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Cambridge Audio StreamMagic celebrates 10th anniversary

For ten years now, the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic platform has been the central basis of all streaming solutions from the English hi-fi company Cambridge Audio. It is the easiest way to access a wide variety of content and to realise a high-quality streaming solution.

It is now actually ten years that the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic streaming platform has been available. This proprietary technology of the English hi-fi manufacturer Cambridge Audio has been at the heart of all the company’s streaming systems for years and has been consistently developed and improved.

The Cambridge Audio StreamMagic technology platform is designed to be as flexible and convenient as possible, making it one of the leading solutions in its class on the market.

Cambridge Audio StreamMagic – hardware and software from a single source

Music streaming has long been the most important way of consuming music, regardless of whether it is in the entry-level or high-end hi-fi segment. For a manufacturer such as Cambridge Audio, this topic is therefore of immense importance, because without such solutions, it is not possible to present oneself as a complete supplier today, that must be clearly stated.

However, the topic of streaming presents manufacturers with a problem that should not be underestimated, namely the question of which strategy to choose.

On the one hand, one can rely on already existing technologies, such as industry standards like UPnP or generally used platforms like Google Chromecast or Apple AirPlay, for which a wide variety of providers supply the technical basis. Especially in the early days of the trend towards streaming solutions, many manufacturers opted for this path. Another option would be to rely on proprietary solutions, although the choice here is not really large and of course you end up in a certain dependency.

Cambridge Audio decided very early on to develop a completely independent solution, thus being able to offer hardware as well as software from a single source. Cambridge Audio StreamMagic was born and, in retrospect, the English were among the pioneers in this field.

Immense resources required

Of course, this also involves a considerable amount of development work, which is often overlooked by consumers who want flexible, outstanding streaming systems from their favourite hi-fi manufacturers.

It is by no means enough to establish a streaming platform once, the real work and thus the ultimately large costs for a manufacturer arise over the years when it is necessary to successively develop and improve such a platform. In the process, one is dependent, not least for better or worse, on the decisions of others, such as the big IT giants like Google or Apple, after all, one has to provide the corresponding apps for their platforms, thus moving with them from version to version and ensuring smooth operation.

Another cost factor that is often not taken into account is any licence fees that may be incurred for the implementation of various music streaming services, although these are of course indispensable.

Cambridge Audio has faced all these challenges, and as can now be seen on the occasion of the platform’s tenth anniversary, quite successfully.

Reliable offer over many years

This ten-year anniversary in particular also shows that with this platform, the customer relied on a solution from a reliable provider who established a platform that will be available for many years to come.

Especially with streaming, many users are faced with the question of whether the platform they trust will actually still exist in two, three or even more years, whether it will actually continue to be supported by the provider for many years and thus also continue to be developed.

This is a crucial question, especially if you are investing in high-quality integrated hi-fi solutions, because what good is the finest amplifier or preamplifier with an integrated streaming client if the streaming platform it contains can no longer be used?

Cambridge Audio StreamMagic – The Platform for Digital Music Enjoyment and Great British Sound

An innovative and perfectly adapted hardware module, together with the specially developed software, makes many things possible, according to Cambridge Audio. This combination offers the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic platform the greatest possible flexibility to pick up new formats, streaming services and technologies particularly quickly.

Cambridge Audio can therefore react to trends in a timely manner and is not dependent on the creation of a standard solution. In order for Cambridge StreamMagic to achieve a consistently smooth playback, a powerful processor has been used from the beginning, which enables updates even after many years. This also enables optimal usage speed and the playback of hi-res audio music files.

In addition to streaming their own content via the network and supporting Apple AirPlay, TIDAL Connect and Spotify Connect, the various network players are compatible with a range of digital sources and are also available for local USB playback via Mac or PC if required. At the same time, both smartphone control and viewing and operation via the displays with the responsive user interface offer a smooth experience.

“StreamMagic is now 10 years old and continues to be an integral part of many of our hi-fi products – all of us at Cambridge Audio can’t wait to see what the next decade holds for the streaming platform.”

Chris Saunders, Software Manager at Cambridge Audio

Getting to the point

For ten years now, the English hi-fi company Cambridge Audio has been nurturing its own streaming platform, Cambridge Audio StreamMagic. On the one hand, users are always provided with new functions and optimisations of the platform, and on the other hand, Cambridge Audio has succeeded in keeping its own streaming solutions at the best possible level, thus offering users investment security.

BrandCAMBRIDGE AUDIO
ManufacturerCambridge Audio
Distribution AustriaAudio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH
Distribution GermanyCambridge Audio
Distribution SwitzerlandLakeside Audio SA
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG

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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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