Shaq-sized shoes to fill
Cambridge Audio has whipped the covers o its highly anticipated mid-range music streamer. The CXN100 replaces the acclaimed CXN V2 model, which has a long list of accolades to its name, so you could say the new successor has rather large shoes to fill — Shaquille O’Neal-wearing size 22s perhaps, to put those achievements into perspective.
Since the CXN V2 went out of stock towards the end of last year, I’ve been eagerly awaiting news of an heir, and the CXN100 certainly seems up to the task of continuing the legacy. It might not look all that di erent from its predecessor — if it ain’t broke... — but Cambridge Audio says the new network player is a “complete mechanical redesign” and “true generational step up in sound quality, functionality and value for money”.
An important part of any music streamer — any digital hi-fi product, at that — is its DAC chip, and the CXN100 sports the ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE32, which Cambridge Audio says sounds (and measures) significantly better than the Wolfson WM8740-series silicone found in the old CXN V2. The DAC’s timing filter is supposedly so good that Cambridge didn’t feel the need to implement a post-DAC filter in the CXN100 and complicate the signal path more than it needed to.
Changes in components, such as capacitors and op-amps, in the postDAC analogue stage have supposedly led to increased signal-to-noise ratio and reduced distortion, too.
It’s not at all surprising that the CXN100 uses the latest (fourth) generation of Cambridge’s StreamMagic module, which is also found in the company’s new budget MXN10 player and Evo 75 and Evo 150 streaming amplifiers, but it is good news for consumers. Onboard is pretty much everything a streaming-savvy audiophile could ask for — Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, UPnP (up to 32-bit/768kHz), Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and built-in access to Qobuz and Deezer. The CXN100 is also
Roon Ready and supports MQA audio and, via MPEG-DASH, high-quality internet radio.
Meanwhile, physical connections span USB-A and USB Type-B (32-bit/768kHz, DSD512), coaxial (24-bit/192kHz) and optical (24-bit/96kHz) inputs, plus optical, coaxial, RCA and XLR outputs.
The only blot on the seemingly otherwise pristine landscape is that Bluetooth support only goes as far as ‘vanilla’ SBC and AAC, with higher-quality codecs such as aptX and LDAC left o the menu here.
Speaking of menus, they — and playback interfaces — should be more easily visible on the front-panel colour display thanks to its bump in size from 4.3 to 4.8 inches. Generally, however, the CXN V2’s spic-and-span physical appearance has been left as is for the CXN100, which in my opinion is no bad thing.
However, some will understandably scorn Cambridge Audio's decision not to include a physical remote in the box this time, though it would no doubt argue that control of such a product will predominantly be on a phone or tablet via the exemplary StreamMagic app. You can purchase one separately, though anyone pairing the CXN100 with a CX Series amplifier (such as the CXA61 or CXA81) and/or the CXC CD transport will get the same remote in either of those boxes anyway.
So will Cambridge Audio remain king of the mid-market streamer hill with its latest CXN100? Considering the solid foundations from which it has been built, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.