Cambridge Audio Azur 840-A Mk2 Owners manual

Your music + our passion

840A V2

azur

ENGLISH

Class XD integrated amplifier

User’s manual

For your own safety please read the following important safety instructions carefully before attempting to connect this unit to the mains power supply. They will also enable you to get the best performance and prolong the life of the unit:

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched,

particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table

specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for

long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is

required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as the power-supply cord or plug being damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

WARNING - To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this unit to rain or moisture.

The unit is of Class 1 construction and must be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.

The unit must be installed in a manner that makes disconnection of the mains plug from the mains socket outlet (or appliance connector from the rear of the unit) possible. Where the mains plug is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable. Only use the mains cord supplied with this unit.

Please ensure there is ample ventilation (at least 10cm clearance all round). Do not put any objects on top of this unit. Do not situate it on a rug or other soft surface and do not obstruct any air inlets or outlet grilles. Do not cover the ventilation grilles with items such as newspapers, table-cloths, curtains etc.

This unit must not be used near water or exposed to dripping or splashing water or other liquids. No objects filled with liquid, such as vases, shall be placed on the unit.

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the service literature relevant to this appliance.

WEEE symbol

The crossed-out wheeled bin is the European Union symbol for indicating separate collection for electrical and electronic equipment. This product contains electrical and electronic equipment which should be reused, recycled or recovered and

should not be disposed of with unsorted regular waste. Please return the unit or contact the authorised dealer from whom you purchased this product for more information.

CE mark

This product complies with European Low Voltage (2006/95/EC) and Electromagnetic Compatibility

(89/336/EEC) Directives when used and installed according to this instruction manual. For continued compliance only Cambridge Audio accessories should be used with this product and servicing must be referred to qualified service personnel.

C-Tick mark

This product meets the Australian Communications Authority’s Radio communications and EMC requirements.

Ross Test Stamp

This product meets Russian electronic safety approvals.

FCC regulations

NOTE: THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY RADIO OR TV INTERFERENCE CAUSED BY UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS TO THIS EQUIPMENT. SUCH MODIFICATIONS COULD VOID THE USER AUTHORITY TO OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the

FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

- Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.

- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that

to which the receiver is connected.

- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Important safety instructions

CAUTION

Risk of electric

shock.

Do not open.

AVIS

Risque de choc

electrique.

Ne pas ouvrir.

ACHTUNG

Vorm öffnen des gerätes.

Netzstecker ziehen.

840A V2azur

ENGLISH

Ventilation

IMPORTANT - The unit will become hot when in use. Do not stack multiple units on top of each other. Do not place in an enclosed area such as a bookcase or in a cabinet without sufficient ventilation.

Ensure that small objects do not fall through any ventilation grille. If this happens, switch off immediately, disconnect from the mains supply and contact your dealer for advice.

Positioning

Choose the installation location carefully. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight or close to a source of heat. No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the unit. Also avoid locations subject to vibration and excessive dust, cold or moisture. The unit can be used in a moderate climate.

This unit must be installed on a sturdy, level surface. Do not place in a sealed area such as a bookcase or in a cabinet. Any space open at the back (such as a dedicated equipment rack) is fine however. Do not place the unit on an unstable surface or shelf. The unit may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult as well as serious damage to the product. Do not place other equipment on top of the unit.

Due to stray magnetic fields turntables or CRT TVs should not be located nearby due to possible interference.

Electronic audio components have a running in period of around a week (if used several hours per day). This will allow the new components to settle down, the sonic properties will improve over this time.

Power sources

The unit should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of powersupply to your home, consult your product dealer or local power company.

This unit has been designed to be left in Standby mode when not in use, this will increase the life of the amplifier (this is true with all electronic equipment). To turn the unit off completely switch off on the rear panel. If you do not intend to use this unit for a long period of time, unplug it from the mains socket.

Overloading

Do not overload wall outlets or extension cord as this can result in a risk of fire or electric shock. Overloaded AC outlets, extension cords, frayed power cords, damaged or cracked wire insulation, and broken plugs are dangerous. They may result in a shock or fire hazard.

Be sure to insert each power cord securely. To prevent hum and noise, do not bundle the interconnect leads with the power cord or speaker leads.

Cleaning

To clean the unit, wipe its case with a dry, lint-free cloth. Do not use any cleaning fluids containing alcohol, ammonia or abrasives. Do not spray an aerosol at or near the unit.

Battery disposal

Please dispose of any discharged batteries according to local environmental/electronic waste disposal guidelines.

Loudspeakers

Before making any connections to loudspeakers, make sure all power is turned off and only use suitable interconnects.

Servicing

These units are not user serviceable, never attempt to repair, disassemble or reconstruct the unit if there seems to be a problem. A serious electric shock could result if this precautionary measure is ignored. In the event of a problem or failure, please contact your dealer.

Cambridge Audio warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship (subject to the terms set forth below). Cambridge Audio will repair or replace (at Cambridge Audio's option) this product or any defective parts in this product. Warranty periods may vary from country to country. If in doubt consult your dealer and ensure that you retain proof of purchase.

To obtain warranty service, please contact the Cambridge Audio authorised dealer from which you purchased this product. If your dealer is not equipped to perform the repair of your Cambridge Audio product, it can be returned by your dealer to Cambridge Audio or an authorised Cambridge Audio service agent. You will need to ship this product in either its original packaging or packaging affording an equal degree of protection.

Proof of purchase in the form of a bill of sale or receipted invoice, which is evidence that this product is within the warranty period, must be presented to obtain warranty service.

This Warranty is invalid if (a) the factory-applied serial number has been altered or removed from this product or (b) this product was not purchased from a Cambridge Audio authorised dealer. You may call Cambridge Audio or your local country Cambridge Audio distributor to confirm that you have an unaltered serial number and/or you purchased from a Cambridge Audio authorised dealer.

This Warranty does not cover cosmetic damage or damage due to acts of God, accident, misuse, abuse, negligence, commercial use, or modification of, or to any part of, the product. This Warranty does not cover damage due to improper operation, maintenance or installation, or attempted repair by anyone other than Cambridge Audio or a Cambridge Audio dealer, or authorised service agent which is authorised to do Cambridge Audio warranty work. Any unauthorised repairs will void this Warranty. This Warranty does not cover products sold AS IS or WITH ALL FAULTS.

REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENTS AS PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY ARE THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY OF THE CONSUMER. CAMBRIDGE AUDIO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY IN THIS PRODUCT. EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, THIS WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS AND IMPLIED WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PRACTICAL PURPOSE.

Some countries and US states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or implied warranties so the above exclusions may not apply to you. This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other statutory rights, which vary from state to state or country to country.

For any service, in or out of warranty, please contact your dealer.

Limited warranty

Plug Fitting Instructions (UK Only)

The cord supplied with this appliance is factory fitted with a UK mains plug fitted with a 5 amp fuse inside. If it is necessary to change the fuse, it is important that a 5 amp one is used. If the plug needs to be changed because it is not suitable for your socket, or becomes damaged, it should be cut off and an appropriate plug fitted following the wiring instructions below. The plug must then be disposed of safely, as insertion into a mains socket is likely to cause an electrical hazard. Should it be necessary to fit a 3-pin BS mains plug to the power cord the wires should be fitted as shown in this diagram. The colours of the wires in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug. Connect them as follows:

The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter ‘N’ or coloured BLACK.

The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter ‘L’ or coloured RED.

The wire which is coloured GREEN/YELLOW must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter ‘E’ or coloured GREEN.

If a standard 13 amp (BS 1363) plug is used, a 5 amp fuse must be fitted, or if any other type of plug is used a 5 amp fuse must be fitted, either in the plug or adaptor, or on the distribution board.

Thank you for purchasing this Azur 840A V2 Class XD Integrated Amplifier. We hope that you will enjoy many years of listening pleasure from it.

The 840A V2 features our unique proprietary amplifier topology; Class XD™, designed to eliminate crossover distortion at low signal levels.

By actively displacing the crossover point this technology creates a region of pure Class-A operation where the crossover zone would otherwise be before moving into an enhanced form of Class B at higher levels. It should not be confused with Class AB, which gives a small area of Class A, but at the cost of higher distortion as soon as the signal level moves outside the AB area. Class XD circuitry not only removes crossover distortion from the zero-crossing point but also reduces distortion in the other parts of the amplifier's output range.

This V2 version of the 840A features our latest development of Class XD with many tweaks and enhancements from our on-going research resulting in our best sounding implementation to date.

A white paper on this patent pending technology is available on our website: www.cambridge-audio.com

Please note that because of the Class XD technology the 840A V2 runs slightly warmer than a conventional Class B/AB amplifier and the ventilation slots on the top of the unit must not be obstructed.

Other features include the use of precision resistor ladders switched by gold plated relay contacts for the volume and balance controls rather than the more common solid-state or volume potentiometer schemes. Volume is controllable in 1 dB steps over most of the range, giving very fine control, an accurate logarithmic law and superbly accurate channel balance. Input switching is also by high quality gold contact relays.

The 840A V2 features separate transformer secondaries for left and right channels, twin rectifiers and separate PSU's for dual mono operation of the left and right power amplifiers. A separate transformer supplies the preamp making the 840A V2 effectively a Pre and Power amp combination in one box.

Input 1 features a balanced input using XLRs giving optimal performance with equipment such as the matching 840C Upsampling CD player which features balanced outputs.

The casework combines massive structural rigidity with careful damping and control of acoustic resonance. An Azur Navigator remote control is also provided, giving full remote control of your amplifier in an attractive and easy to use handset.

We have also included support for multi-room use. By plugging in one or two external Cambridge Audio Incognito keypads and a power supply unit your amplifier can become the hub of a simple multi-room system. In addition, Control Bus Input/Output, IR Emitter Input and RS232 control are featured making it easy to integrate the 840A V2 into a Custom Installation system if desired.

Your amplifier can only be as good as the system it is connected to. Please do not compromise on your source equipment, speakers or cabling. Naturally we particularly recommend models from the Cambridge Audio Azur range. These have been designed to the same exacting standards as this amplifier. Your dealer can also supply excellent quality Cambridge Audio interconnects to ensure your system realises its full potential.

Thank you for taking the time to read this manual; we do recommend you keep it for future reference.

Matthew Bramble, Cambridge Audio Technical Director and the Amplifier design team

Contents Introduction

Important safety instructions..........................................................2

Limited warranty...........................................................................3

Contents......................................................................................4

Introduction .................................................................................4

Rear panel connections.................................................................5

Front panel controls .....................................................................6

Remote control ............................................................................7

iPod compatibility .........................................................................7

Connections ................................................................................8

Operating instructions .................................................................10

Amplifier setup ...........................................................................10

Multi-Room connections .............................................................12

Custom installation use...............................................................13

CAP5 protection system ..............................................................14

Troubleshooting..........................................................................15

Technical specifications...............................................................15

Make sure you register your purchase.

Visit: www.cambridgeaudio.com/sts

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News, events and exclusive offers plus competitions!

This guide is designed to make installing and using this product as easy as possible. Information in this document has been carefully checked for accuracy at the time of printing; however, Cambridge Audio's policy is one of continuous improvement, therefore design and speciﬁcations are subject to change without prior notice.

This document contains proprietary information protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced by any mechanical, electronic or other means, in any form, without prior written permission of the manufacturer. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Class XD Technology International Patent Pending Cambridge Audio Ltd.

A-BUS and A-BUS Ready are registered trademarks of LeisureTech Electronics Pty Ltd Australia. This product may be covered by one of more of the following patents US 7,181,023, 6,389,139, EP 1004222, AU 739808, NZ 502982, Mexico Z41196, Canada CA2301062.

iPod and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

840A V2azur

ENGLISH

Rear panel connections

Power On/Off

Switches the unit on and off.

AC power socket

Once you have completed all connections to the amplifier, plug the AC power cable into an appropriate mains socket then switch on. Your amplifier is now ready for use.

Loudspeaker terminals

Two sets of loudspeaker terminals are available, A (main loudspeaker terminals) and B (secondary loudspeaker terminals). Both sets of speakers can be turned on and off independently. Connect the wires from your left channel loudspeaker to the LEFT + & - terminals, and the wires from the right channel loudspeaker to the RIGHT + & terminals. In each case, the red terminal is the positive output and the black terminal is the negative output.

Care should be taken to ensure no stray strands of wire short the speaker outputs together. Please ensure that the loudspeaker terminals have been tightened completely to provide a good electrical connection. It is possible for the sound quality to be affected if the screw terminals are loose.

Note: When using one pair of speakers, use speakers with a nominal impedance of between 4-8 ohms. When using two pairs of speakers, use speakers with a nominal impedance of between 6-8 ohms. Please also note that when multiple speakers are connected across the amplifier’s outputs, the load (as seen by the amplifier) is reduced. This will make the amplifier work harder, and hotter!

IR (Infrared) Emitter In

Allows modulated IR commands from multi-room systems to be received by the amplifier. Commands received here are not looped out of the Control Bus. Refer to the ‘Custom installation’ section for more information.

Control Bus

In - Allows un-modulated commands from multi-rooms systems or other components to be received by the unit.

Out - Loop out for control bus commands to another unit. Also allows the 840A V2 to control some Cambridge Audio units.

RS232C

The RS232C port allows external serial control of the 840A V2 for custom install use. A full command set is available on the Cambridge Audio website at www.cambridge-audio.com. This port can also be used by Cambridge Audio service personnel for software updates.

A-BUS™ Ready / Incognito Ready™ multi-room outputs

PSU - Connect an Incognito PS5 to supply power to the connected multi-room keypads/speakers.

Keypad 1/2 - Connect one or two Incognito A-BUS KP10 keypads (or other A-BUS compatible keypads) using CAT-5/5e cable. Incognito AS10 Active Ceiling Speakers can also be connected here.

IR - Four IR outputs for remote control of source equipment.

Please refer to the ‘Multi-Room’ section of this manual for more information on connections and set-ups.

Input 1 Balanced Audio

Input 1 features either unbalanced (phono/RCA) or balanced (XLR) connections. Either type may be used but not both at the same time. The balanced connection is the higher quality option and can reject noise and interference in the cable when used with other equipment that supports this function. An XLR connector is wired Pin 1 - Ground; Pin 2 - Hot (in-phase); Pin 3 - Cold (phase-inverted).

Use the Balanced/Unbalanced switch (Item 9) to select the connection type you wish to use. When using either the balanced or unbalanced input, make sure that no cables or equipment are connected to the unused input, as this may degrade operation. The unused input does not require to be terminated and this should not be done.

Input 1 Balanced/Unbalanced switch

Use to select the connection type for Input 1.

Inputs 1-7

These inputs are suitable for any 'line level' source equipment such as CD players, DAB or FM/AM tuners etc.

Note: These inputs are for analog audio signals only. They should not be connected to the digital output of a CD player or any other digital device.

Tape/Rec In/Out

Connect to a tape deck or to the analog output sockets on a MiniDisc, portable digital music player or CD recorder using an interconnect cable from the recorder's Line Out sockets to the amplifier's Tape In sockets.

The Tape Input circuit of the 840A V2 is a "monitor" type, different from the other 7 inputs. For the 7 normal inputs, the source selected for listening to will be sent out of the Tape Out for recording. The source currently being listened to and (optionally) recorded is then shown on the front panel display.

However, when the Tape Input is selected a solid circle will appear beside TAPE MON indicating that the Tape Input is now being listened to with a different source being sent out of the Tape Out for recording. The recording source is also shown by a solid circle by the selected input and can be changed by pressing the other source buttons. To switch Tape Monitor off, simply press the Tape Mon input select button again, toggling this function off.

This feature is most useful when using 3-head analog cassette decks which allow the signal being recorded to be played back live off tape (via a 3rd head) whilst it is simultaneously recorded. It is then possible by toggling the Tape Monitor input on and off to compare directly in real time the original and recorded signal so that adjustments to the recording parameters of the tape machine can be made (consult the manual of your 3-head analog cassette deck for full details).

Preamp Out

Connect these sockets to the inputs on an external power amplifier(s) or active subwoofers etc.

4 65

101112

Input 1 Balanced Audio

GND

Input 1

(Unbalanced)

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