- The new Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition solutions are said to feature a particularly refined design and will be offered in strictly limited quantities.
With the new Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition, the English hi-fi manufacturer Cambridge Audio presents a very unusual product line, because even if these solutions do not differ from the previously available models of the Cambridge Audio CX Series from a technical point of view, they still stand out due to one very striking feature, namely their extraordinary design.
While the regular products are Lunar Grey, the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition systems are now available in elegant black, as the name suggests.
Cambridge Audio CX Series – The epitome of Great British Sound
The English company Cambridge Audio has always followed the strategy of developing solutions that stand for Great British Sound and are therefore of a particularly high quality level, but at the same time are able to address a particularly wide range of customers.
One product line that exemplifies this philosophy is certainly the Cambridge Audio CX Series, for which the English claim to have been setting new standards for years. And indeed, with the solutions of this product line, Cambridge Audio can be said to represent exactly what constitutes a modern hi-fi chain at a high level.
Cambridge Audio CXA61 Integrated Amplifier and Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier
Two stereo integrated amplifiers are available in the current generation of the Cambridge Audio CX Series: the Cambridge Audio CXA61 Integrated Amplifier and the Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier. This means that customers can choose the best solution for the components that are particularly relevant to a hi-fi chain.
The Cambridge Audio CXA61 Integrated Amplifier is designed in Class A/B and delivers a power of two times 60 watts. In addition to four analogue inputs, it also has an integrated D/A converter from the specialist ESS Technology Inc., namely an ESS Sabre ES9010 DAC, which processes signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 384 kHz as well as DSD up to DSD256. In addition to S/PDIF interfaces, USB is also available, and Bluetooth including aptX HD support is not missing.
The Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier, also designed in Class A/B, delivers two times 80 watts and, in addition to unbalanced analogue inputs, also has balanced connections. Of course, digital sources can also be connected via S/PDIF and USB, Bluetooth including support for aptX HD is available, and digital signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 384 kHz or DSD including DSD256 are processed by an ESS Sabre ES9016 DAC from ESS Technology Inc.
Both amplifiers allow so-called A/B operation for two speaker groups and have an integrated headphone amplifier.
Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Network Player
The Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Network Player is an extremely versatile streaming client, as it is based on the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic Technology platform, which is already in its fourth generation and guarantees access to all relevant streaming services in addition to your own content from the network.
Cambridge Audio StreamMagic not only enables convenient streaming of music stored locally in your own network via the industry standard UPnP, but also maintains the connection to streaming services such as Spotify, Qobuz, Deezer and TIDAL as well as an inexhaustible wealth of Internet radio stations and access to podcasts is also possible.
All this is very conveniently controlled by the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app for Apple iOS and Google Android.
It is also very important that Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast are supported and that this solution based on Cambridge Audio StreamMagic is Roon-ready. And those who want to stream audio away from the network, for example directly from a smartphone, can of course do so via Bluetooth.
Cambridge Audio CXC Compact Disc Transport
It should be explicitly emphasised that Cambridge Audio still offers an audio CD playback option for the Cambridge Audio CX Series in the form of the Cambridge Audio CXC Compact Disc Transport. As the name suggests, this is not a CD player, but rather a CD transport, which means that there is no integrated converter, leaving the task of converting the signal from digital to analogue to the high-quality DACs already integrated into the stereo integrated amplifiers.
The new Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition
Until now, Cambridge Audio offered the solutions of the Cambridge Audio CX Series, as already mentioned in the introduction, only in silver, whereby the manufacturer itself speaks of Lunar Grey. This is actually unusual, as silver is only considered an option for classic design in the hi-fi world, with black proving to be the most timeless design variant.
And it is precisely this wish that has obviously been expressed to Cambridge Audio in many cases, and they have now decided to meet it at least a little bit, namely with the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition.
“Since we no longer have any black hi-fi products in our range, we have received many enquiries as to when we will be offering them again. So we decided to do a limited edition of the CX Series to meet those requests. And after seeing the first units, I have to say: they look damn cool. Our customers love the CX Series anyway, and this finish makes it even more attractive in many environments.”
Stuart George, CEO of Cambridge Audio
Limited – Only 1.000 of each…
The aluminium front panels of the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition are finished with a double texture effect, but essentially it’s a brushed finish, and this special treatment is intended to give it a much more refined look than is normally the case with hi-fi components in black.
All four available Cambridge Audio CX Series components are available as the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition and are limited to 1.000 pieces each. Each copy is accompanied by a numbered Cambridge Audio Certificate of Authenticity.
Prices and availability
The Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition solutions can be pre-ordered now, as the manufacturer states, and will be delivered in the course of March 2023. The prices for the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition do not differ from those of the standard Lunar Grey versions. The Cambridge Audio CXA61 Integrated Amplifier costs € 899,- and the Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier € 1.199,-. The Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Network Player is available for € 999,- and the Cambridge Audio CXC Compact Disc Transport for € 599,-.
Getting to the point
The Cambridge Audio CX Series is one of the most exciting product lines of the English hi-fi manufacturer Cambridge Audio, because it offers Great British Sound in extremely versatile solutions at particularly attractive prices. The fact that these are now being offered as the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition could be reason enough for many to make a purchase. However, you should hurry, because the Cambridge Audio CX Series 2 Black Edition is limited to only 1.000 pieces.
PRODUCT | CAMBRIDGE AUDIO CX SERIES 2 BLACK EDITION |
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Price | Cambridge Audio CXA61 Integrated Amplifier € 899,- Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier € 1.199,- Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Network Player € 999,- Cambridge Audio CXC Compact Disc Transport € 599,- |
Brand | CAMBRIDGE AUDIO |
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Manufacturer | Cambridge Audio |
Distribution Austria | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
Distribution Germany | Cambridge Audio |
Distribution Switzerland | Lakeside Audio SA |
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |