The Cutting Edge

System One: $15OO
TOTAL (BEFORE CABLES, POWER CONDITIONER) = $1478
Cambridge Audio 540A integrated amplifier $439 Review, Issue 162
Cambridge Audio 540C CD player $439 Review, Issue 162
ERA Design 4 loudspeakers $599 Review, Issue 162
Cambridge Audio’s 60Wpc 540A integrated
amplifier and 540C CD player are
modestly priced, but they neither look
nor sound like entry-level components.
Both offer tube-like smoothness in the
upper midrange and treble, clear and grainless
midrange, and rich, full bass that conveys the roundness
of acoustic basses and the dynamic punch of
electric ones. Unlike many low-priced components, the
Cambridge pair delivers an open and spacious soundstage,
giving listeners a sense of the air and space
between instruments and voices. What makes these
components sound so good Build-quality, for one
thing. The amplifier, notes TAS Editor-in-Chief Robert
Harley, features “a sizeable toroidal transformer, generous
heatsinking, metal-film resistors throughout,
gold-plated jacks and quality binding posts,” and even
a “high-quality motorized Alps-brand volume control.”
The CD player, in turn, features a scratch-built,
Cambridge-designed transport mechanism and control
circuit (with a laser and optical pickup sourced from
Toshiba). The player offers a streamlined signal path,
with circuitry including a custom, low-jitter
clock and very-high-quality Wolfson 24-
bit/96kHz DACs—the same ones, says
Harley, “found in some players costing
$3000.” In audio as in pizza, better ingredients
make for better results.
The Era Design 4 loudspeakers,
whose design was influenced by Michael
Kelly of Aerial Acoustics, offer unexpectedly
big sound from a small package. What
usually floors listeners about these
diminutive two-way mini-monitors are the
huge, open soundstages they present, and
the remarkably hearty and potent midbass
dynamics they deliver. Style-conscious buyers will
be interested to know that all Era speakers feature
exquisite furniture-grade wood finishes, and can be
ordered with matching audio furniture from Era’s sister
company, Sona Design.
This little system is all about conveying the
nuances and inherent warmth and richness of live
music—for not a lot of money.
Considerations: System One does not offer deeply
extended bass, nor can it play extremely loudly for sustained
periods of time (but Cambridge Audio’s clever
“CAT5” circuit will eventually intervene to prevent damage
should the amplifier be driven too hard for too
long). Note that the Era speakers should be used with
rigid, high-quality speaker stands. For these reasons,
System One works better in small-to-mid-sized rooms,
and will be most satisfying for listeners who enjoy
music played a moderate volume levels.
For a system that offers a bit deeper bass extension,
that can play somewhat more loudly, and that
requires no speaker stands, consider the $699/pair
Epos ELS 303 floorstanders (reviewed in this issue) as
an alternative to the Eras.
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