Why don't the British make more computers 'n stuff? (Drumroll). Because they haven't figured out how to make them leak oil yet. (Rimshot.) Nevertheless, we present to you here the Cambridge Audio Azur 640R A/V receiver, from the country that brought us Lucas Electric's three-position headlight switch: Off, Dim, and Flicker.
Okay, enough with the Brit jokes — admittedly funnier if you're obsessed with vintage motorcycles, like, umm, a friend of mine; fortunately, most Britons are pretty good sports.
It's also strikingly handsome. Our sample's near-white etched-aluminum fascia was a quiet but chic departure from the usual black, with Cambridge's signature wavy side panels (black is also available). Of course, most $1,400 receivers these days include a long list of features: robotic auto-setup, automatic room EQ, video scaling to 1080i or 1080p, cross-conversion to component-video and HDMI, HDMI 1.1 or later to get PCM/bitstream digital audio from an HDMI-cable connection, onscreen feedback when selecting modes and functions, a multicomponent universal remote control — and usually more.
You won't find any of this stuff on the Cambridge. Setup is strictly manual, its HDMI connection is version 1.0 (you need SPDIF bitstream connections for audio), there's no scaling of lesser video to the high-definition signal formats, and the supplied remote operates the 640R alone.
What you will find, however, is high-quality 100 watts x 7 channels power (atypically, rated with all channels driven simultaneously) in an unusually compact receiver, thanks to a convection-tunnel cooling layout Cambridge claims keeps the fan off except under extreme stress (my experience bore this out). There's a simple, largely self-explanatory onscreen setup menu and three HDMI inputs that simply switch incoming signals (up to 1080p) to your display. For multiroom operation, there are also A-BUS outputs for two additional rooms/zones. And that's about it. Depending on your perspective, this makes for a receiver that's either refreshingly simple and usable or ridiculously under-equipped.
Either way, given the dearth of fancy extras, high performance is paramount and should make the 640R an attractive proposition for the vast majority of real-world users who, I imagine, use their systems thus: 1) insert disc in DVD player; 2) press Play; 3) adjust volume. If you approach the Cambridge this way, it's a peach.
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The Short Form
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| Price $1,400 / audioplusservices.com / 800-663-9352 |
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Snapshot
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| Though this receiver is short on the latest features, its elegant simplicity conceals top-flight audio performance. |
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Plus
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•Outstanding sound and power •3 HDMI inputs •Simple operation and elegant looks |
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Minus
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•No video-scaling or one-cable HDMI option •A few crossover/delay setup restrictions •A-BUS only for multiroom audio — no RCA outputs |
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Key Features
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•6-source/6-zone system •Expandable to 30 listening zones •60-watt per channel amplifier •Four different control options •Modular, card-based architecture •XM, Sirius, AM/FM, or all three •iPod integration •GXR2: 17.4 x 5.8 x 18 in; 54 lb |
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Test Bench
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The 640R consistently delivered expected behavior and declined to snap fuses, smoke circuit boards, or require resetting, despite the usual abuse. Its stereo power could almost sneak by on a "150 watts x 2" model, and it did indeed deliver in excess of its full rated power with five channels driven — and very nearly with seven. It also set new receiver benchmarks for PCM-stereo (and Dolby) linearity at —90 dB (perfect!), real-world S/N ratio, and "excess noise." Full Lab Results |
I encountered a few oddities, such as the receiver's inability to set different delays between left and right front or surround speakers or to set center or surround-back distances greater than the for fronts or surrounds, but these won't trouble most setups. Only a single crossover frequency is assignable for all speakers; it forbids "large" center with "small" L/R, but it's otherwise very flexible, being adjustable by 10-Hz increments from 40 to 150 Hz, plus 200 Hz. The 640R's dual-zone multiroom function is also unusual, in that it lacks the traditional RCA or speaker outputs for the secondary zones and instead uses Cambridge's Incognito connectivity, a version of the A-BUS system that sends audio and composite video via RJ-45 cabling to in-wall keypad/amplifiers in your remote rooms.
MUSIC AND MOVIES As I expected, straight-through video remained pristine through the 640R. While (as noted) the receiver doesn't upscale any signals, it does cross-convert from the S-video or composite inputs to the component-video output (not to HDMI). But image quality suffers noticeably, so it'd be best to make both S-video and component connections to the monitor if you regularly use any S-video sources. Both HDMI and component signals looked perfectly unaffected by their journeys through the Cambridge receiver.
I was not surprised that audio quality was of the same high order. This is a very fine-performing audio component, with ample, pristine power and outstanding surround decoding and processing. Stereo listening via moderate-sensitivity, high-end compact monitors yielded honestly high-end results (at least, from audiophile-grade recordings), with the clarity, transient precision, and textural transparency I expect of a top-flight system.
I confirmed the excellence of the 640R's amplifier with a handful of favorite multichannel DVD-Audio and SACD recordings, among them a newly discovered Naxos album of little-known "theater music" from 20th-century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. This proved a delightful surprise both sonically (outstanding clarity and simple, un-hyped surround perspective) and musically (who ever dreamed Shostakovich wrote an entrance for slide guitar? Not I!). I was rewarded with the striking clarity of timbre on solo instruments and the defined, three-dimensional texture of massed strings and woodwinds that only fully transparent playback offers.
Stereo recordings via Dolby Pro Logic IIx surround mode were equally high-grade. The 640R also includes a few proprietary surround modes that were reasonably inoffensive but heavy on the surround channels and not adjustable.
To stress the 640R as much as possible, I tried a movie session with all speakers set to "large" and sub to "none" and cued up I, Robot. The DTS soundtrack delivered full definition and spatial integrity (and there's a lot of spatial drama in this production) via the Cambridge's decoding hardware. More to the point, the receiver's amps easily delivered real cinematic dynamics and impact at real-cinema levels, even without the support of a powered sub and by way of loudspeakers a good dB or so less sensitive than most.
HANDS-ON Though it worked reliably and smoothly, the Cambridge receiver harbored the odd quirk. For example: The remote has three individual buttons for direct selection of Stereo, Dolby PLII/DTS Neo:6 surround, and standard Dolby/DTS-decode families. But each group requires sequential keypresses to cycle through what can be many selections. Thankfully, like most receivers the 640R remembers the last-used mode or automatically selects the best mode for a fresh signal-type. But if you use your DVD player to play multiple disc types, the system can be fooled when you switch, and you can find yourself doing a lot of finger-stabbing to get to a desired setting.
The remote control is lovely, but I found its button graphics too tiny, and its response was sometimes iffy, requiring careful aim at the sensor. Also, since the Cambridge offers no onscreen feedback of surround mode or volume changes, you have to wait for the annoyingly slow-scrolling LCD to confirm your selection.
BOTTOM LINE But for the user outlined at the top, I suspect little of this matters, and anyway, you came to learn whether the Cambridge Audio Azur 640R A/V receiver really sounds better than the typical $1,000 competitor from a big-box store.
I think the answer is yes. Think, because sonic differences between receivers or amplifiers tend to be subtle. But the 640R impressed me as a full sonic equal to top-flight, rather more expensive and much larger receivers eliciting the same sort of response: "Gee, this sounds great. How loud will the sound hold together? Whoa — pretty damned loud. Not bad for a one-box. Not bad at all . . . ."
If you want to check out the Cambridge, you'll have to look farther afield than your local Best-Circuit BuyMart. Nonetheless, that press-Play-and-enjoy user with a serious jones for high-end sound will find it worth the journey.
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