Cambridge 640c vs rotel rcd-02

[jucas]

SO I have a friend debating between the two CD Players. He's using a NAD integrated (I can't remember which one offhand) but wasn't overly impressed with the NAD CDP's he auditioned. The speakers are PSB's newer series (might be image... ) so he wanted a cd player thats in about the same price range as the rest of the system.

He found a slightly second hand RCD-02 and a slightly second hand Azure 640C on audiogon, but hasn't had a chance to listen to either one. Both are 350 US. Just to help him out, any experience with both for a comparison. Any thoughts about pro's or con's for either player? Or will the results probably be pretty similar either way. Finally, at this price point, is it even worth getting more than a generic player or say the azure 340? Any other ideas that haven't been brought up? (there's no need for a dvd player, but if its going to be pretty much the same result...)

Thanks for any help,

-Chris

[daviethek]

Personally, I would hesitate buying a second hand CD player in a private party transaction. , especially CA since many Azure 640's have complaints regarding noise and build quality. CA sells a lot of players though and many review them positively. I have a 640 and like it. I just looked on the Audio Advisor site and found 2 CA 540's for under 300.00 (usd) in the clearance bin. At least you can have some warranty and service potential with their demo gear. I would not go back to a mid-fi player though, I think the entry level audiophile players with good DACs spank them for quality.