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Azur 851C
Cambridge Audio Discontinued

Azur 851C

The Azur 851C is a CD player, upsampling DAC and digital preamplifier in one full-size chassis. It suits listeners who want to play CDs and connect computers or other digital sources to a hi-fi system through balanced or unbalanced outputs.

  • CD player, upsampling DAC and digital preamp in one unit
  • Dual Analog Devices AD1955 24-bit DACs, dual differential mode
  • Upsamples to 24-bit/384kHz with three selectable filter modes
  • Inputs: 2x S/PDIF/TosLink, AES/EBU XLR, USB Type B
  • Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue outputs
  • Black or silver finish; gapless playback
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Description

The 851C plays CDs and also works as a standalone DAC and preamplifier. It uses two Analog Devices AD1955 24-bit DACs in dual differential mode. A Black Fin ADSP-BF532 DSP applies 2nd generation Adaptive Time Filtering to upsample audio to 24-bit/384kHz, with Linear Phase, Minimum phase and Steep filter modes to choose from.

Digital sources connect through two S/PDIF inputs (coaxial 75 Ohm or TosLink optical), a balanced AES/EBU XLR input and a USB Type B input. The USB input can be set to Audio profile 1.0 or 2.0. Coaxial, AES/EBU and USB 2.0 inputs accept up to 24-bit/192kHz, while TosLink and USB 1.0 accept up to 96kHz. Playback is gapless.

Analogue audio leaves through balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs. The unit comes in black or silver with a remote control. The model is listed as archived on the maker's site.

Video

Specifications

Brand
Cambridge Audio
Model
Azur 851C
Category
Hi-fi and home audio › Players

Audio

DACs
Dual Analog Devices AD1955 24-bit DACs
Digital filter
Analog Devices Black Fin ADSP-BF532 32 bit DSP performing 2nd Generation ATF2 upsampling to 24-bit/384kHz. Linear Phase, Minimum phase or Steep modes.
Analogue filter
2 Pole Fully Differential Linear Phase Bessel filter
THD (unweighted) @ 1kHz 0dBFS
< 0.0004%
THD (unweighted) @ 1kHz -10dBFS
< 0.0004%
THD (unweighted) @ 20kHz 0dBFS
< 0.0007%
IMD (19/20kHz) 0dBFS
< 0.0002%
Linearity @ -90dBFS
+/- 0.2dB
Linearity @ -120dBFS
+/- 0.4dB
Stop-band rejection (>24kHz)
> 120dB
Total correlated jitter
< 60pS for all digital inputs, CD playback and USB 2.0; < 180pS for USB 1.0
Crosstalk @ 1kHz
< -130dB
Crosstalk @ 20kHz
< -114dB
Gapless playback
Yes

Inputs

Digital input 1
S/PDIF 75 Ohms or TosLink optical
Digital input 2
S/PDIF 75 Ohms or TosLink optical
AES/EBU input
XLR balanced 110 Ohms per phase
USB audio input
USB Type B conforming to Audio profile 1.0 or 2.0 (user selectable)
Supported formats
USB 1.0 16-24 bit, 32-96kHz; USB 2.0 16-24 bit, 32-192kHz; TosLink 16-24 bit, 32-96kHz; S/PDIF and AES/EBU 16-24 bits 32-192kHz; CD playback limited to 16-bit 44.1kHz

Outputs

Audio outputs
Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue audio outputs
Output impedance
< 50 Ohms
0dBFS output
2.2Vrms (2.2Vrms each phase for the balanced output)

Power

Max. power consumption
40W
Idle consumption
8W
Standby power consumption
<0.5W

Physical

Colour
Black or silver
Dimensions (WxHxD)
430 x 115 x 360mm (16.9 x 4.5 x 14.7")
Weight
10.0Kg (22lbs)

In the box

Included
Azur 851C Upsampling DAC, CD Player & Preamplifier, Power Cable, 3 x AAA Batteries, Remote Control

Data: cambridgeaudio.com; photos: Cambridge Audio product page · updated 2026-10-11 · Found a mistake? Write to us