Cambridge CXU - the 752BD successor

Interesting development by removing the DACs.
The report I read about them using AKM DACs was obviously incorrect.
This ought to lower the price point (probably to the same $$ they're clearing out the CXU at)
But I was planning to use the new player with my old non HDMI Marantz receiver.
Need the multi channel analog outputs for that.
This means the CXU is definitely the right machine for me

 

Interesting to see the nameless Richer Sounds salesman pop up in this thread again. I'm still waiting for an actual CXU owner to share his or her problems.

I've had mine for several months now and have not had any problems. I had the already excellent audio section modified, and it now delivers a beautiful, warm, analog sound. By far the best I've ever had.

It's region free for DVD, but locked for BR. As far as I know, there's no modification kit for this player available.

Unlike the new generation of Oppo players, it can also decode HDCD. This may be irrelevant to most, but if you have an older HiQ CD collection, or if you like country music, it does matter. It matters to me.

I chose the CXU over the new Oppo 205 and, all aspects considered, I would buy the CXU again any day.

 

I am also a happy owner for almost 6 months without issues and am enjoying my hdcds, sacds, pure audio brs and dvd-as.
What exactly did you modify regarding the sound ?

 

I had the machine modified at www.hoer-wege.de. He pretty much replaced medium quality parts like transistors, foils, and what not, with better equivalents. The machine came with a bag that included the removed parts, quite an impressive number. He does not toy with the power supply and he gives a full two-year warranty on his work. I'm not interested at all in the technical aspects, but the results are very convincing.
Stephan Horwege is also a very nice and down-to-earth guy. No weird voodoo-style stuff like glued in wood slices or such here. And his prices are very reasonable.

He also sells do-it-yourself kits for his modifications, if you're skilled enough to do the work yourself.

 

I've had the CXU all of this year with zero problems, and much satisfaction. I use it for video far more than audio, but the sound for both video and audio discs is very musical. I'm so glad I have it.

 

Well if you took a few seconds to read previous posts and look at the specs before posting you would have known the CXUHD doesn't have any analog outputs. Your post that I quoted was posted so I assumed it was finished .

 

I've talked to a few people in recent days including a couple of local dealers I know fairly well that will give me a straight answer re reliability.
Both said they couldn't recall seeing one come back.
CD players, according to one dealer, were another story.
One model, starting with an 8**, were an issue. Disc loading problems.

Crutchfield couldn't offer much feedback, because he said, almost everyone buys an Oppo.
Music Direct said "it's a real good unit"

 

Out of topic.
Do you think it's worth buying a cxc for my cxa60 knowing that i own a cxu ?

 

Seeing that they have lost the vast majority of audiophiles to Oppo anyway, this seems a smart move. I can't really see why not having DACs will improve the audio output, but what do I know?

Since I can't plug it into my analog amp, the CXUHD would've been of no use to me. So right now, I'm mighty glad I didn't wait for it.

 

The only issue I've had with my CXU is an intermittent one: I have a small monitor hooked up for DVD-As, and sometimes the sound is muted--for all disc types--if the monitor is not on. It doesn't happen every time I play a disc, and it doesn't matter if the monitor is connected to the CXU or not.

John K.

 

For those CXU owners; is there a break-in period?
Finally have one in my hands and it sounds OK out of the box but a bit harsh and grainy ....especially vocals, sibilants pronouned.
Will it smooth out over time?

 

I'm not a CXU owner, but the 752BD has the same underlying audio capability. It was fine out the box and within a short time for me, and this was used with actives which were revealing.

Harsh and grainy aren't two adjectives that sit with my understanding. How long have you had it Blair?

 

I have a cxu and do not hear sibilance or grain...
I have it paired with a cxa60.

 

Blair, mine did improve with about 100 hours or so.

 

Unless you're unhappy with something specific about the CXU as a transport or player, I'd save the money for a different upgrade down the road.

 

Ditto the above from @Balthazar. I'd leave as is unless it's more convenient to have the CXC in a physically different location from the rest of the system. If it's just going to be on another shelf on the same rack, I'd save the money.

 

I would not call my CXU harsh or grainy at all. It does present a soundstage that is more forward and detailed, but not harsh. There are always variations within a product line. For example, I tried three different Marantz SA-8005 players in my system; two sounded alike--what some would characterize the typical Marantz house sound--while the third had a totally different sonic character--tipped up in the treble and a bit harsh. If you can, leave the CXU on and let it run for a 100-200 hours without listening to it, then check in after that and see what you think.

John K.

 

I've had it about 3 weeks but for a variety of reasons wasn't able to actually unpack it until last night, so it only has about 2hrs use on it so far.
Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible.
It's pretty good (and I prefer it to the 105D I tried) but at this point it doesn't beat my Denon 3930, yet.
Harsh may be too strong a word, but grainy or gritty certainly fits.
Maybe it's exposing the recordings.
Not really a big deal in the long run because I plan to get a Bryston BDA-3 DAC eventually

 

The dealer is telling me it definitely needs a break in period.
Not surprising.
The 105D, even though I didn't keep it, did improve somewhat over the month I had it

 

I used to have the 3930. Great player, find build. Heaviest one I've owned bar none, detailed but sometimes a little soft in its presentation. I liked the additional clarity the 752 brought me and the WM8740 DACs are a favourite of mine. Give it a bit more time, just run it in for a few hours. Might just be your familiarising yourself with the sound.

 

Just spent 2 weeks with a 105d, i took the occasion for testing the difference in sacd stereo playback through analog output so that i could compare direct dsd to analog conversion vs cxu dsd-pcm-analog processing.

Honestly, my ears favored the cxu, i don't know what filters cambridge have implemented in their 24/192 processing or whether i like the wolfson sound better !
My test consisted in listening to the mofi weezer blue album and the AP RATM sacd.
Those are quite rocking discs, the cxu sounded more warm in general with better mediums, while the oppo sounded a bit more open. But after 2 hours listening to the oppo i was fatigued, while this was not the case with the cxu.

 

Resurrecting this thread to ask a question. For anyone using the CXUHD transport to play cd and hdcd discs are you using an external dac or the dac within your surround amp? I know it is probably hard/impossible to say but how is the sound against how cds through analogue would sound? I am asking because the Oppo 205 is now very expensive over here, if you can even find one, and I do also want to be able to play hdcds.

 

I don't think either play HDCD. Certainly the 205 doesn't. The 105 did play HDCD but latest Mediatec platform doesn't do HDCD. Problem with the new CXU you need an AV receiver to play SACD unless you can afford one of the few very expensive DACs with HDMI input. I can't see it being of appeal outside an AV set up. The old CXU with built in DAC may well do HDCD.

 

The CXU does play HDCD because it uses the same Mediatek platform as the Oppo 103/105.

When they implemented 4K on the later platform for the 203/205 HDCD was lost

 

I raised a query with Cambridge Audio and they have advised that the CXUHD transport does support hdcd decoding. My slight reservation is the lack of analogue stereo outputs as that is the way that I have become used to hearing redbook cds.