CXA81 MkII - 80 Watt Separate Integrated Stereo Amplifier HiFi System Featuring Bluetooth aptX HD and ESS Sabre DAC - Lunar Grey

RECEIVED MY CAMBRIDGE AUDIO CXA81MK11 YESTERDAY. PACKAGE WAS IN GREAT CONDITION. IT CAME FROM CRUTCHFIELD THROUGH AMAZON. I HAVE USED IT FOR ABOUT 10 HOURS, AND SO FAR THE BIGGEST THING I NOTICED IS THE DETAIL. THE GOOD REVIEWS ARE CORRECT ABOUT THIS AMPLIFIER. I HOPE IT LAST FOR A LONG TIME. THANKS AMAZON AND CRUTCHFIELD.

Coming from a 1980s NAD amp and Mordaunt Short speakers, this amp with a pair of cambridge audio speakers was a quantum leap. Closing my eyes you could easily imagine a piano was being played right in the room. Amazing sound. My issues with the amp were mostly minor - there's a very large remote control that comes with it including a segment with play, pause etc controls, but it doesn't operate the Cambridge Audio CD player; perhaps slightly more notably, the amp can connect to a computer using bluetooth which should be a really useful HQ audio source. However the hardware implementation of bluetooth in the amp is the 2014 version 4.2, not the latest 2021 version 5.3. This means reduced bandwidth but more notably a less solid connection in environments with a lot of 2.4GHz traffic. My M2 Mac Mini (not renound for its bluetooth reliability) frequently loses connection with the amp. Unfortunately switching to v. 5 bluetooth would be a HW upgrade so no upgrade from v. 4 through firmware seems likely.

Very powerful-sounding amp that drives my Monitor Audio Silver 500 floor-standing speakers and my KEF LS50 Metas with authority. It's on the warm side of neutral yet provides a very satisfying level of clarity and detail. This amplifier is much better, IMHO, than my Audiolab 6000A because it provides a fatter, richer tone with more presence. The Audiolab is too lean and laid-back for my tastes. I use the CXA81 with the Cambridge Audio Alva Duo phono preamp and not surprisingly the system synergy is perfect. I also recently acquired the Marantz Model 50 integrated amp and they sound so much alike it's difficult to tell them apart. The Marantz is a little more analog sounding while the CXA81 is a little more hi-fi sounding. The CXA81 sounds just a bit more powerful than the Marantz but the Marantz is smoother and slightly less fatiguing after long listening sessions due to being slightly less bright -- but it's close. Very close.

After watching many reviews on YouTube reading about cambridge Audio products and its history. I decided to purchase the CXA-81 MK2. This Integrated Amp is well worth every penny spent as it produces excellent representation of musical instruments and separation.

No complaints but basic and looks like a grandpa’s amplifier. It’s kinda bulky.

I’ve got this amp paired with Goldenear BRX stand mount speakers and it sounds wonderful. Detailed but not harsh, very smooth and relaxed but plenty of oomph for the low end. It actually took about 2 days before it broke in and now it is wonderful. Not cheap, but worth the investment.

La primera impresión fue la escena sonora la separación de instrumentos y potencia, lo conecte a unas monitor audio silver 100 7g, perooo carece de claridad y eso hace una experiencia algo extraña, creo que no lo tendré mucho tiempo y optare por un amplificador con regulador de tono. ( Nota si en el vídeo se escucha claro fue por equalizador del Streamer.)

This is an excellent amplifier. The performance is excellent.

Excelente sonido pero pocas opciones. Creo que por el precio hay mejores alternativas. Hacen buen equipo con tornamesa Pro-Ject Carbon Evo 2 y Bocinas KEF LS50 Meta. Se ve muy elegante.