Cambridge CXC vs Azur 851c

I called Cambridge Audio today and spoke to someone in the technical department.  Great customer service and really knowledgable.  The transport sections are the same.  Also, the volum only work on analogue outs not digital (i knew that, didn’t know why I asked).

So now the question is, is the dac on the 851c comparable to the Gungir multibit...  shooting from the hip, I’d have to say that the gungir is better but will research the 851c a bit more before making a final decision.  I definitely prefer the casework on the 851c and feel like its resale value would be higher than a cxc... 

FWIW, I have the Cambridge CXC transport and a Schiit Gumby combo, when you pause the transport the Gumby tics until you unpause it. They really sound good together but thought you should know about this annoyance. Enjoy the music

The 851C is a very good CDP and for the money it’s great. The DAC is very good and it will hold its own easily to most players. I did change out both fuses to Synergistic Blacks which really stepped up the 851C. Built quality is very good and I’ve had zero issues with mine. Don’t skimp on the power cord as the better the cord the more you’ll get out of the 851C. I recently picked up a RME DAC and as good as the Cambridge is, the RME is a big step up. If you can find a 851C close to a CXC transport I’d highly recommend going that route. Im now using my 851C as a transport only and I’m still very happy with this player... no desire to look elsewhere.