Cambridge Audio DUO
Contents
Dimex sends us the Cambridge Audio DUO. A 349 Euro phono pre-amp – then you have some serious balls! – that accepts both MM and MC elements. That’s a good deal if this also plays some decent music!
Well… there is nothing to adjust on the Cambridge Audio. There is a choice of MM and MC and on and off. That’s it. On the back we see inputs and outputs (separately for MM and MC) and of course ground. We also find – for the first time – a balance knob!
The sound of the Cambridge is really downright fine. There is a lot of energy in the presentation. Yung writes down “Fun!” And, “Energetic! Martijn connects with ‘Good vocals’ and pleasant bass… a bit thin perhaps, but pleasant and sufficient’.
Surely this is an achievement for a device that costs 1/3rd of the Primare R15 and AVID! In short: are you looking for an affordable, but nice phono pre-amp…. definitely try this one!
Cambridge Audio DUO measurements
Cheap will go all wrong in measurements, right? Well… no. Not at all. The Cambridge measures remarkably clean and has an incredibly low noise floor. The only striking thing is that the response seems slightly different from others (different bass curve) as well as the phase shift in the bass. Perhaps Cambridge applies a bit of “rumble filter” as it tapers off from 20 Hz, but it is not a brickwall.
The power supply is also very clean. We see an excellent noise floor and in fact have no comments at all here. Neat work by Cambridge!
| Type | Cambridge Audio Duo |
| MM/MC | Yes, both |
| Curves | No |
| Adjustable impedance / capacitance | No |
| Power Supply | Internal, switching |
| Price | 349 |