Cambridge Audio CXN100 First Impressions

First Impressions

In terms of the spec, the CXN100 is a capable network player, improving on what was already considered to be a class-leading streamer when the CXN v2 was first launched. And though it’s been redesigned from the ground up, in terms of look and sound, the CXN100 reassuringly feels like a Cambridge Audio product.

Introduction

The clue is in the name. The CXN100 isn’t the third iteration of Cambridge’s popular CXN streaming line-up – this is an all-brand new network player built from the ground up.

At a preview launch ahead of the official announcement, I was invited to have a look and a listen of Cambridge’s newest “supercharged” streamer.

Design

• Large 4.76-inch screen
• Lunar Grey finish
• USB input moved to rear

Aesthetically, there’s nothing here that would cause any undue alarm even though this streamer has been completely redesigned from its predecessors. The CXN100 is very much in the style of Cambridge Audio’s previous network players.

Which means this streamer comes in a silver – sorry, lunar grey – finish for the fascia, though most of the chassis is in black. Is there a black version in the offing? Not now, and nor is there likely to be one. Aggrieved? Perhaps file your concerns to Cambridge Audio’s social media feeds…

As usual there’s a floating feel to the chassis when viewed from head on, the front-facing area is the power button, volume dial, and a larger 4.76-inch high-resolution colour screen. The USB input? That’s now tucked away around the rear. This is, after all, a streamer first and foremost. The volume dial has been overhauled, with 100 steps compared to the CXN v2’s 30.

Around the back is where you’ll find the connections (more on those later), there’s no need to add a dongle/adapter for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. There’s also no remote bundled in this player, it’s all fully controlled from the StreamMagic app. A remote can be purchased separately, or more conveniently, if you have either of the CX Series amplifiers or CXC CD Transport, those remotes are compatible with the CXN100.

The dimensions of the CXN100 are the same as the CXN v2, so while the CXN100 looks familiar on the surface, it’s inside where all the significant change has happened.

Features

• New ESS DAC
• StreamMagic Gen4 module
• Built-in Bluetooth

There’s a new DAC in town and it’s called the ESS ES9028Q2M, as Cambridge Audio moves from the dual Wolfson configuration of the CXN v2.

According to Cambridge, the reason for this change is that it “sounds and measures demonstrably better”, the timing filter inside the new streamer is of such a quality that not post-DAC filter is required, simplifying the signal path for a more precise, jitter-free audio performance.

The new ESS DAC can handle PCM signals up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512 (through the USB port), and of course the CXN100 can play ALAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD, WMA, MP3, AAC, HE AAC, AAC+, and OGG Vorbis file formats.

Cambridge also says that “significant” changes have been made to the post-DAC analogue stage, with new more efficient capacitors and op-amps that increase the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce distortion in the process.

If the ESS DAC can be considered the ‘neural’ part of the system, then the StreamMagic Gen4 module is the cardiovascular part of the system. It’s the same module present in the Evo 75 and Evo 150 all-in-one players, and is compatible with a range of streaming services with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Deezer, Qobuz, and MQA all built in.

For radio heads, the CXN100’s MPEG-DASH support allows for high-resolution Internet radio playback. Bluetooth (SBC, AAC streaming), Chromecast, and AirPlay 2 are your other streaming options.

Those with Google Home, Apple AirPlay, and Roon multi-room set-ups can easily insert the Cambridge into those ecosystems. In terms of its Roon support, the CXN100 is certified as Roon Ready to ensure it fits within the requirements necessary to be compatible with other Roon products. Roon subscribers will be able to view content from Tidal, Qobuz, their own iTunes libraries and digital downloads in one “user-friendly” interface.

Connectivity runs from that USB input (now on the rear), to coaxial, Toslink, and Ethernet, with analogue outputs available through balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA sockets. Like with other Cambridge products, the lettering on the back can be read upside down. I’m probably not meant to mention this, but there was a prototype version of the CXN100 that featured a HDMI eARC input…

Performance

• Uncoloured, spacious sound

I got to spend some time listening to the CXN100, and what was referenced often was the notion of ‘Cambridge audio sound’ – a sound that tries to capture the characteristics of the track without enhancing or changing the inherent ‘flavour’ of the track.

With that in mind, they played Keane’s Spiralling, a track Cambridge used to test their products, and one they noted for its harsh-sounding production that depending on the system could sound bland, or too sibilant, or could bring up too much detail. I suppose the purpose to find a balance between it sounding ‘good’ (whatever that may mean), to sounding authentic to what was intended.

The track sounded sharp, but not too sharp, energetic in terms of its rhythm but retaining some of the harshness of the track.

The next track was Gabriels’ Love and Hate in a Different Time (Greg Wilson remix), and bass was firm and weightily described – this track felt more about the power that was communicated to the listener – and in that sense the Cambridge and the speakers connected to it give a good account of themselves. It was quite a vividly realised soundstage too, with all the various elements in the track, but I was still able to keep track of all that was happening within the stereo image.

The last track was Robert Wyatt’s At Last I Am Free, and for this track I didn’t take any notes and just listened to the music – an engaging though neutral presentation that gave full focus to Wyatt’s vocals. You could feel the emotion of what he was singing.

Afterwards I managed to sneak in a question about how they tuned CXN100 as Apple Music sounds a certain way, as does Tidal, and Qobuz. The response was that Cambridge use FLAC files plugged in directly to the USB port, to not add any ‘flavour’ to the sound. It seemed as if the goal was to provide a neutral, balanced, and uncoloured performance, and from what I listened to, Cambridge is on the road to achieving that goal, but for a full, in-depth opinion, we’ll have to wait for review samples.