This compact network audio player is smart
enough to be in living room where it can provide a music connection between NAS
or PC and stereo system. Beside playing locally stored music, it is able to detect
internet broadcasts.
Cambridge
Audio Sonata NP30
Available in black or white, NP30’s front
features 4 line fluorescent display and a control knob. You can navigate
through menus and settings by using a dial and buttons or remote control. NP30
can display embedded album arts and embed and basic metadata.
The unit is connected via Wi-Fi; most
playback options can be controlled via a free iPhone app.
In the back lies analog stereo output as
well as Toslink/coaxial digital output. The latter is very worthy, for adding
an external digital-to-analog (DA) converter.
A recent upgrade adds Apple Lossless format
to NP30’s supported lists. Updates are marked on screen when available, and PC
is not needed to install firmware.
NP30 owns good sound quality. We tested the
device in a system featuring Leema Acoustic Tucana II integrated amp and
Harbeth LS3/5A speaker. Audio files were hosted on Synology SD1010+ NAS.
For WAV or 16bir or lossless files, NP30 delivers
fine sound. It had bias toward treble, giving it a generally delighted balance.
Bass was enhanced, yet not as plentiful or
clear as that on CD player. Sound range lost some particular details. It was a
little inaccurate, in terms of depth and stereo.
Audio quality can be fast improved with
hardware like Arcam rDAC. This DAC makes sound smoother, especially in
hi-frequency ranges for low-quality MP3s.
Playback for a file folder was uncorrupted,
thus there was no recognizable joint when playing continuous tracks.
Cambridge Audio advertised Stream Magic uniting
many sources. Browsing Internet audio is very simple, like many podcasts. You
have Aupeo personal radio, which provides interesting contents yet it costs
$75/year to remove ads.
BBC iPlayer is also available, and Radio 3 has
similar quality to CD available for AAC 320kps formats.
Hi-fi sound introduces more completed sounds,
evoking a naturally warmth like analog does, with reference to 16bit rips. It
can be heard in common instruments, such as contrabass and string ones, which
produce livelier sound.
Hi-fi
sound introduces more completed sounds, evoking a naturally warmth like analog
does, with reference to 16bit rips.
Playback wasn’t ensured our wireless 8m
connection; we recommend you to use landline internet connection.
To win a reputation of home theater, a player
must be user-friendly, listing music in a way that independent and easy to
navigate.
Stability can be improved. We sometimes got
suspension, after choosing an album via UPnP. NP30 will restart, taking up to
30sec. When booting finish, we had to rummage through folders to find the album
which would be well played in the second try.
NP30 can list hundreds of folders in a few
minutes. It can show track’s name with foreign characters which are often wrongly
displayed on some players.
|
Info
·
RRP: $599
·
Provider: www.cambridgeaudio.com
·
24bit/96kHz DAC
·
Stereo analogue RCA
·
Coaxial, optical S/PDIF
·
Ethernet
·
802.11 b/g/n
·
2x USB 1.1
·
67x270x285mm
·
2.1kg
Verdict
·
Cambridge Audio NP30 has good sound whose
quality is on par with CD’s one, and it performs excellently with 24bit
sounds; it audio quality can be improved with an external DAC. Supporting ALAC
adds more strength to the power of Sonata NP30.
·
Design: 3.5/5
·
Features: 4/5
·
Performance: 3/5
·
Value: 3.5/5
·
Total: 3.5/5
|
