Cambridge Audio 551P Phono – Stage 2 upgrade – Customer feedback

Awesome feedback again from Mat following a Stage 2 upgrade to his Cambridge Audio 551P phono stage. He originally asked about upgrading his CP1 phono stage, but mentioned he also had a 551P. Given that the CP1 is based on the Azur 540P / 551P and he didn’t use its extra balance control stage, I recommended upgrading the 551P instead. There a fewer components that need to be replaced and therefore it would work out cheaper and can only sound better with fewer parts in the signal path.

When he came to submit a Google Review, it wouldn’t let him add a second review, so he tried to update his first review to include his comments on the 551P. After this, the review is no longer visible. Curses! :-(. He kindly passed me a copy of that text though and it appears below. Thanks again Mat!

I recently had my Cambridge Audio Azur 350a upgraded by Scott, and the difference was amazing. The sound stage really opened up, and there was such an improvement with the clarity of sound. The bass was so much more tighter, clear and controlled, and the detail in the other frequencies became really 3 dimensional.

After being really impressed with the upgrade to my Cambridge Audio Azur 350a amp both Scott and I discussed an upgrade to my Cambridge Audio 551p phono pre amp to further enhance the listening experience. I can honesty say that the upgrade has really moved the sound on even further. The experience feels so much more alive and immersive without sounding fatiguing, or harsh. It’s just a really great mature sounding combination.

Once again I’m really happy with the service, and there was no hard sell, just friendly advice. For the value of what you get from doing these upgrades, it makes total sense. Thank you!

Mat, Birmingham

Note: The 551P circuit is identical to the Azur 540P, so the above applies to both. The only functional difference with the 551P is the addition of a power switch. Other differences are cosmetic.