When a brand like Cambridge Audio comes along...
"...you really do have to take them seriously" Dahl Murphy - very, very serious about great sound.
Steve Bennett Hi-Fi and Cambridge Audio go back to their respective origins in the 1970s. A small scale production out of Cambridge,
England, saw hand-built amplifiers that sported a lush warm quality of sound then more commonly characterized by the great old-school of British Hi-Fi costing many times the Cambridge products' prices.
Almost 30 years later - and whilst the hi-fi world changed and we all attest to the benefit of age and wisdom. Steve Bennett Hi-Fi and Cambridge Audio are still 'at it' together. Steve Bennett staff are still chasing gorgeous quality sound on a shoestring "hi-fi-saleman's" salary and Cambridge Audio are still producing products (now a whole suite of hi-fi) that punch well above their weight.
The first thing that impresses when we listen to music on a Cambridge Audio amplifier and CD Player is that, eyes-closed, the speakers simply disappear - and it's not because you can't see them - sounds seem to come from between and around the space where you know the speakers are supposed to be! It's like listening to the artists performing right in front of you. This "soundstage" can a compelling and addictive phenomenon, adding the excitement of a live performance to any stereo recording you listen to. We expect to hear a clean and precise soundstage on products costing thousands of dollars - but $499? $799? $999? not likely. Cambridge products perform like we'd expect products costing 2,3,4 times as much money.
German Hi-Fi magazine, Steroplay, rated Cambridge Audio's 740A/740C ($2,598) amplifier and CD player above another English product combination valued at $4850! And by a considerable margin.
Castle Acoustics speakers and Cambridge Audio electronics... A most musical combination.
Both Castle and Cambridge have, in their own right, forged enviable reputations among music lovers and the Hi-Fi press alike. They are known for
simple, stylish and impeccably constructed products that offer a relaxing and detailed portrayal of a recorded performance. In combination the result is a hi-fi system that serves the music beautifully, is a pleasure to use and is decor friendly to boot!
Castle hails from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in... (guessed yet?) Right first time... England! Since 1973 they have been handcrafting quality speakers with silly names and paying attention to detail like no others. They proudly construct all speaker components ‘in house’ and are very smug about their beautiful timber finishes. So they should be to. No other speakers look sooooo expensive and yet cost so little. They are a work of art, both visually and sonically. There are three standard timber finishes available. Mahogany – Cherry – Black. Exotic finishes by special order.
You can own a pair of Castle speakers for as little as $599. This gets you a pair of compact speakers (Knight1) suitable for either book-case or stand mounting that will comfortably fill a small to mid-sized room with music. From there you have the option of a larger book-case design (Knight 2... $799) that produces 20% more bass, or the first of a series of affordable floor-standing models (Knight 3) for $999. The floor-standing models still offer a slim footprint, taking up no more room than a book-case design on a stand. There are also the Knight 4 ($1399) and Knight 5 (1799). Predictably as the cost increases, so does the size of both the speaker and ensuing sound.
Cambridge Audio resides in London (Hankey Place, no less), but was surely from Cambridge originally. I do hope so or it’ll ruin the story. Anyway, they’ve been around for over 35 years and in that time have remained very ‘British’ in everything that they do. Their brief is to bring great sounding hi-fi to the general public at a price that the general public can afford. In the process they have greatly embarrassed a lot of high priced ‘high – end’ manufacturers by designing components that deliver ‘high – end’ sound without the silly price.
The people at Cambridge Audio try really, really hard to make satisfying products. Everything they produce makes perfect sense and once our clients see, touch and listen to a Cambridge component it’s fairly likely you’ll find it in their living room shortly afterwards. Probably with a pair of Castle speakers...
Cambridge amplifiers start from $499 as do their CD players. They have also released a new ‘Topaz’ series amplifier / tuner (receiver) at $599 that promises to be fantastic. We’re testing it as you read this. We’ll keep you posted.