Cambridge Audio, a well-known British audio brand, Founded in 1968, has a history of almost 50 years and has numerous classic products. Traditional brands often feel more conservative, but Cambridge Audio is an exception.
From the P40, Classic ONE, A1 amplifier, CD1, NP30 player, DacMagic1 DAC, and Azur series, to the recent 851N and CX series, Cambridge Audio’s products have always maintained innovation and vitality through the development of technology, novel design, and high-quality components.
That allows users to pursue the most realistic sound reproduction and immersive listening experience. This has been the consistent philosophy of Cambridge Audio all these years.
Cambridge Audio is based in South London and is inspired by the culture, energy, and creativity of the surrounding area. Its products are designed in the UK and are sold worldwide, winning numerous awards and receiving industry recognition.
Indeed, it is only natural for those who love music to design high-quality audio equipment, which has contributed to the success of this outstanding brand.
Cambridge Audio’s success can also be attributed to the music of the UK, as the unprecedented success of British bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the 1960s. Cambridge Audio combined the advanced recording technology at studios such as Abbey Road and the BBC, led to the development of the best Hi-Fi equipment by British manufacturers such as Cambridge Audio. And it is known as the “Great British Sound”, becoming a favorite among many users.
Cambridge Audio has always been known for its innovative technology and good value for money. Its signature P40 amplifier, launched in 1968, was followed by the well-received P50 and P110 models in the 1970s.
In 1975, it launched the world’s first multi-layered circuit board combination amplifier, the Classic ONE. In 1985, the CD1, the world’s first modular CD player, separated the CD Transport and DAC decoding to minimize interference.
In 1994, Audio Partnership acquired Cambridge Audio, marking a new chapter for the brand. In 1995, it launched the popular A1 amplifier, which sold over 100,000 units.
In 1996, Cambridge Audio launched its first DAC (digital-to-analog converter), the DacMagic, which used its proprietary Adaptive Time Filtering (ATF) upsampling technology to improve the accuracy of any digital signal, such as CD’s 16bit/44.1kHz, to a more precise 384kHz.
That allowed traditional CD music to achieve the rich detail and dynamic range of an SACD. The DacMagic was also the first product from Cambridge Audio to receive the “Best Product” award from the UK’s leading Hi-Fi authority magazine, “What Hi-Fi”, and it launched a series of successful DAC products, including the DacMagic 100, DacMagic Plus, and the compact DacMagic XS and XS 2.
After being incorporated into Audio Partnership, Cambridge Audio had more resources for research and development, which greatly promoted its technological advancement and the introduction of various unique technologies.
One of the most notable of these was the Class XD (Crossover Displacement), which was introduced on the Azur 840A amplifier and used pure A-class output at low power output and smoothly transitioned to pure B-class output at high power output.
This innovative approach effectively controlled the output current to eliminate crossover distortion and allowed the power amplifier to smoothly switch between A-class and B-class operation for the optimal waveform. The highly praised Azur 840 series, launched in 2006, used this technology and has continued to improve it to this day.
In recent years, Cambridge Audio has actively expanded its product line. In 2011, it launched its first network music player, the NP30, which marked not only a milestone for the brand but also the beginning of the StreamMagic platform.
The subsequent StreamMagic6 V1, V2, and the recent 851N and CXN have all won numerous awards. The CXN is part of the brand’s new CX series, which was launched in 2015 and includes the CXC CD player, CX A60/A80 amplifier, CXU Blu-ray player, and CXR 120/200 AV amplifier.
Through its sleek and stylish design, high-quality materials, and 50 years of technical expertise, the CX series brings new vitality to the “Great British Sound.” This constantly evolving British audio brand also offers a more diverse range of products, including soundbars, headphones, and Bluetooth speakers, to allow more users to enjoy the authentic and pleasing “British sound.”
Cambridge Audio has added a mono flagship power amplifier, EGEG M, to its high-end Edge series. “M” is Monoblock. The new Edge M adopts the principle design of the existing Edge W power amplifier and applies it to a monolithic design to provide twice the power and more realistic and dynamic sound with less distortion….
Cambridge Audio, UK, announced a high-value and high-performance product at its London headquarters-the Evo integrated audio system! Its advent means tremendous reform and progress! And here is the introduction of Cambridge Audio EVO 150. For more than 50 years, Cambridge Audio has been at the forefront of audio innovation in the UK, even worldwide. Evo…
Cambridge Audio’s DacMagic USB DACs series has always been very popular among users. There will be new ones released after a while. This time the latest DacMagic 200M has added MQA decoding technology, supporting PCM 32bit/768kHz. In addition to USB connection to the computer, optical fiber and coaxial connection to CD players and other audio…
For audiophiles, no matter how expensive your audio system is and how advanced your audio experience is, I think there is always a brand that has a different meaning to you. To me, it is the Cambridge audio. The Cambridge Audio Azur 851E preamp to be reviewed this time is a practical product that is…
Cambridge Audio, a veteran British brand, has always pursued the perfect sounding. It strives to make progress in technology and is welcomed by many audiophiles with limited budgets. Nowadays, digital streaming, computer audio sources are gradually replacing traditional CD players. In response to the situation, Cambridge Audio has successfully launched several multi-functional digital players supporting…
Cambridge has always been one of my favourite audio company. Its design is excellent and never sensational. The quality and sound performance can not only be reflected in the price of the product but also often give me the joy of value for money. It is a company with a solid foundation and a company…
The USB DAC network streaming is about to become the mainstream of digital playback in the next stage. For such a trend, Cambridge Audio, one of the essential audio manufacturers in the UK, will certainly not be absent. It has already launched NP 30 streaming earlier. With its complete functions (streaming and DAC function) and…
Cambridge Audio CXA81
Cambridge Audio was already successful with their streamers for a considerable time. To celebrate the 50th year of existence, they commissioned the development team to build a cost no object product line with the Edge NQ, a streaming preamp, and DAC. The Edge-series comprises three products, the Edge A integrated amplifier, the Edge NQ preamp…
