‘The 751R’s robust character leaves
you in little doublet that this is a first-class home cinema receiver’
It really doesn’t do justice to the audio
engineering of the AVR and manages to flatten the sound into a two-dimensional
mush. That is not uncommon of earlier/lower-spec Audyssey implementations and I
suspect Cambridge Audio may have put the feature on just to borrow the auto
setup system without having to design its own. Either way, all further sound
quality comments in this review are with Audyssey EQ very much ‘off’.
Cambridge
Audio Azur 751R - The Importance Of Being Earnest
Not that that’s a problem – the 751R’s innate
balance is smooth, sophisticated and rich, with superb bass weight and a
naturalness that’s far removed from the harsher tendencies of lower-spec AVRs.
An evening with Avengers Assemble on Blu-ray sees the 751R draw you inexorably
into enjoying the daft plot with its fulsome and room-filling sound. Details
and effects have their place in the mix and are nicely executed without
appearing exaggerated. The scene where the fight breaks out between Thor and
The Hulk is a rollercoaster of crashes and explosions, and the 751R delivers it
with plenty of dynamic heft and a robust character that leaves you in little
doubt this is a first-class home cinema amp. Better still, dialogue is
supremely articulated, pushing through the chaos with ease.
The absolute volume at which you are
listening has quite a dramatic effect on the sound, and those listening at
normal TV levels will find the presentation rather too smooth and a little
lackluster. This is where the Audyssey Dynamic Volume control comes in to its
own. Adding a fair bit of body and spice to the mix at lower levels. However,
to really get the 751R singing at its best it likes a good handful of volume.
Past the magic -30dB indicated mark (about 85dB average SPL in my room) it
suddenly wakes up, with the top-end getting more air time in the mix, the
soundstage widening and whole sound gaining Hulk-sized body. The fun just keeps
on coming, the amp seeming to breathe more easily and getting more open by the
click. The -20dB mark (95dB in my room) delivers a grin factor the Cheshire cat
would be proud of.
The
Azur 751 uses a thermostatically-controlled rear-mounted fan as part of its
X-Tract cooling system
Switching to music, either CD or via USB,
sees the 751R play its absolute trump card. Very few AV receivers achieve such
a great balance with music, irrespective of price. The Cambridge Audio’s rich
and articulate presentation is the kind that would have the reviewers on our
sister title Hi-Fi Choice reaching for their Pink Floyd albums.
So, for movie fans with a musical bent –
those who want a combined stereo and multichannel amp – the 751R is a perfect
fit. However, those after cutting-edge networking features will invariably be
disappointed. So it’s a Best Buy, but with caveats…
On the menu
The Azur 751R’s stripped-down menus feels
positively antiquated compared to the competition and you might expect a little
more panache considering the AVR’s price tag. Setup is not overly complicated,
but keep the remote juiced and manual close to hand. There’s no app control option
The
Azur 751R’s stripped-down menus feels positively antiquated compared to the
competition
AV info
Produce: 7.1-channel ‘upsampling’ AV
receiver
Position: Top of Cambridge Audio’s current
Azur range
Peers: Arcam AVR360; Pioneer SC-LX56;
Marantz SR7007
The verdict
Highs: Superb build; high-fidelity sound
with music and movies; asynchronous USB input; plenty of connections
Lows: Feature light; no networking and no
app control; Audyssey room EQ sounds flat
·
Performance: 5/5
·
Design: 4/5
·
Features: 3/5
·
Overall: 4/5
|
Specifications
·
Dolby true HD: Yes. And Dolby Pro-Logic IIz
·
DTS-HD master audio: Yes
·
THX: No
·
Multichannel input: Yes. 7.1 Phono inputs
·
Multi-room: Yes. Second zone
·
AV inputs: 4 x composite; 4 x S-video; 10 x digital
audio (5 x optical and 5 x coaxial)
·
HDMI: 6 x inputs; 2 x outputs
·
Video up-scaling: Yes. To 1080p
·
Component video: Yes 3 x inputs; 1 x output
·
Dimensions: 430(w) x 420(d) x 150(h) mm
·
Weight: 17.4kg
·
Also featuring: 192kHz/24-bit up-sampling;
dedicated stereo DACs; asynchronous USB input; Audyssey 2EQ room EQ and auto
setup; Toroidal transformer; rigid chassis; ‘follow main’ zone two output;
Audyssey Dynamic Volume; 6.35mm headphone output; FM/FM tuner; TI Aureus
DA788 32-bit DSPs
·
Cambridge Audio Azur 751R price: $2,400 Approx
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