Cambridge Audio has launched a sequel to its Award-winning CXA81 stereo amplifier. The new Cambridge Audio CXA81 Mk II, as it is called, may not be an entire redesign or reimagining, keeping to the exact same dimensions and minimal aesthetic as its predecessor, just as the recently launched Cambridge Audio CXN100 music streamer stuck to the same design as the preceding, multi-Award-winning CXN (V2).
It's with the internal circuitry that Cambridge Audio has focused the core of the CXA81 Mk II's updates. There's a new DAC chip (an ESS ES9018K2M SABRE32) which handles up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 files and aims to deliver "outstanding sonic resolution" from digital sources. There are new premium components used in the amplification circuitry and the sound has been "re-tuned and greatly refined" by the brand's London-based engineers.
Pressed further upon these updates, a Cambridge Audio spokesperson told us: "Extensive comparative listening sessions were done with component swapping, with the aim to improve depth and sensitivity. The result was ultimately the use of ten new op-amps. We added that required depth, better stereo imaging and engagement by putting higher-quality components into the signal path. The improvement to the DAC also provided better channel separation."
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Cambridge Audio promises "even greater clarity and musicality" in this updated amp, which will be a tall order considering we loved the five-star CXA81's "powerful yet punchy, dynamic and astonishingly detailed presentation."