Integrated Amplifiers

It’s been a busy few years for Cambridge Audio. Having moved into genuine high-end territory with its Edge range, it has dabbled in vinyl, become a strong contender in wireless headphones and done a strong job in lifestyle components to boot. The EX Series is intended to plug the gap between the affordable (and very good) CX models and the decidedly less affordable (but still very good) Edge series.

At first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking Cambridge has simply taken the CX amp and streamer, and put a large black stripe on the front panel. The EXA100 amp is extremely similar externally to the CXA81 MkII and the slight boosting of power from 80W to 100W doesn’t really feel like a huge step forward (although, given that the CXA81 MkII rarely seems to struggle with any commensurately priced speaker, it’s reasonable to ask how much more power you might need), but if you peer through the lid at the internals it becomes clear that the EXA100 is considerably heftier.

The connectivity is also an obvious evolution of the more affordable model. You get a single XLR input supported by three RCAs and another RCA that is shared over input 1 with the XLR connection. There are separate stereo pre-outs and a mono subwoofer out. You also get a digital board that very closely mimics the CXA81 MkII. Built around an ES9018K2M DAC, it offers two optical, one coaxial and one USB-B input, together with support for aptX HD Bluetooth. Maximum sample rate handling is via the USB input and stretches to PCM up to 384kHz and DSD256. Like the amplifier, the specification of the EXN100 is extremely similar to the more affordable CXN100. Sample rate handling is the same, at up to 768kHz and DSD512. Decoding is via a superior ESS DAC – an ES9028Q2M – and, as well as wired and wireless networking, it is able to connect to external devices via USB-B, optical and coaxial inputs. This is bolstered by another HDMI eARC connection.

This means that, while these units are being reviewed as a pair, they may well actually make more sense being considered on their own merits. The degree of overlap they possess is considerable and neither is the perfect fit to ‘finish’ the specification of the other. However, I think that Cambridge Audio knows this and is perfectly happy for the units to be split up. The EXA100 is a streaming transport away from being an all-in-one system while the EXN100 is a fully functional preamp just waiting for a power amp or pair of active speakers to be ready to go.

The two look fantastic together, though. While the basic shape of the EX Series is very similar to the CX, when you see them in the flesh and interact with them, the extra details like the knurled controls, larger display on the streamer and more substantial feeling to the casework all contribute to a higher quality feel. The black section mentioned earlier means that the EX components in their ‘not quite silver’ grey finish, sit with black devices more happily than either the CX or the Edge do.

The amp has direct input selection on both the front panel and the remote, while the EXN100 has the latest version of the StreamMagic platform – which is a superbly well evolved interface for both your own library and on-demand content from Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal plus almost anything else via Chromecast and AirPlay.

Sound quality
Running the EX pair into DALI Rubikore 2 (HFC 521) standmounts initially suggests that whatever the perceived overlap in functionality, the two EX units are exceptional performers. There is a well-evolved Cambridge Audio ‘house sound’ that these two embody perfectly. Settle down and start listening to WH Lung’s Every Inch Of Earth Pulsates, and the first few minutes are entirely pleasurable but not remarkable. The more you listen, though, the more you become aware that the balance they possess is beautifully judged.

With the closing, I Will Set Fire To The House, the dreamy and spacious quality of the piece is beautifully recreated, but there’s a punch to the rhythm and supporting percussion that ensures what you hear engages on both an emotional and cerebral level. The tonality is also exceptional. The live Paint The Roses by Larkin Poe And The Nu Deco Ensemble is tangible but free of emphasis on any one part of the frequency response. Instead, you get everything delivered without fear or favour.

Setting up an Eversolo DMP-A6 (HFC 506) to deliver a USB output to the EXA100 on its own demonstrates that the decoding in the EXN100 is better, but probably not to the extent I’d spend £1,600 on the difference when the same money put towards speakers would likely yield bigger gains. The EXA100 keeps the same unflappable yet emotionally engaging performance as the two units together and demonstrates that it’s a superb crypto all-in-one.

The thing is… issuing the EXN100 with a Chord Electronics TToby (HFC 423) power amp and running it on its own makes for no less a compelling system. If you have no need for an analogue input, the EXN100 isn’t just a good preamp for a streamer, it is genuinely superb. Judged by any metric, with a beautifully even volume ramp and a level of transparency that allows even large and busy recordings like Kamasi Washington’s Heaven And Earth to retain cohesion and order, it is hugely impressive. Buried in the specification of the matching EXA100 is the ability to run it as a power amp with the EXN100 handling the volume. Though this initially seems like a gimmick, once I spend a bit of time using it, I actually end up preferring the result to using the preamp of the integrated.

What becomes apparent the more time I spend with the EX units is that, however much they might look like the products from the rung below, there is more of the performance of the superior Edge components in how they perform. There is a balance and effortlessness to the EXA100 that I recognise from the Edge A, which I have lived with for a number of years. It simply gets on with the task required with a lack of drama that you can initially mistake for being dull until you are a few hours in.

Conclusion
Taken across their prodigious functionality, superb sound quality and utterly hassle-free interfaces, there really isn’t very much at the price that can do as much as the EX units or as well as they can and, if you feel that they might be overkill as a pair, the good news is that they are no less effective individually. Cambridge Audio’s exceptional run of form continues unabated and these EX models might just be its strongest showing yet. ES    

DETAILS
Product: Cambridge Audio EXA100
Type: Integrated amplifier

FEATURES
● Quoted power output: 2x 100W (8ohm)
● Inputs: 4x stereo RCA; XLR; 2x optical; coaxial; USB-B; HDMI eARC
● Outputs: sub; pre; headphones

Read the full review in  Issue 521