AV Receiver Reviews

Why don't the British make more computers 'n stuff? (Drumroll). Because they haven't figured out how to make them leak oil yet. (Rimshot.) Nevertheless, we present to you here the Cambridge Audio Azur 640R A/V receiver, from the country that brought us Lucas Electric's three-position headlight switch: Off, Dim, and Flicker.

Okay, enough with the Brit jokes - admittedly funnier if you're obsessed with vintage motorcycles, like, umm, a friend of mine; fortunately, most Britons are pretty good sports.

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Anyway, though the 640R is as English as kippers in conception, engineering, and appearance, it's actually manufactured a bit beyond East Anglia - about 6,000 miles beyond. Still, this receiver is as unlike a typical Pacific-rim model as you'll find. As I see it, the 640R is intended to do two things: sound great on music and movies in stereo or surround and stay the hell out of the way of the video. It accomplishes both with elegant success, while delivering one of the easiest-to-operate A/V receivers you can buy.