cambridge soundworks volume control replacement

Unassuming to look at it had a lot to show for its £150 price point, raising the standard for the amount of functionality that could be packed into a stand-alone DAC.īy the mid-90s, manufacturing for Cambridge took place primarily in China, which designer John Westlake described as an electronics “candy store”, offering him the flexibility to upgrade to high-end components without the cost becoming prohibitive. The DacMagic was one of the last of the original generation of DACs. 12 of the best British CD players of all time.Still, despite the price, its ability to read the fine detail on discs accurately made it hugely popular with music lovers and CD manufacturers alike. Unfortunately, this idea increased the manufacturing cost, which in turn meant that the CD1 cost a small fortune – at £1500 – double the cost of most other players at the time. The company came up with nine filter options for the CD1 meaning that almost every CD could be played back faithfully.

Cambridge recognised that to get true fidelity to the original recording, the digital to analogue conversion performed by a CD player needed to have an accurate mirror image of whichever filter process had occurred to begin with. Different studios were using different pre-conversion filters at the time as there wasn’t yet a standardisation for digitising analogue master tapes to CD. The transport mechanism was mounted on a lead beam to increase isolation, and there were separate power supplies for the digital and analogue circuits.Īnother novel feature of the CD1 was the inclusion of playback filters. The DAC section cleverly used three matched 14-bit DACs per channel to cancel out errors this resulted in a linear performance to -120 dB, an incredible feat at the time. A third box was soon added with a quality assurance module that corrected for inaccuracies on the disc. When Cambridge released the CD1, it was the first player to be split into 2 boxes the upper deck carried the power supply and disc tray while the lower housed the DAC circuitry. 9 debut stereo amplifiers from iconic hi-fi brands.While the C75/A75 combination was costly to build, the level of detail taken in developing the circuitry and careful choice of components ensure its status as one of the best Cambridge products of all time. The A75, for its part, kept Cambridge's trademark toroidal transformer, but added a power supply for each channel, resulting in an impressively high output current capability. By alternating EQ and amplification circuits, Curtis overcame this issue and produced a superb sound in the process. However, it was also prone to increased noise interference and degradation of the dynamic range. Passive EQ was preferable to an active circuit, as it kept negative feedback consistent across all frequencies and tracked the required RIAA equalisation to very high frequencies. The C75 implemented a phono stage that used a new technique called 'segmented equalisation' whereby the signal current would pass through discrete stages of passive EQ and amplification. The idea was to shield the sensitive input circuitry from the electrically noisy power amplifier, improving the sound and giving better performance.Īnd the separation didn't stop there. From what I've read elsewhere, that sound is normal (but mildly annoying).The C75 pre-amplifier and A75 power amplifier were the first of a new generation of Cambridge amps split into two units that could be combined using end panels. This enables high isolation between inputs, very accurate channel balance and leaves the amplifier completely free from the distortion associated with conventional semiconductor switching and volume control.' Whatever this relay system is, it causes a clicking sound everytime the volume is raised or lowered, and that happens whether it's through the knob or remote. Oh, and here's a brief description of the volume control from the Cambridge website: 'the 840A uses an extremely sophisticated resistor ladder and relay attenuator for volume control and the same high quality relay switches for input selection. No problems when using the remote.Īny ideas how big a deal this is to fix? And this might be a stretch, but bonus points and extra gratitude for recommending a place in the Philadelphia area that could handle. Frequently, no matter which direction I turn the knob, the volume will mostly go up (like five steps up, one step down).

It works fine and sounds great, except the volume control knob is dangerously unreliable. I purchased a Cambridge 840A (v1) integrated amp off Audiogon a couple years ago.

Cambridge soundworks volume control replacement