Cambridge Audio - CXA60 Integrated Amp (Black)

So I have a pair of DIY bookshelf speakers that use some 4 and 6 ohm woofer and tweeter combination. They're power hungry speakers. I've been feeding them with an otherwise capable Teac amplifier that provides 50 watts per channel. That just wasn't enough to make my Dayton Audio home brewed speakers come to life. This Cambridge amp has been on my wish list long enough that I decided to pull the trigger and get it. For starters, it's stunning to look at. It's heavy due to the rather bulky toroidal transformer crammed inside. This thing delivers current in spades to my hungry drivers. The soundstage opened way up and bass is much sharper and defined. I feed it with spdif from my tv which is fed via Nvidia Shield TV with Tidal App installed. North of $500 is more than I wanted to spend until I heard the results. Movies and music are amazing again. Very glad I pulled the trigger on these.

This amplifier replaces an older Yamaha AB 5-channel receiver. The difference in sound quality and clarity is astounding - I've got this paired with a couple of Elac b5.2s (also tried with b6.2s) and it makes them absolutely sing. The amp has a warmer character that pairs nicely with these speakers, pulling back the brightness that can at times make them a little tiring to listen to. At $500, this amp is an absolute steal, especially since the new version of it has gone up $250 to $1000.

I was not sure what to expect when making this purchase. I was looking for a more music centric amp vs. using a home theater amp. I am very happy I did. This integrated amp was just the thing to elevate my music listening experience. After much research and plenty of reviews, both pro and consumers, I chose this one. The sound is neutral with very little if any coloration. I am pleased with my purchase. Paired beautifully with my Wharedale Diamond 10.1 speakers.

Using it with a pair Klipsch Heresy's and sounds wonderful. It has a really soundstage for being solid state.

This is a wonderful sounding integrated amplifier, warm, natural sound.

Great amplifier for the price

Impressions and observations after a month+ of use: The CXA60 pairs very nicely with the 4 Ohm Monitor Audio Silver 8 speakers, with excellent control and a neutral sonic spectral balance. The amp delivers excellent speed and impressive bass punchiness down to the deepest tones that the Silver 8s can produce. It is punchier than any of my previous integrated amplifiers, e.g. Marantz PM6005, Pioneer Elite A-20, or Yamaha A-S500, and is at least as fast as the Marantz. The sound is beautifully airy at the top of the midrange and treble, which gently and pleasantly expands the soundstage. Combine that with the punchy bass, and the soundstage is both deeper, wider and beyond my expectations despite all the good reviews I had read about the amp. The analog and digital inputs sound equally excellent. Anyway, I ended up using analog connections for functionality reasons, i.e. my network audio player (Yamaha NP-S303) can play DSD files only via analog connection, and I could connect my computer (Intel Compute Stick) to the amp only via an external USB DAC (AudioQuest DragonFly Red) since the CXA60 does not have a USB input. A TV is connected via an optical cable. Nevertheless, I subjectively tested the digital audio quality (PCM up to 192kHz at 24-bits per channel) via a very good optical cable (AudioQuest Cinnamon) from the network player into the CXA60 for a few days and concluded that digital connection sounds as great as analog (via AudioQuest Big Sur and Golden Gate cabling from the network player and the computer, respectively). The CXA60 feels very solid and stable. Its feet*, I am guessing, must have been very well designed for micro-vibration dampening, because even in my inexpensive audio/video cabinet which is far from serious Hi-Fi standards of sturdiness, there is only a little benefit in using additional third-party micro-vibration dampening products. Some benefit, yes, there is. *The feet are actually two at the back, but the front has no feet per se. Instead, it has a long peace almost all across and beneath the amp’s front with a layer of some kind of wide rubber to hold and give stability to the amp’s front. Due to this geometry, adding micro-vibration dampening products beneath the CXA60 may end up being a little head-scratcher, but nothing that a passionate audio enthusiast cannot resolve. Thanks to its excellent resolution, the CXA60 will show full appreciation for quality cabling, especially speaker cabling, and I cannot stress that enough. The sonic difference between the tone controls engaged but at zero, and the Direct mode engaged, is miniature and that demonstrates the quality of the tone controls. There is no Loudness circuit/button/knob in the CXA60 like there is in some integrated amps (e.g. all the above-mentioned ones), or a frequency response calibration feature (like in AV receivers and rare integrated amps). This means that owners of the CXA60 who have speakers which are not agile enough on bass at very low listening levels, may need to adjust the bass from time to time to their listening circumstances and preferences. Nevertheless, the CXA60’s bass control peak boost feels to be very low. The specifications say, it is at the impressive 20Hz. That will most certainly help the bass tweaking and might even make it fun. Anyway, I stay with the Direct mode. The CXA60’s infra-red control sensitivity is rather fine. Significantly finer than the IR sensor sensitivity of the Marantz PM6005, but not as fine as in the Yamaha A-S500. However, both the CXA60 and the Marantz have continuous volume controls and can be set by hand to virtually any volume level, while the Yamaha uses a volume control with fine steps. Nevertheless, when adjusting the volume by hand, a continuous volume control is probably slightly preferred by many. It seems the CXA60 volume control is very suitable both by hand and by remote control. For fans of universal infra-red remote controllers, the CXA comes with the capability to receive discrete direct IR commands, for example (but not limited to) Power Off, Power On, Mute On, Mute Off, LCD Display Bright, LCD Display Dim, LCD Display Off, and of course the audio input selection is discrete as well. In other words, the CXA60 does not force the user to use any toggling IR commands. For example, with a Logitech Harmony Ultimate One IR controller (or probably a number of other universal IR controllers), one can program and start a “Watch Movie” activity and as part of the programming “tell” the CXA60 to also turn off its LCD display, while for a “Play Music” activity “tell” the amp to set the LCD display to Dim. A great amplifier overall.

The CXA60 a very enjoyable amplifier at a great price now that it is being liquidated to make room for the new CXA61. At $500, I doubt there could be better integrated amplifier purchase. The physical appearance is better than expected--nicely stylish in a subdued but classy way. I'm using the CXA60 to drive both Elac Uni-fi UB5s and Klipsch RP-600Ms. Both are excellent. If I had to live with only one, I would choose the Klipsch RP-600Ms, which have a special resonance and vitality with the CXA60s. My favorite positioning of the speakers is UB5s with tweeters at ear level and Klipsch elevated a bit higher. YMMV. Minor quibble: No way to change selected speakers (A/B) with the remote control (at least, I haven't found one). Update after 2 weeks: I swapped out the Elac Uni-fi UB5s for Martin Logan LX16s. I definitely prefer the Elacs with my NuPrime IDA-8 and MartinLogan sub, but this is a far pricier setup than the CXA60. I'm using the LX16s for Classical music, the Klipsch for everything else right now...might switch jazz over to the LX16s with more listening. The LX16s have a nice warmth that complements the CXA60s very well for classical music. Everything sounds nicely integrated. I tried some Polk LSIM703s but the Polks are more analytical, not as pleasing for classical as the LX16s. More to come with the passing of time.

Fluid, snappy and packed with enthusiasm. the amplifier skillfully handles complex arrangements and is capable of delivering subtle, accurate detail. It looks smart, has a wide spread of connections

Prima di comprare questo amplificatore ho avuto modulo di ascoltarlo nel negozio di HiFi di fiducia qui a la Spezia e ho potuto confrontarlo con altri prodotti di varie marche come Naim e Marantz..ho scelto questo senza nessun dubbio.. per me rapporto qualità prezzo imbattibile...suona meglio di tutti i Marantz da me ascoltati e probabilmente non sfigura di fronte alla serie Uniti della Naim che però Costano tre volte tanto.. semplicemente superlativo..

Muy contento con amplificador cxa60 combinado con monitor audio bronze 2 Sonido espectacular. Lo recomiendo.

日本で売ってる商品だからと、普通に１００Vで使ってました、１か月くらい使った時にスピーカーケーブルをバナナプラグにしました。その時ふと電源ケーブルの所を見ると１１５Vって書いてるではありませんか、で、昇圧トランスで１１５Vに変更しました。一気に音がよくなりました、もう少し分かりやすくしてくれてたら良かったのにと思います。

This product came quickly thanks to the seller and was exactly as advertised. It is a terrific integrated amp and exactly what I expected from Cambridge!!!!!