Big Picture Big Sound

Cambridge Audio Packs Audiophile Quality into Azur 851N Network Music Player

By Rachel Cericola

Cambridge Audio is ready to rock this week's CES 2015 with one little box. Yes, it's small, but the Azur 851N Network Music Player packs quite a wallop.

That's because the latest in the company's Azur 851 Series can deliver awesome sound from just about any digital format you throw at (through?) it. It can even please your inner-audiophile, since it supports up to 24-bit/192kHz studio master quality files. The new flagship network music player can also upsample incoming audio to 24-bit/384kHz.

Designed to play nicely with just about every digital audio source, the 851N can be wired or connected wirelessly via UPnP over a home network to tap into music stored on computers, laptops and NAS drives. It even has three USB inputs for direct playback from USB HDDs and memory sticks. Other connectivity options include two TOSLINK optical inputs, two S/PDIF coaxial inputs, an AES/EBU input and asynchronous USB audio. Also worth mentioning is that the 851N has RCA and balanced XLR analog outputs, as well as a digital AES/EBU, TOSLINK and coaxial outputs, and a RS-232 port.

That asynchronous USB audio means that this slim component can also play 24-bit/192kHz audio files from a computer or laptop, with the 851N acting as an external sound card.

CambridgeAudio-Azur851N.jpg
Image courtesy of Cambridge Audio.

Featuring an all-metal, ultra-rigid chassis, the 851N has a high-end digital preamplifier, a large toroidal transformer, a custom-coded 32-bit Blackfin DSP, and a new 4.3-inch color screen for displaying album artwork. It also offers easy navigation via Cambridge Connect apps for iOS and Android devices. Other features include support for Apple AirPlay and the option to add in the BT100 aptX Bluetooth receiver (sold separately) for wireless streaming from any smartphone, tablet or compatible device. That way, you can stream favorite music and apps, without having to suffer with inferior sound quality.

Designed to work with all popular codecs including WMA, MP3, AAC, HE AAC, AAC+ and Ogg Vorbis, as well as lossless 24-bit/192kHz FLAC, ALAC, WAV and AIFF files, the 851N also has built-in support for Spotify Connect, Pandora, Rhapsody, BBC iPlayer Radio, and web radio.

Also worth mentioning is that this model has two Analog Devices AD1955 DACs, with left and right stereo channels being processed independently for the best sound possible.

Cambridge Audio will start selling the Azur 851N sometime in the first quarter of 2015, with an MSRP of $1,800.

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