Quoting Pearsall001 From the thread: Cambridge Audio 840C
The 840C is flat out a superb player. I have owned the Consonance Droplet, & a few well regarded DAC's, but the 840C simply is the best sounding source I've had in my system. Also the fact that the 840C has (2) digital inputs that take advantage of it's internal DAC's so it's primed & ready to go when I eventually make the jump to a music server. How great is that!! CA realy did their homework with the design of this unit. For the price of admission for this player (and even if you spent a lot more $$) I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better overall performong source. Highly recommended!!
Posted by: pearsall001
I had the pleasure over the weekend of listening to a pair of Usher CP-6311 speakers. I must say that I was extremely impressed in their "musical" performance & the drop dead gorgeous fit & finish, which had me scratching my head for their MSRP of $2100. My dealer is bringing in a few other models including the Dancer & Be series along with other 6-series. I'm patiently awaiting their arrival. Does anyone here own Usher's & what are your impressions.
Pearsall, I share your opinion of the Usher CP-6311's and of the Cambridge Azur 840C.
I’ve been running my 840C since December. Everyone who heard my system prior to the addition of the 840C asks what I’ve changed since the last time they heard it. One doesn’t have to sit in the sweet spot and critically listen to hear the positive change it’s made in my system.
Regarding Usher I’ll make this as brief as possible and please understand that the following observations are only valid in the context of what I have heard in my room on my system.
I started with B&W P5 floor standers. They were simply our favorites based on what was available at a local high end shop. I now use them as rears in my Home Theater setup.
Michelle and I then auditioned a pair of nOrh Marble 9.0’s in our home against the B&W’s. It was no contest. The B&W’s sounded like they had a blanket over them. I purchased three 9.0’s. The detail of the 9.0’s was amazing but they did sound a bit analytical to my ears.
I then purchased a pair of Odyssey Loreleis. Most reviews on the Loreleis suggest they lack a bit of detail but make up for it by being very emotionally involving. I agree and much prefer the Lorelei sound to the 9.0’s.
The Loreleis are VERY NICE SPEAKERS!We then had an opportunity to audition the Usher X-616 center channel and the Usher CP-6311’s speakers in our system. The center channel mated very well with my Lorelei mains and I bought it on the spot.
The Usher 6311’s are about the same size as the Loreleis with the same size drivers. The 6311’s offered up the detail that the Loreleis lacked and were more emotionally involving as well. The Lors sounded a bit thin in comparison.
There was also no comparison in the finish. The 6311’s were blemish free while my Loreleis had a few streaks in the finish and the veneer was bowed out in a couple of spots due to improperly driven nails. So, even though I was hoping my Loreleis would trounce the 6311’s I had to admit I preferred the 6311’s and to make matters worse the 6311’s list price was $600 under the Loreleis.
My room is a bit base challenged due to large openings so I was running a Titan II LE sub with both the 9.0’s and the Loreleis. Stan and Carter returned with the Usher CP-6381’s the largest speaker in the 6 series at that time. What we heard was the same great sound but the larger speakers offered more presence in my room. The 6381’s allowed me to remove my sub from my two channel system and I kept that pair.
Down the road Usher introduced the CP-6391’s. These guys are bigger than the 6381’s and were an even better fit in my room. So now I run the 6391’s.
USHER AMPS AND PREAMPS:
I have an Usher R-0.8 80 wpc and an R-1.5 amp.
I'm very happy with both of my Usher amps.
I sold my Tempest preamp when I ordered the new Dodd Battery Powered Preamp. When Stan heard that the delivery of the Dodd was going to take some time he showed up at my home with an Usher P-307 preamp and told me to use it until my Dodd was ready. When my Dodd showed up I bought the Usher preamp and put it in my office system.
I think the Usher S-520’s are an amazing bang for the buck.
I purchased a pair for my mother-in-law and then my brother-in-law bought a pair as well. They offer the same killer finish as the 6 series and a great sound for a $400 list price.
I’ve also heard the Be-718’s and Be-10’s.
I’m seriously considering buying a pair of the 718’s to play with even though they would probably require a sub in my room.
Having attended the last 3 Rocky Mountain Audio Fests I’m absolutely certain there are a number of speakers on the market that I could be very happy with but so far Usher seems to deliver in spades when it comes to performance vs. dollars.
Other speakers I really like but haven’t had an opportunity to audition in my home include:
SP Tech
GR Research
Salk
Audio Kinesis
Emerald Physics
MBL - I’ll never spend that much!
As a wrap, I think the 6311’s are amazing for the money. The base is excellent for that size speaker. If your room is hard to load with base you can use a sub or go to a larger model.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the other Usher speakers your dealer is bring in.
Jeff
