Cambridge Azur 640C Bug

[RobertKruz]

Hi, I'm pretty new to owning a 2-channel system (About one month now) and have encountered a strange bug. I recently bought the Radio Head CD "Hail to the Thief" and while listening to it my CD player, a Cambridge Azur 640C, the player stopped recognizing the disc. I then took out the CD and tried a bunch of different ones and still my player would not recognize any of them. I then dropped it off at the retailer I had purchased it from, a Hi-Fi center.

A couple of days ago I received the news that the player was fine after turning it off for 24 hours and that maybe it was the fact that that particular CD is Copy Protected.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what their experience has been like with Cambridge. I recently also had a problem with my Cambridge Azur 640A amp. The CAP5 protection said it had encountered DC and was unusable till serviced. Once again I dropped it off at the dealer and they could not recreate the protection light. I think it may have been a heat problem and have recently placed on amp on its own open stand.

Thanks

[dean_martin]

I had problems with a CA D300 cd player and A500 integrated. The cd player was fixed under warranty and has worked fine since (about 3 years). The A500 was making a terrible noise right out of the box so I was able to return it - no harm done. I got the Azur 540 integrated for about $5 more - no problems so far.

But, I've also had problems with an AMC cd player and a Pro-ject turntable both of which were replaced. It's frustrating and it may set you back on shipping charges, but if you're working with a good dealer they can get you a replacement if it's a recent purchase (or maybe a refund). If it's more than 30 days, then the dealer should send it to CA for repair first and then for replacement if they can't fix it. My experience with Cambridge was pretty good. It was 4mos. after purchase of the cd player so Cambridge was supposed to attempt to fix it before offering a replacement. They fixed it in a reasonable time and my dealer handled the shipping and communication. Get the dealer to go to bat for you with CA. Good luck.

[RobertKruz]

Thanks for the advice. Since I'm new to paying what I figure to be a lot of money for stereo equipment it makes me a little paranoid when something goes wrong.

[dean_martin]

Yeah, I know the feeling. I had a run of bad luck a few years ago when I got back into this hobby after about 12 years. I think today's manufacturers realize the effectiveness of the internet and forums like this when it comes to consumer relations. I'm not sure whether some dealers have realized that their reputations can be destroyed by word of mouth on the internet if they mistreat just one customer. Patience is the key, however. I've had excellent warranty service from Cambridge Audio and Acoustic Energy; excellent dealer service from audioadvisor.com and audiolab.com; and excellent distributor service from Sumiko (US distributor for Pro-ject turntables). As you've probably noticed I've had several new components with glitches, but I was treated fairly and all is well.

[topspeed]

I have a new 540c and have only experienced one glitch: I came in on a Monday and the cd player was spinning widly (at least that's what it sounded like) with no disc in the drive and the power turned off! I cycled the unit on/off and the noise was gone and the unit has performed normally. Maybe there was a power surge over the weekend? I have no idea but it's working fine as I type this.

With the problems you're having, have you considered putting a line conditioner or stabilizer in between your CA's and the wall? Maybe you've got a current problem.

Hope everything works out.

[RobertKruz]

Actually I'm thinking of getting a monstercable power center....one of those that is a surge protecter and filter. I posted that in another area. There seems to be something weird with my power. Whenever a hairdryer is plugged into an outlet my amp start to hum softly. Hopefully the filter will take care of that.

Robert

[topspeed]

You might want to look into a PS Audio Ultimate Outlet, Juicebar, or P300. After all, PS Audio is one of the pioneers and recognized leaders in power regeneration. Others to consider would be Chang Lightspeed and Richard Gray's Power Co. (RGPC). Monster has a well earned reputation for marketing over engineering, although I understand they are starting to take these things seriously once again.

[RobertKruz]

I thought I would post a conclusion (hopefully) to my problem. I spoke to the place I purchased the CD player from and they contacted Cambridge. I should be getting a new unit by the beginning of next week. It seems this is a rare bug that has also effected other customers.

I am also purchasing the Monster Power Center today.

Robert

[robin_v]

Hi, I'm pretty new to owning a 2-channel system (About one month now) and have encountered a strange bug. I recently bought the Radio Head CD "Hail to the Thief" and while listening to it my CD player, a Cambridge Azur 640C, the player stopped recognizing the disc. I then took out the CD and tried a bunch of different ones and still my player would not recognize any of them. I then dropped it off at the retailer I had purchased it from, a Hi-Fi center.

A couple of days ago I received the news that the player was fine after turning it off for 24 hours and that maybe it was the fact that that particular CD is Copy Protected.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what their experience has been like with Cambridge. I recently also had a problem with my Cambridge Azur 640A amp. The CAP5 protection said it had encountered DC and was unusable till serviced. Once again I dropped it off at the dealer and they could not recreate the protection light. I think it may have been a heat problem and have recently placed on amp on its own open stand.

Thanks

I have a D500SE CD player and an A500 Integrated amplifier. Both work exceptionally well. I did have a little difficulty getting used to them though. These really do need playing in. Cambridge recommends 32 hours but I am more inclined to say that 3 months would give you the optimum performance.

The only problem that I experienced with the D500SE was that the CD drive is a lot shallower than my old CD player and much quicker to load. I almost chewed up a CD getting used to the difference but all turned out well in the end.

Any time I feel that I might have a problem, my Quad is still there, on the living room floor with that "told you so!" smirk on it's face.

Frankly, after my positive experience with Cambridge, I am a little surprised at your problem but, as I said, I have the Classic Series and not the Azur. One of the reasons I waited so long to buy the Classic series was to give it time to get over it's "teething problems."

The icing on the cake is to run Densen DeMagic after 3 months and you'll have a sound that's sweeter than apple pie.

[daudi]

Actually I'm thinking of getting a monstercable power center....one of those that is a surge protecter and filter. I posted that in another area. There seems to be something weird with my power. Whenever a hairdryer is plugged into an outlet my amp start to hum softly. Hopefully the filter will take care of that.

Robert

Hi Robert,

Did you ever determine whether the problem really was with the CD player or with your mains power? I have just bought a CA Azur 640C and after two weeks I bougth a new CD, put it in the deck and got a "no disc" error and now can't play any CD. I am going to take it back to the shop and have it switched for a new one, but I am concerned that it could have been caused by the power in my house (I've moved in recently and don't know if there are problems). I have no idea how to determine if the power in my house is okay.

Thanks.

Daudi.

[dean_martin]

Hi Robert,

Did you ever determine whether the problem really was with the CD player or with your mains power? I have just bought a CA Azur 640C and after two weeks I bougth a new CD, put it in the deck and got a "no disc" error and now can't play any CD. I am going to take it back to the shop and have it switched for a new one, but I am concerned that it could have been caused by the power in my house (I've moved in recently and don't know if there are problems). I have no idea how to determine if the power in my house is okay.

Thanks.

Daudi.

One thing I've noticed about my CA cd player is that the stock EIC power cable works itself loose. Most of the time I remember to make sure it's snug before I power up, but if I forget and the connection is loose, strange things happen. I've been meaning to replace the stock cable, but haven't gotten around to it.