Cambridge Audio 540D v2 and 640R

By Jamie Gemming

December 2007

Cambridge Audio 540D v2 DVD player ($799) and 640R AV receiver ($1999).

Cambridge 540D v2

Cambridge 640R

Receivers are not my favourite piece of equipment to review. Having to heft my unfathomly heavy stereo rack around to gain access and then disconnect all the speakers is something that always riles me. Though, today the frown did not last long. The double-boxing hinted at things to come, but it was the sight of the sexy brushed aluminum fascia that really made me think the Cambridge 640R might be something special. It is simply gorgeous. I have the receiver teamed with Cambridge Audio’s new DVD player, which is a perfect match. In fact, if you happen to be shopping for a receiver/DVD combo in the “middle of the road” price range then you won’t find anything more pleasing to the eye.

In the lead up to our first sprog popping out, the wifey and I turned into real old nanas. Because we live out in the boonies we didn’t want to get stranded out and about without all the stuff we needed to take to the hospital so we basically stayed home, chilled out and watched DVDs. In order to really test these components, I used my paternity leave (whenever mum and bubs were sleeping) to watch every DVD worth watching and even some not worth watching. Donny Darko anyone?

A sight for sore eyes

The 540D V2 DVD player is simply superb. The picture quality is amazing; with a very natural colour palette there are no artifacts or issues at the edges. Audio output is also of a high standard and is noticeably more detailed than my economically priced but relatively new Phillips disc-spinner. The 540D has HDMI and all the other usual connections and although it doesn’t up-convert to 1080p its 1080i or 720p output is superior to some of DVD players I’ve auditioned at twice the price.

I could use my entire word allowance writing about all the 640R receiver’s bits and pieces but it’s the performance that really matters so I’ll keep the stats list short. Weighing in at 15-odd kilos tells me that the internals will produce plenty of power. All the standard holes feature on the rear panel, including three HDMI inputs and one out. Another feature of this receiver is its ability to be used as part of a proper multi room installation. It can allow two extra AV zones, controlled by keypads in other rooms linked back to the receiver by network cables - very cool!

The receiver doesn’t offer the automated setup that many other receivers in this price range do. I’m sure that many of you old school audiophile types will be rejoicing as you feel that they can set your system up much better with out it but I see this as a small negative for most of the people who will buy this receiver. That said, the onscreen menu is simple to use but still looks a little dated.

Aural pleasure

With music the 640R has a laidback sound, with detail aplenty in the top end and it never once seemed stressed or losing control. While not in direct competition with this receiver, I used my own Denon 3805 receiver for direct comparisons – with interesting results. The 640R was certainly cooler sounding and there were significant differences in the mid range. I really enjoyed the 640R’s sound but it wasn’t until listening back to back with my receiver and the sub off did I realise the 640R was lacking a little drive in the mid and lower end. The vibrant guitar in Bob Sinclair’s Love Generation or in fact any song with a decent beat is missing that little extra punch.

Home theatre use is where the 640R is most impressive. Near the start of Swordfish there is a hostage situation at a bank. The 640R does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere by bombarding you from all sides with police radio transmissions and subtle noises while very realistically surrounding the room with the rotor thump of the circling helicopter flying above. An explosive-strapped hostage escapes and is she detonated; sending ball bearings flying in all directions. Again the 640R shows great control in making you feel that you are right amongst the flying projectiles.

The trailer fight in Kill Bill 2 allows the receiver to show off again. This fight is punctuated with a lot of quick punches, kicks, swords, people being thrown through walls and other general destruction. The 640R handles it sweetly by showing tight control and clarity.

Laying cable

The distributor also supplied a QED Qunex HDMI cable for this review, allowing me to run back to back comparisons against the Phillips HDMI cable that came supplied as a bonus with my DVD player by linking the DVD player to the receiver. The packaging of the QED cable showed awards from a couple of UK magazines and it is easy to see why. Depth of colours (especially dark colours) was an immediate improvement over the Phillips cable and would be a worthy investment for anyone running a projector.

The remote controls are simple to use and are certainly better looking than some of the other eyesores you get with receivers in this price range, though neither the receiver nor DVD player remotes are back lit.

This combo is pretty much the complete package. Not only do the components look a million bucks, but both sonically and visually this combo is the match of anything I’ve seen under $3K.

For your nearest Cambridge Audio dealer

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