Operating Instructions - Cambridge Audio AZUR 851A User Manual

Balanced audio connections (Source 1 and 2)
The diagram below shows how to connect the 851A to the Azur 851C
Upsampling CD player/DAC using the Balanced Audio inputs via three-
pin XLR connectors. The 851A can also be connected to non-Cambridge
Audio sources with balanced outputs.
851A
851C
Balanced connections in an audio system are designed to reject
electrical noise, from power wiring etc, and also the effects of noise
currents flowing through ground connections. The basic principle of
balanced interconnection is to get the signal you want by subtraction,
using a three-wire connection. One signal wire (the hot or in-phase)
carries the normal signal, while other (the cold or phase-inverted)
carries an inverted version. The balanced input senses the difference
between the two lines to give the wanted signal. Any noise voltages that
appear identically on both lines (these are called common-mode signals)
are cancelled by the subtraction. An additional advantage is that the
connection effectively carries twice the signal level and so improves the
signal-to-noise ratio.
The 851A and 851C are designed to work at their highest performance
when a balanced interconnect is used.
Mode
Note: To select the balanced input on either Source 1 or 2, repeatedly
pressing the Source 1 or Source 2 button on the front to toggle these
inputs between 'Balanced' and 'Unbalanced' source input.

Operating instructions

Volume
Mode
Adjust the volume control knob on the front panel (or using the remote
control). The display will show the change in volume in decibels (dB).
'OdB' indicates maximum volume while lower volume settings progress
into the negative range. This can also be changed to volume units (0-96)
in the System Configure menu.
Speaker A/B
Speaker A/B
Press the Speaker A/B button to scroll through the speaker sets
connected via the rear panel: speakers A, B or A and B.
Balance
Mode
Press the Mode button to enter Balance mode. BALANCE will appear
on the display and can be adjusted using the volume control. Press the
Mode button again to return to Volume mode or wait 5 seconds for the
851A to automatically exit Balance mode.
Bass and Treble
These controls allow subtle adjustments to the tonal balance of the
sound. Modify the sound through your loudspeakers and the Pre-Out
sockets only; they do not affect the signals sent through the Tape Out
connections. With a well produced CD and a good system the tone
controls are unnecessary and can be bypassed by pressing the Direct
button:
Volume
This completely removes them from the signal path for maximum fidelity.
If the musical recording is of poor quality or other factors are affecting the
sound quality, if desired you can adjust the tone controls to compensate.
To use the tone controls press the Direct button so that the Bass/Treble
b t
icon ( ) lights in the display indicating that they are active and direct
mode is Off. Now press the Bass or Treble controls themselves to release
them and allow adjustment; push them back in when finished:
The 851A stores whether direct mode is on or off for each input
individually, for example it is possible to have the tone controls
automatically active for the Tuner source but not the CD source.
azur 851A
Volume
Volume
Volume
Bass Treble Direct
Bass Treble Direct
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