Cambridge Audio Azur 340R aimed at 5.1 audience

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Cambridge Audio Azur 340R aimed at 5.1 audience

20070905_112007_340R-V1-Front-Silver-4c-CC535px.jpg

Cambridge Audio is renowned for embracing new technology and making it available to a wider audience at a remarkable price. This is the case with HDMI and the Azur 340R 5.1 HDMI AV Receiver ? the latest in a growing Azur range of AV receivers. The 340R features 5.1 multi-channel output and 2 in 1 out HDMI pass through so that, for instance, an HDMI DVD player and Sky HD? set-top box can be connected with just one cable to the screen. A high quality Crystal CS42518 multi DAC also provides crystal clear sound reproduction for music or movie use.

After critical research with the help of user panels, it was concluded that a large proportion required a high performance 5.1 receiver rather than a compromised 6.1/7.1 product. The 340R then is the ultimate entry level home cinema receiver, perfect for users who only want to run a 5.1 speaker setup but don?t wish to trade-off against audio or video quality.


Key features:

? 50W per channel @ 8 Ohms all channels driven/80W per channel @ 8 Ohms 2 channel
? High current transistors used in discrete output stages for optimized audio performance
? Crystal CS42518 multi DAC and CS493263 DSP
? Audio inputs: 6 line level in + tuner/5.1 direct
? Audio outputs: 5 amplified speaker/1 subwoofer/1 tape record
? Video inputs: 3 composite/2 S-video/2 component video/2 HDMI
? Video outputs: 1 composite/1 S-video/1 component video/1 HDMI
? Digital inputs: 1 coaxial/4 optical
? Digital outputs: 1 coaxial/1 optical/1 HDMI
? Fully freely assignable video inputs for ease of use and total flexibility
? Processes Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1/Dolby PLII
? Advanced Bass Management allows separate crossovers and trims for PLII/DD/DTS and Stereo + Sub modes
? On Screen Display (OSD)
? FM/AM tuner with RDS and 30 presets
? RS232 control for custom install use and software updating plus IR emitter In
? Solid aluminium front panel plus an ultra rigid, acoustically dampened chassis
? Ergonomic remote control
? Available in silver or black

The Azur 340R is designed for excellent multi channel surround-sound performance without compromising on music reproduction. To this end, five fully discrete audiophile grade amplifiers are kept as separate as possible from the processing and input stages. A large power supply with low flux toroidal transformer and careful design of the audio stages ensure the 340R can reproduce the dynamics and scale required for modern movie soundtracks whilst also being able to reproduce a genuinely musical performance with either stereo or multi-channel music sources.

Dolby, DTS 5.1 and Pro Logic II are featured for surround-sound decoding as well as Stereo and Stereo + Sub modes. Advanced Bass Management allows separate crossovers and trims for all these formats. All the 340R?s video inputs are fully assignable for ease of use.


The 340R has an attractive On Screen Display (OSD) so that menus can be easily accessed for the simplest set-up imaginable. An on-board AM/FM tuner offers 30 station presets making tuning into the radio extremely simple.


An RS232 connection with full control protocol available allows custom install use.


As with all Cambridge Audio products, the 340R benefits from a solid aluminum front panel and acoustically damped chassis and is available in either silver or black. An ergonomic remote control is also supplied.
 
Cambridge Audio Azur 340R aimed at 5.1 audience

View attachment 72

Cambridge Audio is renowned for embracing new technology and making it available to a wider audience at a remarkable price. This is the case with HDMI and the Azur 340R 5.1 HDMI AV Receiver ? the latest in a growing Azur range of AV receivers. The 340R features 5.1 multi-channel output and 2 in 1 out HDMI pass through so that, for instance, an HDMI DVD player and Sky HD? set-top box can be connected with just one cable to the screen. A high quality Crystal CS42518 multi DAC also provides crystal clear sound reproduction for music or movie use.

After critical research with the help of user panels, it was concluded that a large proportion required a high performance 5.1 receiver rather than a compromised 6.1/7.1 product. The 340R then is the ultimate entry level home cinema receiver, perfect for users who only want to run a 5.1 speaker setup but don?t wish to trade-off against audio or video quality.


Key features:

? 50W per channel @ 8 Ohms all channels driven/80W per channel @ 8 Ohms 2 channel
? High current transistors used in discrete output stages for optimized audio performance
? Crystal CS42518 multi DAC and CS493263 DSP
? Audio inputs: 6 line level in + tuner/5.1 direct
? Audio outputs: 5 amplified speaker/1 subwoofer/1 tape record
? Video inputs: 3 composite/2 S-video/2 component video/2 HDMI
? Video outputs: 1 composite/1 S-video/1 component video/1 HDMI
? Digital inputs: 1 coaxial/4 optical
? Digital outputs: 1 coaxial/1 optical/1 HDMI
? Fully freely assignable video inputs for ease of use and total flexibility
? Processes Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1/Dolby PLII
? Advanced Bass Management allows separate crossovers and trims for PLII/DD/DTS and Stereo + Sub modes
? On Screen Display (OSD)
? FM/AM tuner with RDS and 30 presets
? RS232 control for custom install use and software updating plus IR emitter In
? Solid aluminium front panel plus an ultra rigid, acoustically dampened chassis
? Ergonomic remote control
? Available in silver or black

The Azur 340R is designed for excellent multi channel surround-sound performance without compromising on music reproduction. To this end, five fully discrete audiophile grade amplifiers are kept as separate as possible from the processing and input stages. A large power supply with low flux toroidal transformer and careful design of the audio stages ensure the 340R can reproduce the dynamics and scale required for modern movie soundtracks whilst also being able to reproduce a genuinely musical performance with either stereo or multi-channel music sources.

Dolby, DTS 5.1 and Pro Logic II are featured for surround-sound decoding as well as Stereo and Stereo + Sub modes. Advanced Bass Management allows separate crossovers and trims for all these formats. All the 340R?s video inputs are fully assignable for ease of use.


The 340R has an attractive On Screen Display (OSD) so that menus can be easily accessed for the simplest set-up imaginable. An on-board AM/FM tuner offers 30 station presets making tuning into the radio extremely simple.


An RS232 connection with full control protocol available allows custom install use.


As with all Cambridge Audio products, the 340R benefits from a solid aluminum front panel and acoustically damped chassis and is available in either silver or black. An ergonomic remote control is also supplied.

Hi ,
Pls answer my two questions-

1.Did you find less power for movies or its effects?
2.Can we upgrade audio codecs(HD DD & Dts audio) from An RS232
connection?
 
Spiro,

with due respects,

is it you want to upgrade your onkyo or tannoy f1 custom.

I would suggest get floor standers first and build over time.

Run with onkyo, with some R & D and plan for an AVR.

Marantz, CA, sherwood are expensive comparatively.
 
Last edited:
1.Did you find less power for movies or its effects?

I cannot answer that directly. I have a 540RV3 (the higher version) and I do not find it lacking in power for music or movies in plain 2.0 configuration (no subwoofer).

2.Can we upgrade audio codecs(HD DD & Dts audio) from An RS232
connection?

First, neither of the current CA receivers support audio through HDMI. The only way to receive digital audio input is optical or co-ax. And these connections do not support HD bitstream bandwidths. The only way to handle HD audio would be using analog inputs with decoding in the player. So, the answer to your question is a firm NO.

As for Pradski, I will ignore his post :rolleyes: He obviously has not heard a CA or a Marantz :eek:

Regards,
Prasad.
 
Prasad,

sorry I was in the process of editing.

I just saw your post after I edited.

Yes I have not heard CA. I was just trying to help with little knowledge I have that is all.

Cheers.
 
This is possibly one of the very few receivers with torroidal transformers being used - though I dont know how much of a difference the transformers by themselves would make.
 
Spiro,

with due respects,

is it you want to upgrade your onkyo or tannoy f1 custom.

I would suggest get floor standers first and build over time.

Run with onkyo, with some R & D and plan for an AVR.

Marantz, CA, sherwood are expensive comparatively.

Hi,
I want to upgrade AVR as I got my Tannoy 2 month back only.
There is no place for floorstands due to interiors.
So searching for musical AVR.
 
I cannot answer that directly. I have a 540RV3 (the higher version) and I do not find it lacking in power for music or movies in plain 2.0 configuration (no subwoofer).

Thanks,

Do CA has feature like all chanel stereo ?
Onkyo ,Denon has it.
Secondly is it easy to pair with any speaker?(my Tannoy F1 custom)
 
Thanks,

Do CA has feature like all chanel stereo ?
Onkyo ,Denon has it.
Secondly is it easy to pair with any speaker?(my Tannoy F1 custom)

I don't exactly get your question. But CA has lots of sound processing options. I am not sure whether it has the DSP modes (such as "Hall", etc.). But it would definitely have the PLII types of processing modes. Anyways, I feel that stereo music best listened in stereo :cool:

You can get more information from the user manual at:
Cambridge Audio

Regards,
Prasad Redkar.
 
I don't exactly get your question. But CA has lots of sound processing options. I am not sure whether it has the DSP modes (such as "Hall", etc.). But it would definitely have the PLII types of processing modes. Anyways, I feel that stereo music best listened in stereo :cool:

You can get more information from the user manual at:
Cambridge Audio

Regards,
Prasad Redkar.

Thanks,

Onkyo ,Denon ,Yamaha has special DSP which gives stereo effect with all
five ch.That Dsp is properity of individual company.

I have already downloaded user manual of CA avr ,but they have stated only DSp modes & not specified like other companies.
 
Thanks,

Onkyo ,Denon ,Yamaha has special DSP which gives stereo effect with all
five ch.That Dsp is properity of individual company.

I have already downloaded user manual of CA avr ,but they have stated only DSp modes & not specified like other companies.

I have heard Onkyo's processing and I can say that you are better off without it. The CA 540RV3 has some sort DSP processing in it. However, none of it so heavy that it distorts the music. If you are interested in names, I found that it supports PLIIx: one of the better stereo processing available today. Just check whether 340R has the PLIIx. Then you would be fine.

However, I still prefer my music without it!

Regards,
Prasad Redkar.
 
I have heard Onkyo's processing and I can say that you are better off without it. The CA 540RV3 has some sort DSP processing in it. However, none of it so heavy that it distorts the music. If you are interested in names, I found that it supports PLIIx: one of the better stereo processing available today. Just check whether 340R has the PLIIx. Then you would be fine.

However, I still prefer my music without it!

Regards,
Prasad Redkar.

Hi Prasad, I got a couple of questions on the CA Azur AVRs.

I am planning to audition the 340R and the 640R with Dali Ikon 6 floorstanders or Ikon 2 Bookshelves. Any idea how this pairing goes?

Also, do you know the price of any of these (340/540/640)?

Which speakers do you use with your 540?

Thanks,
Bhaskie
 
To -> pnredkar...

Looking out for an entry level AV receiver, due to budget constraints, I'm restricting myself to a 2.0 ch setup, I have shortlisted the following... Kindly provide me with better alternatives if any.

Cambridge Audio Azur 340R
Morduant Short Avant 904i (Floor Stander).

my budget is 50K(incl of cables). any suggestions are deeply appreciated (with prices plz)

Thanks

cheers, Kannan
 
To -> pnredkar...

Looking out for an entry level AV receiver, due to budget constraints, I'm restricting myself to a 2.0 ch setup, I have shortlisted the following... Kindly provide me with better alternatives if any.

Cambridge Audio Azur 340R
Morduant Short Avant 904i (Floor Stander).

my budget is 50K(incl of cables). any suggestions are deeply appreciated (with prices plz)

Thanks

cheers, Kannan

You should create a new thread on this. You will get more answers that way. Also please explain why you want a budget a/v receiver when you can get a very good stereo amplifier. I have a small room (11'x13') and 2.0 is perfect for it. In fact within 60k I got some amazing stuff and the experience is mindblowing. Do post a link to the new thread here though.
 
I agree with Bhaskie on this, Sridharan. A good two channel setup would be the way to go - that is, if you value music more than movies.
 
Vortex, I am crazy about movies, and watch at least 10 a week. Mostly genre which don't really need 5.1 though. And the experience is hard to describe! I don't use my Sennheiser HD600 so often anymore since the Dali+marantz+asus STX combo is divine!

I even love the way the Matrix trilogy/Dark Knight/IronMan Blu-ray soundtracks sound with the 2.0 setup. But obviously I can feel the sub missing during the action, but the bass is real tight (just not shaking), and the mids are oh so sweet! The movie soundtracks sound so damn good that it adds a separate dimension altogether. My 2 cents!
 
Also please explain why you want a budget a/v receiver when you can get a very good stereo amplifier.

Hey Bhaskie! I gave that question a really big thought many a time and opted for this setup. My main sources are the computer, a DVD player, i pod and a DTH(Tata Sky), and I really felt that I would be able to connect all of them to the AVR. Its 50-50 on movies and music, so I couldnt really decide on a stereo receiver.

Computer - S-Video + Opt Out
DVD - Component + Opt Out
DTH - Composite
ipod - Audio Only.

Plz let me know if I'm missing out anything here.

Regards,Kannan
 
Hey Bhaskie! I gave that question a really big thought many a time and opted for this setup. My main sources are the computer, a DVD player, i pod and a DTH(Tata Sky), and I really felt that I would be able to connect all of them to the AVR. Its 50-50 on movies and music, so I couldnt really decide on a stereo receiver.

Computer - S-Video + Opt Out
DVD - Component + Opt Out
DTH - Composite
ipod - Audio Only.

Plz let me know if I'm missing out anything here.

Regards,Kannan

The CA340R sells for less than 200 quids in UK. Here in India it's twice the price. Since you need a 2.0 setup, why should you even think of getting an entry-level AVR I don't understand. An 18k Marantz stereo amp will give you a much better stereo experience anyday. I have auditioned the CA 640R which sells at 55k in Delhi and it doesn't even come close to my 30k Marantz PM 7003 stereo amp.

Even I connect the Tata Sky and Creative Zen to the amp. But all these go through the high quality line-in of my Asus Xonar Essence STX and into the amp. The main thing that you need is a very good sound card in your PC. Something like the Xonar (it will restrict you to 2.1) or the Asus Xonar D2X (which will give you very good 7.1 analog outs). A very good quality analog out will beat the optical-out (decoding in AVR) any day. That's what I found out from auditions that I carried out in the last 10 months :)

Anyway what I wanted was very high quality 2.1 since I didn't like average quality 5.1. And in a small room the 2.1 sounds so freaking good that I will probably never go for 5.1.

You need to figure out what you need, how much you want to invest now and how much you plan to invest for upgrades later, and then decide to buy.
Just don't end up with something you don't like because there was a budget restraint and then in 6months or 1 yr try to get rid of that setup and invest 2-3 times on a better setup. THat way you remain unhappy and lose some money in the wrong stuff you'd bought initially.
 
You need to figure out what you need, how much you want to invest now and how much you plan to invest for upgrades later, and then decide to buy.
Just don't end up with something you don't like because there was a budget restraint and then in 6months or 1 yr try to get rid of that setup and invest 2-3 times on a better setup. THat way you remain unhappy and lose some money in the wrong stuff you'd bought initially.

Well Bhaskie, I really appreciate ur advice n would definitely reconsider before I could buy them. I plan to buy an AVR by Jul - Aug, so that gives me some more time, to do my homework before investing.

Wat speakers would you suggest to pair up with the marantz...
Thanks,
Reg, Kannan
 
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