What Hi-Fi? Verdict
This little belter will make the most of all but the most esoteric turntables. Your system deserves one
Pros
- +
Sound, price, looks… and in that order
Cons
- -
No, sorry, can’t think of any
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
It's an old and tragic story: man meets affordable amplifier, man decides amp sounds great, then realises amp has no phono stage and won't play his records. Man wails and gnashes teeth, man begins search all over again.
It needn't be this way. A phono pre-amplifier can sit between your record player and amp, boosting your turntable's weedy output to a level the amplifier can make use of. This 640P does the job admirably, bringing the joy of vinyl to systems in the £1000-£1500 territory.
Brilliant sound for the cash
The 640P delivers brilliant sound for the cash playing Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run, impressing across the board. It makes the most of vinyl's inherently superior timing, integrating instruments seamlessly while leaving each one secure and rigidly focused on the stage.
Tempos cruise effortlessly, bass notes start and stop with straight-edged alacrity, and there's intimacy and emotional weight to voices.
The Cambridge accommodates moving magnet as well as moving coil types, and features a subsonic filter to minimise any vinyl ‘rumble' too. It's unobtrusive, is well made and looks good. Dust off those records forthwith!
