The sound quality is typical of most Cambridge Audio products: clean, crisp and rhythmical. The 851N can be used as a pre-amp, neatly matching the 851W power amp I listened a little to the former, but mostly fed FLAC and MP3 files wirelessly from a Microsoft Surface Pro 4. In addition to enabling you to stream music from a PC or server, though, the 851N supports internet radio and Spotify Connect. A simple Cortana search for ‘Media streaming options’ should sort you out. If you’re intending to stream music from a Windows PC, you’ll need to ensure your computer is given permission to share your music library. Otherwise, you’ll have to use the remote to input your password, which is as painful as you might expect – but at least you have to do it only once. Getting the 851N set up is pretty simple, especially if you have an iPhone or iPad with which to feed it your Wi-Fi network details. Cambridge Audio Azur 851N – Sound Quality The Cambridge Audio one is user-friendly, so chances are that you’ll hardly touch the remote anyway. That said, there is of course a control app. The remote is also covered in a shedload of indistinct buttons and, annoyingly, the standby button isn’t quite where I expected – I kept pressing the power button intended for the matching Azur amps instead, since it’s in the traditional place in the very top left. It feels okay in the hand and does a decent job, but it feels like a step back from the old units. Its soft-touch rear is rather nice and the remote is still elegant in shape, but the black brushed metal of the top looks a little dull compared to the finish of the streamer itself. Sadly, the remote for the 851N feels a little more prosaic. They were slender, solid-feeling bars with a silver powdered-metal finish that matched the fascias of the separates they controlled. Handling the digital-to-analogue conversion inside is a pair of Analog Devices AD1955 24-bit DACS, fed via Cambridge Audio’s second-generation Adaptive Time Filtering tech, which first up-samples all files to 24-bit/384kHz quality.Īgain, the original Azur range impressed with its above-average remote controls. You won’t want to plug it straight into the matching Azur 851W power amp if you have any intention of using a record player at some point. One thing you can’t do much about is the lack of an analogue input, which makes the 851N a digital-only pre-amp option. You can add it (with aptX support) via the optional BT100 dongle for £69.95, which isn’t a big deal, but it would have been nice to have a complete wireless solution from the off. Wi-Fi comes as standard from an aerial-equipped dongle that fits in one of the USB ports, but there’s no Bluetooth built in. There’s even an AES-EBU connection for the pro audio geeks. Small round buttons handle traditional playback functions and a few other menu options, and there’s also a USB socket for easily hooking up a device temporarily or giving a quick charge.Īround the back is an impressive array of socketry, including USB, ethernet, twin optical inputs, a pair of coaxial digital inputs, and RCA phono and XLR balanced outputs. The front is dominated by a decent-sized colour LCD screen and a large selector/volume knob. The dark grilles on the top, in particular, give it a touch of supercar chic. The 851N feels pretty bombproof, and the thick brushed fascia is suitably classy. That hasn’t changed, although the shift up in price means it’s now expected. When Cambridge Audio introduced its first Azur models over a decade ago, one of the range’s trademarks was exceptional build quality, with impeccably finished, weighty casing. Related: Best Turntables Cambridge Audio Azur 851N – Design and Features Aside from a lack of Bluetooth, there’s very little the 851N can’t handle – nor do well. The brand has always tried to over-deliver in the past, and despite this step up in cost, there’s been that same effort to go beyond the call of duty. It’s at a price point that might surprise you if you haven’t kept up with Cambridge Audio over the past few years, taking aim at the hi-fi high-end rather than at first-time visitors to Richer Sounds. The Cambridge Audio 851N is the British company’s top-of-the-line network music streamer and digital pre-amp, sitting alongside the rest of the impressive Azur lineup.
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