Azur 640h: dirty audiophile weapon

This is a device we long for so much our mouths have gone dry from dribbling all over the Cambridge Audio catalogue. The Azur 640h is Cambridge’s as-yet-unreleased music server. It’s a hybrid CD player that can store 300 uncompressed CDs on its internal hard disk and stream these over a wireless network.

If you’re a stickler for high-quality audio, MP3s don't cut it. Although they sound great on headphones and most low-end stereos, MP3s can't compete with the gut-punching authority of a 44.1kHz CD. The Azur doesn’t have to convert your CDs to MP3s (although it can). Instead, it records the uncompressed audio from your CDs at full resolution, so you won’t lose any of the original signal. Music played back from the hard disk will sound the same as the original CD.

This full-quality sound, coupled with the ability to stream music to any WiFi enabled computer in the house, makes the Azur our digital lust-puppy of the week. -CS