Cambridge Audio CXN review

Either way, controlling the CXN was a breeze, thanks to the intuitive menus, oversized control knob on the front and comprehensive remote control. The excellent Cambridge Connect smartphone app is even better, as it lets you stream local music from your device over Wi-Fi, queue up tracks from networked servers or PCs, and browse any USB flash drives connected to the unit. The app also lets you choose from a number of internet radio stations, and the CXN connects directly to each station for playback rather than streaming them through your phone. 

Spotify Connect and Airplay are on hand for convenient streaming without an accompanying app, although we have to say that songs streamed from Airplay didn’t have the punch and vibrancy of tracks played directly from a USB flash drive. The CXN apparently upsamples every input to 24-bit/384kHz quality before passing the digital signal through two Wolfson WM8740 DACs, but, as expected, we could still tell the difference between a low-quality MP3 and a lossless FLAC file.

Although sound quality will vary depending on the other components in your setup, and the speakers you pair it with, the CXN sounded sublime throughout our testing. With a pair of Cambridge Aeromax 2 passive speakers, powered by a CXA60 amplifier, it produced crystal clear music from all genres. Lossless FLAC files sounded delightfully rich and detailed, bringing out the sounds of singers breathing and fingers sliding down the fretboard in Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Even Spotify tracks sounded impressive, with Spotify Connect support meaning we didn’t have to leave our phone next to the unit to continue playback.

At £700, the CXN is undeniably expensive, especially when you need to pair it with a set of powered speakers (at the bare minimum) before you can use it to stream music. If you’re already set up with some separates you’d like to bring into the 21st century, however, it’s an excellent upgrade that will slot into an existing Hi-Fi setup. It could also be the focal point of a more simplified system, thanks to that eye-catching colour display. The lack of Bluetooth is irritating for Android owners, and AirPlay doesn’t sound as good as streaming from a PC or NAS, but otherwise the CXN is a one-stop shop for discerning music fans.