Cambridge Audio CXA81-80 Watt Separate Integrated Stereo Amplifier HiFi System Featuring Bluetooth aptX HD and ESS SABRE DAC - Lunar Grey

The Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Stereo Amplifier, is easy to use, with all the essential controls.The overall aesthetic is understated yet elegant, in other words it looks great.The CXA81 a stylish addition to any home audio system.The amplifier uses a Class AB design, which delivers a balanced mix of power and audio purity, the music sounds clean and dynamic.CXA81 has a high-quality DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) which is based on the ESS Sabre ES9016K2M chip.This DAC supports high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD 256, allowing the enjoyment of digital music files with stunning clarity and detail.Digital Inputs:Two optical, one coaxial, and a USB Type-B, input for connecting a computer or other digital sources.Analog Inputs: Four RCA line-level inputs and a balanced XLR input for high-end audio sources.Wireless Connectivity: Bluetooth aptX HD for streaming high-quality audio from smartphones, tablets, or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.Outputs: Speaker A/B terminals, a pre-out for connecting to a separate power amplifier, and a subwoofer output.The inclusion of a balanced XLR input,Bluetooth aptX HD.The amplifier creates a wide and deep soundstage, with accurate placement of instruments and vocals within the stereo harmonics. I was impressed with the spatial accuracies.It making it feel as though you are in the music. The imaging is precise, with each instrument occupying its own space.One potential downside is that the CXA81 does not include a phono stage, you’ll need an external phono preamp if you want to connect a turntable.The Cambridge Audio CXA81 is an excellent investment, definitely a quality built amplifier with an impressiveSolid combination.Very impressive.

Absolutely fantastic, great sound, full of detail, rich and weighty. Paired with a CXNv2. Highly recommended

I originally had the Cambridge AXA35 which was good but after updating my speakers i needed something more powerful to drive them, this amp drives them with ease and quality and looks great in the metal grey, which fits with the rest of my system, I believe this amp has upgraded recently to a version where the DAT has been updated which is more expensive and may be worth the extra cost but this is a superb amplifier from a brand that knows its stuff. Buy this or the upgraded DAT version, you won't be disappointed.

Amazing sound, have it paired with my KEF R700's using Audioquest Rocket 33 cable. I was pretty shocked at just how good this sounded, slightly lacks bass but only slightly and that can be very subjective, I don't have a sub this is purely 2ch.Honestly for the price I'm not sure you could get a better sound. The Bluetooth aptX HD has been flawless and surprisingly the audio quality is really good while streaming Spotify just be sure to download the songs you like to your playlists and set the max streaming quality via your Spotify settings.Bad things, again for this price I don't think you can get much better but the only slight thing is the speaker terminals, they are a little bit on the cheap side but as long as you use banana plugs amp end you shouldn't have any issues at all.

Cambridge audio have made some very good equipment over the years. I have had A DVD player that was excellent too.So now I'm using the CXC transport through the CXA81 and the combination sounds amazing!! For this small outlay against the competition this amp is a bargain.

My first amplifier and it works great and is easy to familiarise yourself with. Paired it with the Cambridge audio Alva preamp and Klipsch RP-500Ms and for my first setup, sounds pretty good. The only negative point would have to be I was expecting it in lunar grey but got weird versions of both this and the preamp where it’s grey from the front only and black everywhere else.

The quality of the sound is just a revelation. My vinyl sounds so good through the CXA81 and it's getting played a whole lot more because of it. The Bluetooth functionality is incredibly convenient so it's getting used for radio and podcasts too. I couldn't be happier with this amplifier.

The CXA81 met all my expectations and exceeded them in many ways. I spent a long time researching amplifiers at this price point and above and I felt the CXA81 delivered best bang for buck. I use it to drive LS50’s, which it does with ease. Generally I play a lot of vinyl, but I have dug out a very old CD player and use the dac that’s built into the CXA 81, seems to work very well.