CAMBRIDGE AUDIOAZUR 751BDBlack 3D Blu-ray Player

The Cambridge Audio 751BD is probably the best Blu-ray player we've ever sold and is good enough to challenge players costing twice as much.

Sound quality, picture quality and features; whichever you look at it, the 751BD leads the field and has few rivals in any of these areas, let alone ones strong enough to rival it as a whole.

Beginning with the sound quality, the 751BD is unashamedly aimed at the Audiophile. So impressive is the sound, that this is one of those very rare Blu-ray players that could replace a top quality CD player without the compromises usually found. Five dedicated Wolfson WM8740 DACs ensure every channel is decoded to the very highest quality and Anagram Technologies Q5 192 kHz upsampling further enhances audio quality whether played from CD, DVD, Blu-ray or any other supported format. In addition to this top quality processing power, the 751BD offers a choice of variable filter settings. For those who enjoy tweaking the sound to perfection, a choice of linear phase, minimum phase and steep filters can all be adjusted to suit individual preference.

What is ATF Upsampling Technology? Click here to learn more.

As a further bonus for music lovers, the 751BD will also play SACD, HDCD and DVD-Audio discs, making it a truly universal player. What's more, you can output the sound via 7.1 or 2 channel phono, making it ideal for those with older but still high quality AV receivers. HDMI audio, of course is also an option. Whatever the audio source, the Pure Audio Mode shuts down video processing and gives the cleanest sound quality possible, with the minimum of interference. In short, whether you listen to CDs or SACDs, DVD-As or HDCDs, the 751BD gives the very highest level of sound quality and is competitive against similarly priced CD players. And that's before you take the video performance into account.

The big news with the 751BD is that it's the first Cambridge Audio Blu-ray player with 3D compatible HDMI outputs. And, yes, you did read that correctly. The 751BD has not one but two HDMI outputs making it ideal for those with older, non-3D HDMI equipped AV receivers (run one cable to the TV and the other to the receiver) or for those using both a projector and flat screen TV. The other big benefit to picture quality from DVDs comes from the onboard Marvell QDEO scaler. One of the very best, this scaler ensures that DVD video sources are reproduced with the lowest levels of motion noise possible. Whilst it's not as good as Blu-ray, it gets closer than you might think and revives your existing DVD collection. Whatever the format, though, the 751BD offers levels of detail, realism and clarity that are, once again, up there with the best at this price.

When it comes to features, the 751BD comes with a whole host of firsts for Cambridge Audio. In addition to the twin HDMI and 7.1 outputs, the 751BD also comes with a wireless dongle for connecting to your home network and getting the most out of BD-Live interactive features. Added to this, twin USB 2.0 ports and a rear mounted eSATA socket allow you to connect a wide variety of storage devices, such as hard drive or USB stick, and enjoy stored music or video via the Blu-ray player. Want more? Well, the component video output, optical and coaxial digital outputs, RS-232 socket and Ethernet port ensure the 751BD wants for nothing and comes fully equipped for the most advanced of systems. Wrapping up this technological marvel is the high quality Azur metal casing with thick, brushed aluminium front panel and isolation feet. The Azur navigator remote control is also included and offers full control of other Azur components plus discrete commands for custom install use. In terms of ease of use, the 751BD is faster than ever. Thanks to a revised power circuit it also uses less power in stand-by, too.

Whether it's a top quality Blu-ray player you're after or a serious universal player that will cope just as well with two-channel music as it will films, the Cambridge Audio 751BD has it covered. All-rounders simple don't come any more consummate than this!