# Changes at Cambridge Audio Include a New Badge and a New Series of Gear



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

The British Hi-Fi company Cambridge Audio arrived at CES with two big pieces of news. First, they’re changing their logo. Gone are the days of “Cambridge Audio” stamped on equipment. Going forward, you’ll simply see “Cambridge.” The company says this new logo is a nod to the past while recognizing modern times. Throughout 2015 this logo will be transitioned to all existing product lines, which brings us to our next bit of news: Cambridge Audio has a new series of Home Theater gear. Dubbed the “CX Series,” the company is releasing six new pieces of gear that appear to strike a nice balance of price for performance. And, yes, they will be branded with the “Cambridge” badge.










_Cambridge Audio has released six new pieces of slick looking gear under the CX Series._​

*CXR-120 and CXR-200 AV Receivers*
Topping our preview of Cambridge Audio’s new gear are the CXR-120 and CXR-200 Receivers. The CXR-200 offers 120-Watts per channel (200W in stereo mode) with 7.2 and 5.2 plus zone 2 (or height channels) speaker configurations. The CXR-120 is a significantly less powerful unit, offering 60W per channel in a 7.2 or 5.2 plus height channels configuration or 210W in pure stereo mode.

Both units have a front panel HDMI port with Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) capabilities for folks that want to play content from their mobile phones, while having up to seven other HDMI ports (CXR-200) for nearly limitless connectivity. The CXR-120 has two HDMI outputs which will come in handy for owners with dual screen home theaters, and the CXR-200 has an additional output allowing the unit to send an AV signal to a discrete second zone. A nice secondary feature is HDMI passthrough, which allows a user to watch connected sources without having to power the unit on.










_The Cambridge CXR-200._​

Keeping with the times, both the CXR-120 and CXR-200 are capable of 1080p upscaling and 4K/3D passthrough. They also offer decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Notably absent is any mention of 4K upscaling, HDCP 2.0 compatibility, and Dolby Atmos decoding.

The CXR-120 ($1,999) and CXR-200 ($2,499) will be available during Q1 of 2015.


*CX-60 and CXA-80 Stereo Amplifiers*
The 60W CX-60 and 80W CXA-80 are the first two CX Stereo Amplifiers revealed by Cambridge Audio. The company says the units were designed and built from the ground up, integrating Class A/B amplification and an internal design to maximize separation between stereo channels. While both units have separate heat syncs and channel circuitry, the CXA-80 also features a dual-mono design with separate transformer taps, twin rectifiers, and separate power supplies. 

These units are all about sound quality, featuring 24-bit/192kHz asynchronous USB and balanced XLR audio inputs. They also feature digital inputs matched with a Wolfson WM8740 DAC. An optional dongle (BT100) can be purchased allowing for direct Bluetooth and aptX Bluetooth streaming.

The CXA-60 ($799) and CXA-80 ($999) will be available during Q1 of 2015


*CXC CD Player and CXN Network Audio Player*
Yes, the CD player lives to see yet another refresh with the arrival of the CXC CD player. The unit features a low jitter transport mechanism along with coaxial and Toslink digital outputs. If used with the above CX Amplifiers, the CXC can output pure digital signals allowing the CX-60 and CXA-80’s Wolfson DAC to handle the digital to analog conversion.










_Cambridge Audio's new CXN Network Player (bottom) paired with a CXA-80 Amp._​

Nearly the antithesis of the CXC is CXN Upsampling Network Music Player. This unit is a streaming hub with the ability to snag music from media servers, computers on home networks, Airplay, and a multitude of music services (such as Spotify and Pandora). The unit’s twin Wolfson WM8740 DACs offer discrete fidelity to left and right signals, and allow for the CXN to be connected directly to a powered amplifier via analog outputs. The CXN supports a wide range of files including AAC, WMA, MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and ALAC. 

The CXN features a nifty looking full color TFT screen that can display album art along with other information.

Like their series mates, the CXC CD Player ($499) and CXN Network Audio Player ($999) will be available in Q1 2015.



_Image Credits: Cambridge Audio_


----------

