Cambridge Audio CXA81 & CXC

£1,289 Price when bought separately £1,398
Cambridge Audio CXA81 & CXC is rated 5.0 out of 5 by 1.
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Cambridge Audio CXA81 & CXC

Stereo Amplifier with CD Transport
£1,289 Price when bought separately £1,398
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1 x Cambridge Audio CXA81   + £824.14
1 x Cambridge Audio CXC   + £464.86

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Cambridge Audio CXA81 & CXC
Cambridge Audio CXA81 & CXC

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Summary

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    For delivery of in-store only deals, please contact your local store for more details.
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    ”Sets a new baseline for integrated amps at this price.” ’What Hi-Fi?’ 2021 Product of the Year.

    The amp that does it all

    Engineered to the highest standards, the CXA81 delivers class-leading sound quality. The 80 watt amp is powerful enough for the largest rooms and the most power-hungry speakers. A built-in ESS DAC (Digital to Analogue Convertor) means you get the best from your digital, as well as analogue sources. Thanks to standard Bluetooth, you can now stream music in top quality aptX HD. All this, plus the Lunar Grey CXA81 looks more stylish than ever.

    Powerful sound from the toroidal transformer
    Powerful sound begins with the power supply, which is why Cambridge Audio use an audiophile quality, toroidal transformer. Renowned for their low noise, high efficiency and superior sound quality, the over-sized transformer gives the CXA81 a powerful, dynamic sound and a hefty 80W per channel power output - enough for ‘party level’ sound in even the largest domestic spaces.

    Digital inputs with top spec DAC for detail
    Featuring a reference standard ESS Sabre ES9016K2M DAC, the CXA81 works wonders with your digital audio and video sources. With two optical digital inputs and one coaxial, you can connect up to three digital sources, such as a games console, TV and a CD transport – the Cambridge Audio CXC makes the perfect match.

    Bluetooth as standard
    Now a standard fitment, Bluetooth offers simple, wireless music streaming from your mobile, tablet or laptop. Stream stored music or popular music streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music. The Bluetooth receiver is compatible with aptX HD, giving the highest quality sound possible from Bluetooth, right up to 24bit/48kHz. You also get the benefit of the sound passing through the ESS Sabre DAC, meaning precise, detailed sound from all your streamed music.

    The best from USB audio, with Hi-Res sound
    If you enjoy Hi-Res sound, you’ll love the CXA81. Using an asynchronous USB socket at the rear, you can connect up to your laptop, PC or server and stream Hi-Res music, right up to studio-quality 32bit/384kHz and DSD256. As well as improving the sound over your computer’s soundcard, the asynchronous ‘direct control’ link also greatly reduces jitter, for lower distortion and more precise audio.

    Professional connection
    More usually found on 'reference' hi-fi and professional equipment, the CXA81 boasts balanced XLR inputs. When connected to a suitable source, this gives a fully balanced, hot/cold, connection for the ultimate analogue signal quality.

    All for analogue
    The Cambridge CXA81 has four line level inputs - enough for all your analogue sources. A pre-amp output is also fitted – ideal for power amp upgrades. Other handy connections include an RCA subwoofer output, headphone socket and connections for two pairs of speakers.

    Connected for installs
    A wide range of control sockets make the CXA81 ideal as part of a more complex home installation. RS-232C, IR input, trigger in/out sockets and Control Bus RCA phonos mean the CXA81 is more than happy to work with a wide range home automation control systems.

    Vibration resistant casing
    With rigid, metal construction and low-resonance design, the casing helps shield the player from both mechanical and electrical interference, helping to improve clarity and reduce background noise. Isolating feet help adsorb vibration for a further reduction in distortion.

    Sleek new finish
    The CXA81 is part of the refreshed CX-Series 2. The distinctive tear-drop profile gives the CXA81 a contemporary look and makes it the ideal partner for the CXC CD transport, CXN V2 network player. The Lunar Grey front panel contrasts with the black top and sides and blends well with both black and silver separates.

    Complete versatility meets the finest sound, with the Cambridge Audio CXA81.

    "If you've already got a good DAC, the Cambridge CXC transport is a no-brainer." 'What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision magazine'. 5-star review.

    Transport-only design

    The Cambridge CXC is a CD transport only, so inside you'll only find 'half' of what's usually inside a CD player. Although this may sound unconventional, it has many benefits. The most obvious of these is cost effectiveness, but there are sonic benefits to be had, too. Without an onboard DAC (Digital to Analogue Convertor), the power supply only has to drive the CD transport. By being dedicated to this task it can provide a clean, stable power supply for the highest performance possible at its price.

    Pair with your choice of DAC
    Another advantage is increased flexibility. Chose to match with one of the Cambridge CXA digital amplifiers or use your own choice of DAC entirely. By starting with such a high quality transport design, the CXC could see you through many system and DAC upgrades without being in the least bit out of place.

    S3 servo
    Rather than using 'off the shelf' CD software, Cambridge uses its own S3 servo processor. Dedicated to CD music playback rather than the multi-purpose disc readers, the CXC maximises the full potential of your audio CDs. With state-of-the-art error correction your CDs simply sound more realistic, more dynamic and more detailed than with other players.

    Vibration resistant casing
    With rigid, metal construction and low-resonance design, the casing helps shield the player from both mechanical and electrical interference, helping to improve clarity and reduce background noise. Isolating feet help adsorb vibration for a further reduction in distortion.

    Sleek new finish
    The CXC is part of the refreshed CX-Series 2. The distinctive tear-drop profile gives the CXC a contemporary look and makes it the ideal partner for the CX digital amplifiers, network player and also a great match for the Cambridge Audio AX range. The Lunar Grey front panel contrasts with the black top and sides and blends well with both black and silver separates.

    Dedicated to the finest sound from CD possible, the Cambridge CXC CD transport redefines CD playback quality at its price.
    Cambridge Audio CXA81
    Connectivity
    Analogue RCA Inputs
    4
    Audio Outputs
    Yes - Combined with pre-output
    Bluetooth
    Yes
    Coaxial Digital Inputs
    1
    Headphone Output
    Yes
    Optical Digital Inputs
    2
    Pre Output
    Yes
    Speaker Sets
    2
    Speaker Sets FILTER
    x 2
    Sub Output
    Yes
    Sub Output
    Yes
    USB Input
    Yes (1)
    XLR Inputs
    Yes
    General
    Manufacturer's Warranty
    2 years
    Audio
    Frequency Response (Hz)
    5 - 60,000
    High Resolution Audio
    Yes
    Power Output
    80 x 2
    Power Output - Watts per CH
    60 - 99
    Energy Consumption
    Power Consumption - Normal Use (W)
    750
    Power Consumption - Standby
    0.5
    Dimensions
    Dimensions WxHxD (mm)
    430 x 115 x 341
    Weight
    Weight (KG)
    8.7
    Accessories
    Remote Control
    Yes
    Cambridge Audio CXC
    Connectivity
    Coaxial Digital Output
    Yes
    General
    Manufacturer's Warranty
    2 years
    Features
    Cd Number Of Discs
    1
    Cd Text
    Yes
    Cdrw Playback Compatible
    Yes
    Gapless Playback
    Yes
    Energy Consumption
    Power Consumption - Normal Use (W)
    25
    Power Consumption - Standby
    0.5
    Dimensions
    Dimensions WxHxD (mm)
    430 x 85 x 315
    Weight
    Weight (KG)
    4.7
    Accessories
    Remote Control
    Yes

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    If you do not see the package you are looking for, please contact your local store or telesales team to discuss further options.
    Rated 5 out of 5 by from Outstanding I purchased this package 3 days ago; it replaced a 20-year-old Arcam set up, which I had always been happy with and considered to be top notch in terms of sound quality...how wrong I was. The CXA81 and CXC arrived solidly packaged and took no more than half an hour to set up, if you are familiar with audio separates there is nothing unusual or challenging in set up. I have retained the rest of my old system for now, so as well as the CXC, the CXA81 is also servicing a Sonos Connect for streaming and a Denon turntable, into a set of B & W DM602 S3 speakers. I dislike much of the language of 'audiophiles' and am really just about listening to lots of music, but I will use a few of the usual terms to describe the performance of this pairing, "punchy", "detailed" and "tight" were my first impressions. I started with the Stone Roses eponymous album which I must have heard 1000 times and was blown away by the increase in detail, a cymbal roll at the beginning of Made of Stone which I know I have never heard on the track before for example. This amp is 80w per channel and it shows, the power is effortless, I sometimes felt that my old system was not always driving my speakers to their full potential, no such worries here, it has given the old B & W's a totally new lease of life. The bass is sensational, powerful but so, so tight with not an ounce of flab. I sat for several hours, playing my best loved CD's with a wider and wider grin on my face as never before heard detail emerged. The whole thing just sounds 'right' to my ears, individual instruments are separated beautifully and the timbre of everything is perfect. I am totally in love with the system already. If you are looking for a CD/amp combination at or around the £1500 mark, this pair must be on your list, especially at the currently discounted price. The only very slight niggles for me if I was pushed? No connecters are included with either product so make sure you have a Toslink cable already, or order one with the pair. The build quality appears excellent, and the products look stylish and modern but with an understated class, however I would say that the CD drawer feels very lightweight and a little flimsy, hopefully time will prove me wrong in my worry that it is a bit of a weak spot. Lastly, and this is personal thing which doesn't bother me at all, but may be an issue for some, this is very much a 'plug in and play' system, there are no tone controls etc on the amp, in fact there are no controls on the amp at all other than the volume and the input selections so if you are someone who likes to 'play' around with the sound etc, this is probably not the amp for you. The above are very minor points and I am absolutely delighted with my purchase, a definite 5 stars and un-reserved recommendation from me.
    Date published: 2022-11-15
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    Buy now, pay later available in-store or by phone, on most items over £500 *exclusions apply

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    Call your local store or our telesales team for details

    For purchases over £500, you can settle the balance in 6 months, and in 10 months on purchases over £1000 and pay no interest whatsoever. If you settle part of your loan in the deferral period you won’t pay interest on that part. You can still pay off the loan sooner if you make additional payments. If you’d rather spread the cost over 36 months, you can set up a loan repayment plan when the payment-free period comes to an end at 19.9% APR representative. Subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Ts&Cs apply. Richer Sounds Limited acts as a credit broker and not the lender. Creation Consumer Finance Limited acts as the lender. Find out more information and eligibility criteria here.