Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Stereo Amplifier

DESCRIPTION

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO CXA81 INTEGRATED STEREO AMPLIFIER

Half a decade after the CX range redefined performance at its price point, its time to reimagine, reengineer and reinvigorate. The all-new CXA61 and CXA81 integrated amplifiers build on the foundations laid (and the Awards won) by CXA60 and CXA80, but with a fresh and progressive perspective.


MAKING THE BEST BETTER
How do you take an admired and successful integrated amplifier, one thats won respect and plaudits around the world, and make it even better? Well, if youre a Cambridge Audio engineer, you examine every aspect of the performance - and then you do everything you can to make it more. More refined, more precise, more engrossing more musical. The CXA81: its everything you loved about the CXA80, but more so.

UNCOMPROMISED AND UNCOMPROMISING
All the research, all the development, all the time and effort thats been expended on the CXA81 has been for one reason alone: to make this the most accomplished and absorbing integrated amplifier ever offered at the price. Every component selected, and every engineering decision taken, is based entirely on the desire to progress. The CXA81 has been designed and specified without compromise, in order to deliver the complete musical picture.

THE WHOLE STORY
The CXA81 is designed to bring your music to life, no matter how its stored. So it features an entirely new digital board, including the cutting-edge ESS Sabre ES9016 digital-to-analogue convertor. Which means digital audio files up to a heady 32bit/384kHz, or DSD256, are brought dramatically to life, with every detail and nuance delivered intact and in full. The CXA81 combines unparalleled accuracy with vivid musicality, without sacrificing convenience.

POWER AND CONTROL
Thanks to numerous improvements and upgrades - and thanks to an overspecified toroidal transformer - the CXA81 delivers a prodigious 80 watts of power per channel. This means the CXA81 has complete authority over even the most demanding speakers, it means big dynamic shifts in music are handled with total control, and it means the whole musical picture is available no matter if youre playing at discreet background levels or at party-time volumes.

ABSOLUTE FLEXIBILITY
The CXA81 covers all connectivity bases, giving you complete freedom of choice. As well as digital optical and digital coaxial inputs, it features unbalanced stereo RCA inputs alongside balanced XLR sockets - and wireless connectivity via Bluetooths cutting-edge aptX HD standard is on board too. So theres no need to compromise on performance in the name of convenience.

Performance 

Cambridge Audio promise the resulting sound of the CXA81 is pristine but not clinical, with unrivaled musical coherence no matter the source and I think this is a perfect description. It just sounds right no matter what you play. From the opening bars of whatever piece of music you select, you are greeted with the same powerful yet punchy, dynamic and astonishingly detailed presentation.What really shines through though is a level of clarity that not only pips its rivals but also makes them appear a touch cloudy.

The CXA81 houses a superior ESS Sabre ES9016K2M DAC and improved USB input that supports audio of up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 quality, allowing you to make full use of its delightful presentation with high resolution files, while an aptX HD Bluetooth receiver is also built in for direct streaming from any compatible device at up to 24-bit/84kHz.The reverse side of the amp reveals a healthy complement of physical connections to join that improved USB input. On the analogue side there are four RCA ins and a balanced XLR. Meanwhile, the CXA81s S/PDIF coaxial input will handle files up to 24bit/192kHz, and its pair of Toslink optical connections take that up to 96kHz.

Confidence is key to the CXA81s performance, hammering out staccato rhythmic patterns with assured conviction, snapping in time and allowing its expert handling of alternately loud and soft beats to lock in a groove. You will be impressed with the CXA81s macrodynamics and speed. Its higher-resolution DAC and integrated Bluetooth receiver are welcome upgrades from Cambridges previous CX-series integrated-DACs, which in their five years on the market won praise for their value and performance.

POWER OUTPUT

80W RMS into 8 Ohms, 120W RMS into 4 Ohms

DAC

ESS Sabre ES9016K2M

FREQUENCY RESPONSE



ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS

1x balanced XLR, 4 x RCA

DIGITAL AUDIO INPUTS

1 x S/PDIF coaxial, 2 x TOSLINK optical, 1 x USB audio, Bluetooth (integrated)

COMPATIBILITY

TOSLINK optical: 16/24bit 32-96kHz PCM only, S/PDIF coaxial: 16/24bit 32-192kHz PCM only, USB: audio profile 1.0/2.0 (default 2.0), up to 32bit 384kHz PCM, up to DSD256 or DoP256, Bluetooth: 4.2 A2DP/AVRCP supporting up to aptX HD (24bit 48kHz)

BLUETOOTH APTX HD RECEIVER BUILT-IN

Yes

ROON TESTED

Yes

OUTPUTS

Speakers A+B, 3.5mm headphone, Preamp Output, Subwoofer Output

REMOTE CONTROL

Yes

MAX POWER CONSUMPTION

750W

STANDBY POWER CONSUMPTION



DIMENSIONS (H X W X D)

115 x 430 x 341mm (4.5 x 16.9 x 13.4)

WEIGHT

8.7kg (19.1lbs)

BOX CONTENTS

CXA81 Integrated Amplifier, Power Cable, 3 x AAA Batteries, Remote Control, Control Bus Cable.Variant: Default Title