Cambridge Audio 840C

Joey_v, I have not yet had a chance to listen to the 840c critically to compare with the Wadia. As a stand-alone CDP, I think the Wadia is stellar so I'll be amazed if the 840c can rival that much less beat it.

But, my reason for checking out the 840c is primarily as an upsampling transport to feed my Tact 2.0s preamp which operates in the digital domain. My Wadia 830 doesn't have digital outs so using it to feed the Tact means it must do a D-A-D-A dance and that can't be a good thing.

I'll definitely post my findings but it'll likely be another week before I do.

Can one of you 840 users please confirm if the unit will output an upsampled(24/96 or 24/192) signal from the digital outputs while playing a Redbook CD. Thanks.

OK, after about a week of continuous burn-in, I did some critical listening to my 840c last night and a bit of comparison with my Wadia 830 (w/GNSC mods) although I hope to spend a good bit more time with both this weekend.

What I can say is that the 840c does live up to the hype. The top-end has definition and delicacy to die for with an equally rich and involving midrange. Very realistic and engaging with a wonderful sense of extension and ambience which definitely contributes to a sense of venue when called for. The 840c's soundstage is also wide and deep. And, all other factors aside, it is very musically engaging. I listened for several hours and never tired, although it was certainly revealing in the difference between excellent records (e.g. XRCDs) versus poor recordings. And, the edginess that I heard upon initial listen a week ago was totally gone.

I will also add that these characteristics of the 840c held true whether used simply as a transport feeding my Tact or using the unbalanced RCA outs. I have not had a chance to check the balanced out.

I then switched back to the Wadia... While I found myself missing that sweet top-end of the 840c a bit, I must say that to my ears, the Wadia edged out the 840c in one particularly important area... The Wadia presented a noticable blacker background with better defined space between voices and instruments. This contributed to a more realistic 3D presentation with more perceived depth to each instrument or voice.

Of course, the Wadia 830 w/GNSC mods places it in a price range well above the CA 840c (although still lower than the TAS $5k threshold).

Mike

Yup, I've been using it with my Tact 2.0s which reports the format of the digital input. The 840c does output an upsampled digital stream via the SPDIF out.

Mike:

And after 3 weeks of burn in the you will notice blacker backgrounds and a lot more space - im not sure if it is up there with the wadia though. Thats why i have been saying at least 3 weeks break-in it only keeps getting better. you'll see.

regards,
smargo