped atenuators, but that is a topic for another day.

[soundhound]

Bill I presume?
The snype was intendid for Dougie at my mistaking he for you.
I believe Carver has a large cult following, its just a congregation I don't belong to.
Choices keep this industry alive, and thats a wonderful thing.........for everyone.

[Russ L]

I ended up ordering the new Marantz Reference SA-11S2.

:B Great Cd Player :B Regards, Russ

[Hdale85]

hmmm

[wkhanna]

Soundhound, I have always read your posts with interest, and have always valued and respected your advice and opinions. Based on your profile, not only do you posses some V fine equipment, but also share an appreciation for well-engineered design and the love of two-wheeled conveyance.

Being a hands-on electro-mechanical technician/engr myself, it seems we have more in common than not.

I may have overreacted a bit to your post, and your reply shows that your intent was not intentionally meant to malign.

Generalization can be the tool of bigotry, and while an Edsel and GT40 can come from the same genus, I am sure your comments where not of the sort.

My Carver was gift from someone who is responsible for teaching me how to listen to music, that being a gift much more valuable than any component could ever be. But nonetheless, it provided an improvement in my own system, and for that I am grateful.

Choices keep this industry alive, and thats a wonderful thing.........for everyone.

I can’t add anything to that statment. :T

[GregLett]

All I can say is WOW!!! The best description I can give of the overall sound of this player is "rich sound" I'm now dying to hear the 840.

I had a listening session on Sunday, and I now have to take the player to my buddies house this weekend. He wants to hear it in his system, just to be sure he will enjoy it as much as he did in my system. He is ready to put his Meridian
I think a G06 up for sale and get the 840. He likes how smooth the mids and highs are, and the bottom end kicks some @#$.

[Fred333]

That good huh? Now my interests are peaked I am going have to hear for myself. Thanks for the recommendation.

[GregLett]

That good huh? Now my interests are peaked I am going have to hear for myself. Thanks for the recommendation.

Yea give it a shot. I've heard about this line for about two years now. Someone had told me to get the 340 then, but I was not that eager to try. But after hearing so many good things about the 640 and 840 I decided to give it a shot.

[PewterTA]

See it's statements like these that makes me want to get rid of my 640c v2 for a 840. :P

[GregLett]

See it's statements like these that makes me want to get rid of my 640c v2 for a 840. :P

Now I want the 840. I've been looking for a used on on Agon daily.
Then I'll sell the 740

[Russ L]

Now I want the 840. I've been looking for a used on on Agon daily.
Then I'll sell the 740

The bigger power supply of the 840C provides incredible articulation to the notes. That along with the smooth "analogue" sound you got on the 740C. The attack of the notes is outstanding...the strikes of the bow to the violin in a high speed solo. :T -Russ

[GregLett]

The bigger power supply of the 840C provides incredible articulation to the notes. That along with the smooth "analogue" sound you got on the 740C. The attack of the notes is outstanding...the strikes of the bow to the violin in a high speed solo. :T -Russ

Oh sure.. rub in in :cry:

[GregLett]

740C VS Meridian G08

So I took the 740 over to my buddies so he could hear it in his system. He has the Meridian G08 and a Benchmark DAC1. The Meridian Benchmark combo was slightly, and I mean slightly better than the 740. I would be happy with either one. We then put the 740 through the Benchmark; the Benchmark 740 combo, was better then the Meridian Benchmark combo. We listened to the 740 Benchmark combo for the rest of the night.
Again the two were close,but we are talking a 5K combo VS a 2K combo here.
We are both eager to hear the 840 BIG TIME now. He is on the verge of selling the Meridian, He just wants to hear the 840 to see if it will put him over the edge. Bottom line this is a dam good player!

Anyone want to buy a 740? It's for the Greg Let 840 fund.

[Briz vegas]

So adding a relatively old design $1700 Aussie dollar DAC to a highly respected $6500 CD player improves the sound - swap in a $1500 Cambridge and it gets even better. Ain't digital (and a maturing technology) a funny thing. What was the rest of the system?

I once considered the Benchmark. It was unavailable to audition at the time and then I read a number of critical posts saying the highs were a bit edgy and it was really suited to studio work where revealing is more important than entertaining (musical). Edgy was not somewhere I wanted to go so I decided not to wait for a DAC to become available.

It is also curious as the Benchmark is not new and much of the great stuff about these new players with bigger power supplies etc is supposed to be about the DAC and analogue stages - not the transport component. Or have I got that wrong?

Of course a have a two box player but Naim do not believe in separate DACs for their CD players. Much has been written about the disadvantages of separating transport and DAC vs a one box solution. Obviously there are advantages as well!

Personally I am happy with what I have but this is an interesting discussion.

[jack667]

I am extremely keen to hear the 840C... I'm going to use it with my Mac Mini too through toslink in!

[GregLett]

Briz,

The rest of the system was: Cary SLP pre and Ata-sphere tube amps. The edgyness you referred to was heard in my system, which has a tube pre, but ss amps. The other reason for the edgyness, might have been the gain setting on the benchmark.

The whole thing comes down to system synergy. It really doesn't matter that much how much you pay for your components, if they don't go well together,
they just won't sound good.

The Benchmark not being a new product on the market, and still being able to improve the sound of newer players, is a testament to its great design. Many older well designed components have been around for a while, and still sound as good or better then the "improved" stuff.

[Briz vegas]

Briz,

The rest of the system was: Cary SLP pre and Ata-sphere tube amps. The edgyness you referred to was heard in my system, which has a tube pre, but ss amps. The other reason for the edgyness, might have been the gain setting on the benchmark.

Ah, tubes again. Me thinks there is a pattern here! Maybe they are not essential (as good as it was I am not missing my tube preamp) but it can put the focus on the music in a recording.

[Hdale85]

I think in my 2 channel system I'm going to use an Aikido Tube Preamp (DIY). I don't know I'll at least build one and play with it.

[GregLett]

740 Smoking

:M So after a glorious week with the thing. I turn it on yesterday and a puff of smoke came out of the vents. I turned it off, then on again and not smoke. It played fine, then I figured things didn't seem right with the puff. so I turned it off for about an hour. When I turned it on again.. puff smoked again.
well i have a replacement on the way, and I'm waiting for the return label to ship the bad on back.

[Hdale85]

Well thats no good!

[jack667]

Uh oh!!

[PewterTA]

Wait...

Smoking CD player isn't good... am I missing something??

Sorry to hear that Greg, but if it's going to happen, better now (while still easy to get a new one), vs. just out of warranty and having to payfor it.

Just trying to look positively.

[GregLett]

Thanks guys. In order to speed things up, I had to buy another. They are sending me a FEDEX label, to ship the defective unit, and I will be get credit
once they have it. I am now sitting in a silent room :cry:

[Briz vegas]

So is this what they mean by "this player smokes the competition"

The wait is the annoying drawback for high end gear - I remember buying a $600 dollar Marantz CD Player in the 90s - CD73 I think it was and the tray played up as soon as I got it home. I had a replacement installed that afternoon as they could just grab another one that was in stock (of course the first player refused to play up when I got it back to the shop but they replaced it anyway)

Hope this resolves itself quickly. Actually I am surprised that you did not take this opportunity to upgrade to the 840.

[GregLett]

So is this what they mean by "this player smokes the competition"

The wait is the annoying drawback for high end gear - I remember buying a $600 dollar Marantz CD Player in the 90s - CD73 I think it was and the tray played up as soon as I got it home. I had a replacement installed that afternoon as they could just grab another one that was in stock (of course the first player refused to play up when I got it back to the shop but they replaced it anyway)

Hope this resolves itself quickly. Actually I am surprised that you did not take this opportunity to upgrade to the 840.

It crossed my mind.. but I resisted. I went over budget getting the 740 as it was so I talked myself out of it.

I hope the next one survives the BURN IN process.

[Chris D]

Ssssssssssssssssmmmmmokin!

[Russ L]

Too bad about the problems with the player. Hope the next one "smokes" in the good way. Regards, Russ

[GregLett]

It's here

Well the new Player arrived at the office today; can't wait to get it home.

I just remembered (because we had a PC power supply fail) that during the week when the player was on all the time the power blinked twice to the house.
I'm wonder if that affected the power section in some way, and it had a delayed reaction.
I think I may need to get some power stuff next instead of a new amp.