![]() ![]() This looseness in the audio detail should have been mitigated by the filters, but it wasn't. The bass was crazy, but we wanted just a touch more excitement up top. ![]() While there were differences with every system, we consistently felt like we weren't seeing the whole picture. We tested this amp with a variety of speakers, ranging from simple Audioengine HDP6 speakers ( full review here) to some $1,000-plus floorstanding speakers from companies like SVS and ELAC. The results didn't change very much when we used different inputs, like the USB in the back - we'll talk more about inputs below. Put it up against other amps in this price range, like the $995 Rega Brio, and it just can't cut it. That was a shame, compared with how exciting the bass was. ![]() There was a sense that we weren't seeing the full picture. Highs - snare snaps, strings, and effects - never felt quite as precise as we wanted them to. While it delivers plenty of muscle down low, and manages to deliver the right weight and richness to elements like vocals, it doesn't have that agility we were looking for. Imagine a set of quick, plucked strings: an agile amp would play one pluck, and quickly clear out the reverb and decay from the note, so that the next one is crystal-clear. There's a concept in audio known as agility, which refers to how quickly an amplifier or set of speakers can jump between different elements of a song. While the CXA80 doesn't disappoint - and compares favorably with other amps in its price range - we did find ourselves wishing for a little bit more liveliness from our sound. This is one area we'd like to see Cambridge Audio improve on. (If you don't need the extra power, the CXA60 goes for $750, versus $999 for the CXA80. Cambridge Audio have, in every way that matters. As Spider-Man fans know, with great power comes great responsibility - and in the case of audio companies, the responsibility is to make that extra power count. The other amps in this line, like the CXA60, have a similar sound signature - but having now heard both, we feel like the CXA80 really does make the most out of those extra twenty amps. Kicks thump and pulsate, basslines feel like you could touch them, and everything is imbued with a real sense of quality. The low-end weight is terrific, with real definition and excitement. The 80 watts of power the CXA80 puts out is hugely energetic. Whether you use it separately from its twin CXN, or together, you'll get to experience the absolutely fantastic sound quality it puts out. It is, as we mentioned, an 80 watt integrated amplifier with an included DAC. The CXN (V2) may decide what audio is playing, but it needs an amp like the CXA80 for you to hear it. It's the Cambridge Audio CXA80 that makes the noise here. In all cases, we'll indicate whether we're talking about one of the units, or both, and we'll make the usual appropriate comparisons. So yes: we're going to review them together. ![]() Using a CXN without a CXA80? That would be like separating twins. Using a Magni without a Modi is fine - like two best friends going to separate homes after a day playing in the park. Those two products are also designed to work well together, and designed to stack, but you never get the sense that they're inextricably linked. The CXN and CXA80 are different to something like the Schiit Magni 3 amp ( full review here) and Modi 3 DAC. Hell, Cambridge Audio themselves prominently display them together on their product pages. Turning on one turns on the other, if you use the remote. They ship with identical remotes that have sections for each particular model - meaning that if you only buy one, you'll have a whole section of your remote that is utterly useless. The CXN and the CXA80 were designed to work together. The thing is, these aren't just two components that happen to share a parent company. It's a $799 80 watt integrated amplifier with included DAC, and it will work with any existing speakers or components you happen to have. As we explain in more detail below, it handles just about any audio source impeccably, and will happily slot into an existing system. It's entirely possible to use the $900 Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) as a simple music streamer, connected to an amp and DAC of your choice. We'll be showcasing more alternatives in our roundup of the best music servers, coming soon. In this review, we break down the sound, design, packaging and accessories, specs and more of the CXN (V2) and CXA80. Cambridge Audio's CXN (V2) streamer and CXA80 amplifier may retail as separate products, but we've never seen another pair that work so well together. For the first, time, we're reviewing two products at once. ![]()
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