So I ended up purchasing a Cambridge Audio Azur 550A integrated amp off of the classifieds.

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

We kindly request our fellow members refrain from using this term here. That’s as nice as we can ask. Thank you for your assistance.

yeah that's cool.

JR was good to his staff I gather and by all accounts (from friends) the stores do seem helpful as much as they can be and knowledgeable in the products they sell.

When I was an LSA at local schools for a few very enlightening years, the classrooms had A500's (one or two had what looked like Arcam Alphas only very cheap and with a different maker's name on them). The thin wiring in some situations looked as if it was going to short out and one or two had the small wall speakers wired out of phase (deliberately?). Powered 24/7 quite often and all but abused as tools for the job, they seemed to stand the punishment rather well

So did the a500s have thin wires internally and the 'speaker outs' out of phases, or did the people who set up the stereos in the classrooms use thin wire and connect them out of phase?

 

[Loathecliff]

When Julian Richer grabbed 'Cambridge Audio' from Gordon Edge and co,

Apologies for quoting my own post but I'm decades out with the names
It would have been Stan Curtis involved.
The 'Cambridge Audio' badge changed hands so many times in its early days.

Just completed a greater family check on CA product ownership.
We used to a have a lot between us, but now we are down to two.
One son has a pair of floor standers, and I have a thick and reddish phono lead that was thrown in with a Phillips badged CD player I bought for £40 from Richer Sounds in '97, (which became a major element in blind test fun).
The last item to go was elder son's A300 after I'd set him a Breeze tpa3116 D2.

 

[DSJR]

yeah that's cool.

So did the a500s have thin wires internally and the 'speaker outs' out of phases, or did the people who set up the stereos in the classrooms use thin wire and connect them out of phase?

It was the way the installers set them up, or maybe teachers not aware re-wiring the speaker connections on the back (doorbell wire or similar was used). The amps were fine...

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

It was the way the installers set them up, or maybe teachers not aware re-wiring the speaker connections on the back (doorbell wire or similar was used). The amps were fine...

So the moral of the story is that the CA amplifiers are of a good quality and the only issues were due to the operator's incompetence? Goes back to what to what my thoughts were regarding amps, a decent used 10 year old amp will sound the same as a brand new one...

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

Double post but a quick update on the situation.

My room houses both my gaming PC and my entertainment system, and my pc is situated in front of my receivers and amps.

What I've done is change my Edifier S350DB from optical in to analog in via the motherboard's 'front outs', and then I've taken a 5 meter long 3.5mm to Aux and hooked it up from the motherboard's 'rears out' to the 550a.

Then i just hooked up some Edifier P17 passives i had laying around to the 'speaker outputs B' and adjusted them so that all 4 speakers are in a quadraphonic alignment - I switch my amp to the input coinciding for the 'PC rears' and then using the remote i switch the speakers from A to B (still not sure why this crucial button isn't on the amp it self).

Now i have a fully functioning 4.0 surround sound, or 4.1 if you look at it that way - sounds good and works good as well to hear what's going on around you in games and movies on the good ole PC.

 

[MaxBuck]

What an "interesting" discussion.

Glad the OP now has a system he or she enjoys. That's really the bottom line.

 

[4Real]

I wasn't looking at the marketing - it's simply a feature that i'd noticed later on. It's like one way to have less noise getting into the audio amplification system.

It's my opinion that class AB is superior when it comes to listening to a class D, not that my class D is bad by any means - it's like how the $3000 Yamaha is better than the $350 stereo amp - even though both are class AB, there's still an audible difference between the quality of sound.

Well I've deducted that you are more conservative when it comes to how much power is drawn by the circuit, hence why you said the main differentiating factor was the power efficiency between the two topologies. Were you an EE you might have pointed out the obvious difference between the two, and that's how the amplifying circuit work

you shouldn't feel like you have to defend yourself. you explained numerous times that you have listened to your A/B amp and your class D amp and that you prefer the sound of the A/B amp. that is all that matters. you have a quality amp and you enjoy it. that is a win.

 

[Doodski]

no need to apologize. it certainly is NOT derogatory. Just another example of how ridiculous some people have become. Lastly, you are correct regarding class D power vs Class A/B power. The max wattage from A/B is much cleaner, less distorted.

Good to see you deem what the terms are here at ASR.

 

[MaxBuck]

you are correct regarding class D power vs Class A/B power. The max wattage from A/B is much cleaner, less distorted.

Uh huh.

 

[JSmith]

never mentioned anything about "terms" . you are spinning again.

Please, just avoid it, that's all... not hard to do;

Let's Avoid the Term Chi-Fi

I often see the use of the term "Chi Fi" to describe audio products from China. I see the intention and don't think anyone is trying to be racist and what have you. Still, I like us to show the highest respect to products from around the world. As avid readers of this forum know...

www.audiosciencereview.com

JSmith

 

[JSmith]

"chifi"

I never used it.

I would beg to differ.

Look it's not a big drama and it's correct of members to remind those that do happen to use it to refrain. Let's get on with discussing audio, not get bogged down with the semantics of a word.


JSmith

 

[JSmith]

didn't "OK" using the word. merely stated that he need not apologise because he clearly had no malicious intent and didn't know the "policy".

Well that would have been a better and more thorough reply post to @Doodski instead of "lol". Intent differs depending on the reader, but I agree there was no malicious intent. Still, it was appropriate to mention it anyway for future reference and for others reading.

Any comments on the thread subject, now that has passed?


JSmith

 

[Travis]

that is not using it. that is referencing it. there is a difference.

Dude are you blind, deaf, or an idiot?

Let's Avoid the Term Chi-Fi

I often see the use of the term "Chi Fi" to describe audio products from China. I see the intention and don't think anyone is trying to be racist and what have you. Still, I like us to show the highest respect to products from around the world. As avid readers of this forum know...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Check your ego, go back and edit your post with the banned word (or not) and move on. You are on the losing end of an argument that isn’t even debatable.

 

[TonyJZX]

ehhh... if someone called themselves "4real" and complains about 'woke' stuff and uses stuff like "Oh i have chinese made stuff like topping just like I have black friends" then you get where they stand.

little point continuing conversation

btw. the OP likes his Cambridge. They probably measure as expected. But it would be a a brand to we wary of given their past products have had some QA issues.. like Topping I guess?

 

[Travis]

Our host implemented this some time ago. If you have issues with it, you can follow up with one of us via PM.

Let's Avoid the Term Chi-Fi

I often see the use of the term "Chi Fi" to describe audio products from China. I see the intention and don't think anyone is trying to be racist and what have you. Still, I like us to show the highest respect to products from around the world. As avid readers of this forum know...

audiosciencereview.com

@BDWoody You have another one, (see directly above) there was a valid attempt at gently trying to turn thing back on course that’s resulted in two pages of spinning, twisting, denials, and whatever else.

 

[JSmith]

JSmith

 

[Graham849]

@4Real in other places I inhabit online you would have been labelled a troll and booted.

This board is a bit gentler, maybe you need to tone down a bit, Ty.

 

[BDWoody]

@4Real in other places I inhabit online you would have been labelled a troll and booted.

This board is a bit gentler, maybe you need to tone down a bit, Ty.

Ok, just came in and did a little cleanup...

Back on topic please.

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

Although it's no longer my 'main amp', The CA Azur 550a is still doing fine - it's still a great amplifier 12-13 years on TBH.

I'm currently rocking a Yamaha A-S501 with the 550A being used in a secondary set up in the garage, rocking 4 speakers instead of 2 lmao.