Cambridge Audio 840C

Wow, 3 went up for sale this weekend with 2 sale pending...

I imagine many were purchased shortly after the TAS review. I still think this is an exceptional CDP for the money but perhaps many were hoping it really does compete with $5k+ players. If I were looking for the very best CDP for up to $5k, the 840c would probably not make it to the top of the list. But... for what it does, it would be very hard to beat at twice it's price and probably higher if what you're looking for must include digital inputs.

Mike

Remember, many of the units sold used are re-sells. I think some users buy them used to see what all the hub bub is all about and resell them when they realize their existing cdp has better synergy in there system or realize the improvement is subtle and not worth the investment.

I for one think there is no one best piece of equipment in each price range. I think all the better pieces have their own virtues and we my like what they have better.

I'm always leery of reviews that claim "the best". We all have different rooms, systems, ears, and listening styles/tastes. And the cabling - that is another story - some act as tone controls which alter the sound.

daltonlanny said why he was selling his unit in a response that is above - saids he needs the money -

you now i don't care who is selling their unit - im just enjoying mine and i have had many cd players up to the $2000-$3000 range and this one is so musical - it may not do other things that great - but it is so damn musical and continues to be musical after 5 months of listening.

It such a good piece in my system - and there usually is a lot of hype with products that i have bought and - well this is one of the few units that stand out in my 17 years of spending tons of money on equipment.

smargo

Smargo,

I wasn't challenging you or anyone else about the 840's sound quality, and I'm glad you found the cdp that fits your system.

I was just probing into people's psychology of buying and selling, trying to give an answer to those who posted questions on this forum and others, as to why so many units are for sale.

Thanks for your defense for the 840's virtues as I'm sure it will help some.

I've at least read through most of these posts and I'm surprised that there was not more mention of using the 840C's balanced outputs. As you probably know, Robert Harley in TAS made it clear that the 840C's sound is improved in all areas via its balanced outputs. I contacted him asking him to be a bit more specific about the differences, but his response was not very direct in this regard. This is what troubled me when I read the TAS review because I couldn't be sure how much better it sounded via its balanced outputs. I'm hoping to look into this more, but I'm wodering if some of those who aren't overly impressed with the 840C may have not listened to it in balanced mode. Harley felt it was important that it be heard using a fully balanced system. Unfortunately, many of us aren't able to do that.

If anyone has done the comparison of balanced vs. unbalanced operation of the 840C I would appreciate your input. It would be interesting to know if it really kicks its sound up a notch.