Cambridge Audio - AZUR851E

FLAGSHIP PREAMPLIFIER

The pre-amp stage is all about minimal colouration. Take the source signal and pass it onto the power amp stage with as little interference as possible. That’s exactly what the 851E does, and coupled with its solid-state volume control, it retains audio signal purity and precision even at the lowest listening levels.

The toroidal transformer helps, as does our insistence on using only audiophile-grade components; many hours of fine tuning also play their part. The 851E has a broad range of connection options, including three switchable between unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR, the later ideal for high-end sources. Traditional sources get six RCA unbalanced inputs, plus there’s a dedicated sub woofer output and two sets of speaker terminals.

The 851E is designed as the partner to the 851W and to this end it has control bus connections for power syncing, as well as a Terrapin impedance buffering module for seamless switching between sources. The result is a combination that’s comfortably the most musically thrilling we’ve ever made: detailed, powerful, nuanced.