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Opinions on the Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD

post #1 of 123
8/24/11 at 3:02am
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for the opinions regarding the Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD. http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=776 I've been researching it and the Oppo BDP-95 for about 3 weeks now trying to get all of the opinions on it from this fourm and others. The consensus seems to favorable of the 95 regarding its features particularly it's ESS Saber32 Reference 9018 DAC's however the Azur 751BD is no slouch either. it uses 5 x Wolfson WM8740 DAC's, the same that is used in the DacMagic and it's fearture set appears simular to the 95 for the most part. I'm looking for the comparisions regarding performace and sound quality between these two excellent universal players. The 95 goes for about $999.00 and the Azur 751BD goes for about $1149.00. So what does the extra $149 get you with the Azur 751BD? The 751BD has Anagram Technologies Q5 192 kHZ upsampling. Will this give better sound quality to 16bit redbook CD's, some of us still have a few of them left over from the 80's and 90's. And what about the 751's Choice of digital filters - linear phase/minimum phase/steep filter. I must confess ignorance of this feature so I'll be extactic to have some one explains this to me and why I need to have or not. I'm thinking of hooking the the 95 or the 751BD to my Yammy RX-A2000 Reciever, yes it's not a Arcam or Krell but all of us don't have the money for those toys. Just from a patriotic standpoint I'd be inclined to get the Oppo as it's an American company "Made in China" as opposed to the British Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD "Made in China" but our British allies have a tradition and reputation for engineering some of the finist audio gear in the world. I'm thinking of getting a pair of Bowers & Wilkins CM1 speakers and I'm inclined to think the the 751BD will give the 95 a run for the money and maybe best it on some points such as performance. the 751BD does not support streaming media such as netflix but I already have that in my PS3. I like the fact the the Oppo is modable which seems to give you some future proofing. So what is your perpective regarding the Oppo BDP-95 vs the Cambridge Audio 751BD?
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post #2 of 123
8/24/11 at 3:48am
Oppo is not American, it is Chinese. They have a U.S. division but they are not an American company. Cambridge Audio roots are in audio and they fine tune their designs by listening. If sound is a priority the Cambridge Audio gets the nod and judging by your considering B and W speakers if would seem that a audition at good dealer would be in order. As far as future proofing goes, you already have the PS-3.
Blu ray specs are locked in, future change will come on the streaming front and is better done not in a disc player but in stand alone units. Yes the PS-3 plays discs but it's basically a powerful dedicated computer that just happens to play discs also so I would consider that a stand alone device when it's comes to streaming.
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post #3 of 123
8/24/11 at 5:37am
Quote:


I'm thinking of hooking the the 95 or the 751BD to my Yammy RX-A2000 Reciever,

With a current HDMI-capable AVR there's really no compelling reason to spend the extra money on either one of these players. Get the Oppo BDP-93 and use the money saved to further upgrade the rest of the system, room treatments, etc.
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post #4 of 123
8/25/11 at 11:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tenthplanet View Post

Oppo is not American, it is Chinese.

So, is it make sense to pick up this item? Or, it's reliable?
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post #5 of 123
8/26/11 at 5:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenskya View Post

So, is it make sense to pick up this item? Or, it's reliable?

The OPPO? Each model has big threads here:

BDP-95: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1311806

BDP-93: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1291855

-Bill
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post #6 of 123
8/28/11 at 5:18am
Does it play 24 bits Flac file?
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post #7 of 123
3/20/12 at 6:02am
Hi
I have tried several players with subtitle shift for my 2,35:1 screen, but none of them have been as good as my Denon 2500BT
I have tried the Oppo 83/93 (judder and mediocre movie sound... at least in my setup)
I liked the movie sound from the Cambridge Audio BD650, but not the picture
I would love to hear from people who has experienced both the Cambridge Audio BD651 and BD751: Would I be able to see a difference between the two PQ wise?
Maybe the BD751 is overkill as I will be using it for movies only
Thanks in advance
Jakob
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post #8 of 123
4/2/12 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jake51 View Post

Hi
I have tried several players with subtitle shift for my 2,35:1 screen, but none of them have been as good as my Denon 2500BT
I have tried the Oppo 83/93 (judder and mediocre movie sound... at least in my setup)
I liked the movie sound from the Cambridge Audio BD650, but not the picture
I would love to hear from people who has experienced both the Cambridge Audio BD651 and BD751: Would I be able to see a difference between the two PQ wise?
Maybe the BD751 is overkill as I will be using it for movies only
Thanks in advance
Jakob

Hi Jakob,

Love the speakers in your neck of the woods.

What didn't you like about the 651 picture quality? Are you referring to blu-ray or up-conversion?

I just made a post over the weekend about firmware updates and current crop of players. I have Arcam. I discovered a new player is to be announced in two to three months. I get my first 3D display this Saturday and did not buy it for that but I will never make it to August without trying 3D and a player that supports it now.

I research to death the best I can but I am also a bit different as well. The Oppo reviews etc. are all so great and I should take that plunge but I like trying a different road sometimes. I ordered the BD751 tonight. Looking forward to comparing to my Arcam but of course I will get 3D right away. I run the path of REL subs when all my friends run to JL Audio so hey it's fun to try something a bit different.

Out of all the on-line info I could find in regards to the 751 today this one best sounded to me what I am looking for. A pretty fair compare between the Oppo 95 and the CA 751.

http://hometheaterreview.com/cambrid...ayer-reviewed/

Maybe I can provide some feedback when I get set-up in a couple of weeks.
I knew I would cave and buy before the next Arcam came out

Cheers
Rick
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post #9 of 123
4/3/12 at 1:17am
The Arcam doesn't have 7.1 analogue outputs so I presume you are using HDMI/SPDIF for audio, in that case the 751's audio and video digital section is the same as Oppo's. If you're using MCH analogue bear in mind Paul Miller from HiFiNews found bass management issues.
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post #10 of 123
4/3/12 at 5:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

The Arcam doesn't have 7.1 analogue outputs so I presume you are using HDMI/SPDIF for audio, in that case the 751's audio and video digital section is the same as Oppo's. If you're using MCH analogue bear in mind Paul Miller from HiFiNews found bass management issues.

Yes-I use HDMI for audio. I do have a dedicated CDP I have invested in and continue to use over a multi-disk player. I will not get into they all sound the same debate but I prefer it over my Arcam (Rega Saturn).

I have a headphone amp that I run directly into my Arcam that I use mostly for late night listening for both CDs and blu-ray concerts. I have a pretty good set of cans and this is where stereo performance is important to me. I also have a small stack of SACDs laying around and wouldn't mind picking up few more to try.

Of course blu-ray is my primary gig for this player but other usage for my late night listening habits is critical as well.

Rick
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post #11 of 123
4/7/12 at 5:02pm
The major feature the Cambridge unit has over others is the upsampling but you will only get the benefit of this if you connect to your receiver using the multi-chanel analogue outputs - otherwise it will bitstream to your amp the same as the rest.

I can vouch for the Cambridge upsampling advantage - I have the CD-740C cd player and it is significantly superior over analogue to my amp than over the digital connection - sounds larger, airier, deeper bass, better focused. I have the SC-LX90 which shares very similar Wolfson DAC's as the CD player so the only difference is the upsampling when switching between digital/analogue connections.

I cant wait to get my hands on the 751BD and will be using it with the analogue outputs for sure - it upsamples all channels. As a CD, SACD player, the 751 is supposed to be superb and its cleaned up awards with both what HiFi and Home Cinema Choice.

But, others are entirely correct, kf you are using audio over HDMI You may as well save the $$$'s and go with the 651BD.

The 751BD looks similar to the Oppo 95 as they are the same platform and share almost all of the same video curcuitry. PQ is likely to be almost identical.
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post #12 of 123
4/8/12 at 2:27am
For 2CH CD upsampling you might just as well stick with the CD player esp. when you have the 740 or 840 (I have an upsampling 24/192 Arcam CDP among others and an upsampling DAC). For MCH BD movies (48kHz) and any MCH audio (96kHz) it's hardly worth it. With the bass management issues on the 751 I don't think it's a good idea to use its MCH analogue outs.

I have reservations with the SACD upsampling, because (like all Oppo players) DSD is first decimated to PCM 88.2kHz, then presumably upsampled to 192kHz (an uneven multiple of 88.2), whereas other players just decimate straight to 176.4kHz, a simpler and better approach. The receiver does the rest including room correction.

The 751 is based on the same platform as Oppo 93, not 95. In Australia the Oppos are imported EU versions and cost twice as the US models so there is a price advantage in the 751 over there, but not in the US where the CA751 costs more than the Oppo 95. I'm not an Oppo fan (I never own one but I have an old CA CDP), just saying I don't see the added value in NA for the 751.
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post #13 of 123
4/8/12 at 8:56am
After a lot of research I bought a Sony S590 ti hold me over till I decide which top tier player to get. I read fantastic reviews about the Ayre DX-5. But, I have a Wadia CDP/DAC to take care of the audio. The DX-5 is suppose to have SOTA pq, but at $10K, no way. I did read where Ayre modifies eveything in the Oppo 83 except the video board and transport. I found a man in Korea, who loves great pq also. He studied the DX-5 ( Dr.Lee has a Phd in engineering, wrote 4 tech. books, and over 30 years experience in broadcasting) and has a ps upgrade like Ayre by replacing and upgrading all power supplies. So, I am replacing the switch mode power supply in the Oppo 93 with a linear power supply, and be able to use a 3 prong high end power cable. Will it work? I will find out very soon. And I have to get another Oppo 93, as Fed-Ex lost the new one I ordered from Oppo. Cambridge also upgrades the Oppo power supply, but only for the audio, and not the video. The 751 is made along side the Oppo.
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post #14 of 123
4/8/12 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talk2Me View Post

After a lot of research I bought a Sony S590 ti hold me over till I decide which top tier player to get. I read fantastic reviews about the Ayre DX-5. But, I have a Wadia CDP/DAC to take care of the audio. The DX-5 is suppose to have SOTA pq, but at $10K, no way. I did read where Ayre modifies eveything in the Oppo 83 except the video board and transport. I found a man in Korea, who loves great pq also. He studied the DX-5 ( Dr.Lee has a Phd in engineering, wrote 4 tech. books, and over 30 years experience in broadcasting) and has a ps upgrade like Ayre by replacing and upgrading all power supplies. So, I am replacing the switch mode power supply in the Oppo 93 with a linear power supply, and be able to use a 3 prong high end power cable. Will it work? I will find out very soon. And I have to get another Oppo 93, as Fed-Ex lost the new one I ordered from Oppo. Cambridge also upgrades the Oppo power supply, but only for the audio, and not the video. The 751 is made along side the Oppo.

If you are interested in the higher end and sounds like you are, there is also a player made by Primare that is half of the Ayre. I would have loved to try it out but not this go around as I just did the Sharp Elite display upgrade.

You may try a google on Primare. They make really great sounding gear.

Rick
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post #15 of 123
4/8/12 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SoftDome View Post

If you are interested in the higher end and sounds like you are, there is also a player made by Primare that is half of the Ayre. I would have loved to try it out but not this go around as I just did the Sharp Elite display upgrade.

You may try a google on Primare. They make really great sounding gear.

Rick

Thanks, but I am getting the quality of the $10k Ayre for $500 (Oppo 93) and $300 ( power supply mod)= $800.
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post #16 of 123
4/15/12 at 7:38pm
Hi, I have had this player for a few days now and a ways to go in running it thru the paces but so far it's been outstanding.

I was worried about giving up the Arcam for a new unit with 3D but those worries were not justified as of yet. The load time is so much better than the Arcam (and I thought it was pretty good) and the picture and sound have been excellent.I have not tried 3D or SACD yet but I have ran the CD for several spins via analog and it has been very good! I am not ready to say too much here yet as I haven't had the time but I am trying to do a fair compare against my stand alone CDP. More to come here when I get some time.

The picture quality is outstanding and the load times are much improved over the Arcam that is just a year old. I hope this one holds me for a bit!

Glad I found this player thus far. A couple of pics of the video quality Very nice indeed.

Rick


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post #17 of 123
4/21/12 at 12:26pm
Mr.SoftDome
How the BD751 applies the Q5 Anagram audio up-sampling to mp3's. Is it via USB or the transport. Also do you think going with a standalone DAC is the way to go in your opinion.
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post #18 of 123
4/25/12 at 7:41am
Hmm not a very active thread, hope that does not reflect on the Cambridge quality. I just bought the 651 BD and am looking forward iin seeing it's PQ. I am coming from an Oppo 93 player and it had problems with 'handshakes' with my AVR. However when it got through all its strange screens in start up, the PQ was beautiful.
I am hoping the PQ is as good or better than the Oppo, but both sharing much DNA I imagine it will be quite similar.
But from what I read the audio quality will improve.
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post #19 of 123
4/30/12 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreaux View Post

Hmm not a very active thread, hope that does not reflect on the Cambridge quality. I just bought the 651 BD and am looking forward iin seeing it's PQ. I am coming from an Oppo 93 player and it had problems with 'handshakes' with my AVR. However when it got through all its strange screens in start up, the PQ was beautiful.
I am hoping the PQ is as good or better than the Oppo, but both sharing much DNA I imagine it will be quite similar.
But from what I read the audio quality will improve.


Any updates? Are you happy with the 651?

I've been thinking about buying the 751......
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post #20 of 123
5/1/12 at 5:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpodolski View Post

Any updates? Are you happy with the 651?

I've been thinking about buying the 751......

The audio is out of this world. Watched Lord of the Rings the other night and heard sounds I never heard before and deep rich music.
The PQ is outstanding. It looks the same as the Oppo 93 I sold. It was having handshake problems with my AVR.

The PQ is excellent just like the Oppo was but better sound quality.

From what I understand the 751 has the same PQ as the 651 but more audio options and it comes with a Wifi dongle.
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post #21 of 123
5/1/12 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreaux View Post

The audio is out of this world. Watched Lord of the Rings the other night and heard sounds I never heard before and deep rich music.
The PQ is outstanding. It looks the same as the Oppo 93 I sold. It was having handshake problems with my AVR.

The PQ is excellent just like the Oppo was but better sound quality.

From what I understand the 751 has the same PQ as the 651 but more audio options and it comes with a Wifi dongle.

I noticed you are using HDMI to pass audio to your receiver. Have you used the internal decoder? Is the sound quality of the Cambridge decoder as good as your receiver decoder?
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post #22 of 123
5/1/12 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpodolski View Post

I noticed you are using HDMI to pass audio to your receiver. Have you used the internal decoder? Is the sound quality of the Cambridge decoder as good as your receiver decoder?

The Cambridge is better.
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post #23 of 123
5/3/12 at 11:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreaux View Post

The Cambridge is better.

That's good to know. I have a Classe pre/pro that does not have HDMI so I would be using the multi-channel input. I was originally looking at the Oppo 95 but descided against it because of the "fan". The 751 looks like it would fit the bill nicely.
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post #24 of 123
5/3/12 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpodolski View Post

That's good to know. I have a Classe pre/pro that does not have HDMI so I would be using the multi-channel input. I was originally looking at the Oppo 95 but descided against it because of the "fan". The 751 looks like it would fit the bill nicely.

Yes I think you would be quite happy with the 751. It costs a little more but it has been getting excellent reviews which I am sure you have seen.
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post #25 of 123
5/3/12 at 8:39pm
Found a review of several players including the 751. The article says that the 751 uses Oppo's OP8531 decoder chip. How can it decode audio better than the Oppo player then?

http://www.boa.hk/banner/oppo_95/Dig...42_TEST_EN.pdf

Another review in French:

http://translate.google.com/translat...tTabs_ul_24734
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post #26 of 123
5/3/12 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhdz View Post

Found a review of several players including the 751. The article says that the 751 uses Oppo's OP8531 decoder chip. How can it decode audio better than the Oppo player then?

http://www.boa.hk/banner/oppo_95/Dig...42_TEST_EN.pdf

Another review in French:

http://translate.google.com/translat...tTabs_ul_24734

I believe they have some extra mods.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/blu-r...r.html?start=1
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post #27 of 123
5/4/12 at 1:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhdz View Post

The article says that the 751 uses Oppo's OP8531 decoder chip. How can it decode audio better than the Oppo player then?

That's the video chip. The audio dacs are completely different. The 751 uses Wolfson dacs, and the Oppo uses Sabre.
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post #28 of 123
5/4/12 at 9:38am
The Oppo and the Cambridge both use a MediaTek chipset, but the power supplies, drives, analog audio boards, firmware, and almost everything else is different. The interface on them is similar, but that's the interface that comes with the Mediatek chipset with a slightly different skin on it for each company, as they chose to invest resources in parts of the player that actually make a performance difference.

The players looks similar, and some key components are the same, but they aren't identical by any means.
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post #29 of 123
5/5/12 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smackrabbit View Post

The Oppo and the Cambridge both use a MediaTek chipset, but the power supplies, drives, analog audio boards, firmware, and almost everything else is different. The interface on them is similar, but that's the interface that comes with the Mediatek chipset with a slightly different skin on it for each company, as they chose to invest resources in parts of the player that actually make a performance difference.

The players looks similar, and some key components are the same, but they aren't identical by any means.


The Oppo and the Cambridge both use a MediaTek 8531 chipset, isnt it this chip is to for audio only instead of video (as oppose to what Fatjulio mentioned above）？ I heard that this is a very low cost china/taiwanese chip to decode HDs, will this ruin the hope for 751BD being able to provide awesome 7.1multi-ch analog out surround sound quality?
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post #30 of 123
5/7/12 at 7:54am
I own the Cambridge 651BD and I seem to be having 'handshake' problems. The 651 has the latest firmware.
When I put in a Blu-ray there seems to be difficulty in going to the menu.
I am using a Yamaha RX-A810 1.4 AVR.

First I get 'no signal' then I get a purple flash and then snow and this goes on for a few seconds and eventually it syncs up.
My Oppo 93 did the exact same thing, however my older Sony and Panasonic blu-ray players did not do this.

Not sure if its the player or AVR since it doesn't do it with all players
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