A NIB CXA 81 is $1400. Still a decent value. At $800 factory (authorized) refurb unit is a bargain. The amp arrived 100% functional and mint condition cosmetically. My hard to drive Revel speakers have new life with this punchy, but subtle amp. The built in Bluetooth sounds better streaming from my iphone than a stand alone 5.0 Bluetooth receiver that I was using previously. I already had an outboard phono stage so I don't mind not having one in the amp. It's a great looking amp, but the build quality is not quite as good as Arcam or Rega at this price point, but is a much better overall value than either of those brands at $800, and sounds fantastic.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Quality what great, service from Ebay and Cambridge was great, amp just had a difficult time driving inefficient KEF speakers. Very musical, but lacked the oomph to drive the low end. Since there are no tone controls to give the bottom end the boost it needed, I determined it was just a mismatch.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The quality, reputation and acceptance of the Cambridge lines of premium audiophile components is well established. Particularly the C Series, a member of which is this CXA81 Integrated Amplifier. A mature product model now, I bought it as 'Refurbished' on ebay from the manufacturer's outlet distributor and saved hundred$ while receiving a fresh looking and sounding unit indistinguishable from brand new. Very satisfied with my choice for it to be both the control center hub and power amplifier [80W/channel] of my first new HiFi system since leaving it all behind almost 40 years ago. Used with Audio Technica AT-LP7 turntable, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport and Monitor Audio Silver 200 Speakers (6th Gen).
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this CXA81 for a few reasons. Great reviews from What Hi-Fi? and especially a review in Stereophile (and others) both which can be found online. The Stereophile reviewer paired the integrated amp with Quad S-2 speakers and said that the combination was great. I have Quad S-1 speakers which are basically the same as the S-2 speakers with a slightly smaller woofer. I understood that the power rating on Cambridge Audio is real and not imagined and that the sound of this amp was tilted toward the v curve without any tone controls. That is probably the biggest issue for anyone deciding whether to get this amp or not -- will you like the sound that Cambridge Audio decided was going to be your sound? I am happy with the sound design. Another thing is that there is a built in DAC on this amp which is supposed to be pretty good. I haven't done AB testing but I hooked up my cheap cd player through digital hookups rather than analog in order to use the amp's DAC. I've played and recorded music but I don't go for tons of spending on audio equipment. I am trying to get the sounds I want for as little money. This purchase was somewhat more than I would normally spend for a two channel amp but I felt this one does everything I need and that it could be the last one I buy so it was worth it. Now comes the best part. The amp does bluetooth really well. It has an aptX HD Bluetooth receiver built in for direct streaming from any compatible device at up to 24-bit/84kHz. Bluetooth from a phone that can play aptX HD music sounds really good. No dongle or anything special. Just built in. There is a sub out which is nice. The buttons and controls and remote are easy to use. My one nit is that the terminal posts seem pretty cheap plastic for an amp of this price but it works. No phono preamp but supposedly Cambridge Audio felt that, at this price point, anyone buying this would want to buy a separate phono preamp. Looking at amps in this price range (I bought refurbished which I think is as good as new with a big discount), I think this gives you high quality for the money. It's not a mind blowing piece of equipment but it is a great part of a two channel system I have in a small/medium room that has already given me hours of listening enjoyment. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this Cambridge Audio integrated amplifier to replace a separate amplifier and pre-amp after one channel went out on the pre-amp. They were great, but the sound of this Cambridge Audio integrated amp is even better. Clean highs, definitive bass, airy. Plus it is nice that it has a remote for controlling the amplifier - my other ones didn't. Great convenience factor.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a well-made product, it looks classy, and it sounds decent with plenty of connections available on the back end. This amp is powerful and has a lot of headroom. I've plugged 8 ohm and 6 ohm impedance speakers into it, and the amp sounds consistent across the various bookshelf speakers I've plugged in thus far. I am enjoying the 6 ohm JBL Studio 530s most, and I'd imagine it's because they're not easy to drive, so that's a good sign. I'd love to buy some 4 ohm JBL HDI-1600s and see how that goes. At any rate, once I had this amplifier plugged in and warmed up for a couple of days, it sounded precise and provided a wonderful sound image. Very detailed music. I'm not crazy about the lack of a 1/4" headphone jack, and I don't much like the absence of treble/bass tone controls, yet I simply bought a tube driven pre-amp with those controls, so that was an easy fix. I'd buy this again. It's a great sounding and lively amplifier. It's sound is very airy and detailed. It can jam any type of music very aptly. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Bought this to replace a Cambridge Audio Azur 540A that I've enjoyed for years. This has greater digital connectivity and high quality bluetooth, which were the main things I was looking for. Plus it presents a more detailed sound, with great dynamic range and pace. Very much worth it!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a true audiophile 2-channel stereo amplifier and I am very happy with it. Drives my B&W 702 S2 loudspeakers very well. Highly recommended.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Awesome integrated amp with DAC, very detailed and with a punch, great value. Because of the phenomenal details this amp offers, it may be perceived as sounding on the bright side. For people prefer warmer sounding setup, could give a try pairing with darker sounding speaker cables and/or speakers.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A nice high end power amp with good onboard DAC with plenty of clean power to push fill size speakers with ease. Looks modern and classy. Good clean sound
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Amplifiers & Preamps
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Amplifiers & Preamps
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
