CA 650A
The CA 650A ran exceptionally cool driving my Harbeth Compact 7 ES3 speakers. A very fine headphone output stage is included. The Azur 650A was gutsy enough to drive my AKG K701 and Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 headphones, which respectively have input impedances of 62 and 32 ohms. (Cambridge Audio doesnt recommend phones whose impedance drops below 32 ohms.) Its a blessing to listen to headphones with remote control of volume.
My colleague Robert Deutsch wrote in the February 2009 issue about sharpeners and levelers - a useful distinction (see
Stereophile: Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?). By nature, Im a leveler; but for this rag, I also have to sharpen, as does Dr.Bob (Deutsch), PhD. Sharpening means looking for small differences and then blowing them out of proportion - even at the risk of hearing things that dont matter or dont exist. In the spirit (if not the words) of Gertrude Stein: a difference thats no difference is no difference. Along with less-than-balls-out bass, I noted a tonal balance that tilted up slightly, in a curiously engaging sort of way. The amp sounded open and airy, but not at all bright. Better this than dark and closed-in! Unlike many manufacturers, Cambridge Audio actually admits to having a house sound. Matthew Bramble: - Like the partnering Azur 650A, this player has an open, detailed presentation. Theres just a suggestion of excess brilliance at high frequencies, which becomes a problem only if you partner the player with an already aggressive system." My Harbeth Compact 7 ES3 speakers arent known for being aggressive. Nor am I (heh-heh). Besides, I could engage the 650As Treble control with recordings I know to be bright or brittle - especially jazz and classical - historical recordings" (ie, anything pre-stereo).
The 650A sounded relaxed and natural, while its Cambridge Audio predecessors Ive heard might have had clarity at the expense of a little brittleness or edginess. This is Smirnoff, not Popov; refined, not raw. What I heard new from Cambridges Azur 650 amp and CD player was a shimmering quality through the midrange and treble, a lack of astringency I hadnt heard before from Cambridge gear.
There was a sweetness, a silkiness, a delicacy that belied the 650As low price. True, I didnt get the killer bass that the more expensive NAD delivered, and I thought the overall resolution stopped short of heart-stopping. There was a little less here than first met my ear, and that included harmonic richness, or structure - a point driven home when Philip OHanlon, from distributor On a Higher Note, delivered the Luxman SQ-38u tubed integrated amplifi er. The Luxman made voices come to life; the Azur 650A made recordings sound more like artifacts; less true to life. But the Luxman costs $6000 - nearly eight times as much as the Cambridge. For $777 or anywhere near it, Ive heard nothing better than the Azur 650A. When you factor in its luxurious fitnfinish, you have a category killer. Theres nothing shoddy or shabby or dingy about this amp - its hard to believe that its British. Well, its not: its made in China.
Marantz PM 5003
What do you get for $450?
A hell of a lot. The Marantz PM5003, which puts out 40Wpc into 8 ohms (or 55Wpc into 4 ohms), doesnt look like something that costs under $1000, let alone under $500. Its rugged and hefty, and its elegant looks remind me of a cross between Audio Research gear and the most expensive Creek electronics. The PM5003 was designed in Japan and is made in China (as are most Marantz products), and includes technology trickled down from two of Marantzs fl agship models: the SC-7S2 preamplifi er ($8000) and the MA-9S2 monoblock amplifi er ($16,000/pair). The PM5003 and its moving-magnet phono stage feature current-feedback circuits intended to exhibit faster rise and fall times and higher slew rates than voltage-feedback designs. According to Marantz, a current feedback amplifier is better able to track musics rapid changes, and should sound more natural. The PM5003 is constructed with discrete components, and includes input buffer circuitry to optimize the signal/noise ratio and channel separation.
A fairly intense electric jazz group is a good test of an amplifiers ability to render a coherent sonic picture with realistic pacing. The middle section of "Ice Crushing at All Speeds," from my jazz quartet Attention Screens Live at Ottos Shrunken Head (CD, Stereophile STPH020-2), features a forceful, driving rhythm from drummer Mark Flynn playing his entire kit, juxtaposed against a moaning ostinato bass line by Chris Jones that challenges Flynns rhythmic statement. It all hung together through the Marantz, just as it did on stage the night we recorded it. But, you say, how well can a 40Wpc integrated produce high-level dynamic slam with such revealing speakers as the Monitor Audio Silver RS6 and the Epos M5? At one point I was playing the Marantz for an audiophile friend, Andy Slusar, who eyed it with suspicion: "How much is this thing? How many watts? I wont be convinced until you put on some loud rock music that dynamically stresses the unit." So I cranked up "Vrooom," from King Crimsons Thrak (CD, Discipline KCCDX01), at a level exceeding 95dB. After the thundering dynamic opening had almost knocked me off my seat, I was able to follow the individual lines of Trey Gunns bass and Tony Levins Chapman stick clearly and separately, with nary a trace of compression or congestion in the fortissimo passages. Mr. Slusar: "Okay, you convinced me. The amp is remarkable."
If I buy the Marantz, how will I stand? Youll stand mighty proud. The Marantz PM5003 is a stunning achievement: an uncolored, revealing, well-built gem with more features than anyone could possibly ask for at the price. Id almost go so far as to suggest that all well heeled audiophiles buy one, just to create a benchmark in their minds for whats available for $450 from todays talented electronics designers. I plan to keep my sample around for a while, as I seek out other components to couple with it as candidates to be included in complete two-channel systems that are highly revealing and musical but that retail for a total of no more than $1000.
