Cambridge CXN100 SE

You know that old ‘if it ain’t broke’ thing? Well, the Cambridge Audio CXN100 network player was probably well up there when it came to products in no need of fixing. Fine value for money, sleek looks and sound quality nipping at the heels of some very high-end hardware all came together to make it a compelling buy for those putting their eggs in the ‘computer audio’ basket – which these days means quite a lot of us.

So what’s new in this ‘special edition’ version? The headline news is that the player now has an HDMI eARC port - it may seem like a frill to some, but it opens up the player’s digital section to accept the sound from a video source (in all probability a TV) and allows the sound from your favourite viewing to be fed through your hi-fi system. It’s a feature found on many rival network players, and now Cambridge has caught up. It serves to bolster an already pretty comprehensive connectivity offering.

Y’see, the company may bill this as a ‘music streamer’, but there’s rather more to the CXN100 SE than that. Alongside a full suite of options for streaming music from local storage (such as a computer or dedicated NAS device) and online services (including the ‘Connect’ versions of Qobuz, Spotify And TIDAL, plus Amazon Music, Deezer and internet radio), this unit is also built to act as a digital music hub.

The means the provision of coaxial and optical digital inputs, a USB-A port for a storage device, and a USB-B to which a computer can be connected directly. It means analogue outputs on unbalanced RCAs and balanced XLRs, switchable between fixed level and ‘Pre-Amp’ mode - the latter enables an onboard volume control and allows the CXN100 SE to be used directly into a power amp or active speakers. Enable ‘Pre-Amp’ mode, and the volume of the set-up can be controlled from the unit’s front panel or the StreamMagic app - the app can also be used to access online/network content. For those who must have a conventional remote control, the company’s CX Series 2 system handset is available as a cost option - but the StreamMagic app, available for Android or iOS, remains the most convenient, flexible and attractive way to drive the player.

It’s worth pointing out it’s not possible to access the CXN100 SE’s streaming smarts via the minimal front-panel controls, which run to half a dozen little buttons straddling the display panel. So the StreamMagic app is very much a must-have, even if the likes of TIDAL and Spotify can be controlled via their own apps running on a smartphone or tablet.

Network connectivity is via either wired Ethernet or wi-fi, the latter supported via two stubby antennae screwed onto rear-panel terminals. The Cambridge also has AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth, as well as being Roon Ready (for those who use this subscription music-management system – count me in on that one).

The streaming capability here is provided by the latest-generation StreamMagic platform -  Cambridge is one of just a few manufacturers designing its own network audio hardware and software, along with its dedicated control app, rather than buying in a third-party module. The advantage of this, apart from complete control over both quality and features, is the company’s ability to improve and expand the streaming facilities via ongoing firmware updates. These will happen overnight when the player is left in network standby, or can be initiated manually when required.

The CXN100 SE will accept music at up to 24bit/192kHz via network streaming, and up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD512 via USB, using the familiar ES9028Q2M SABRE32 DAC from ESS.

Sound quality

Buried in the menus accessed via the StreamMagic app is a seven-band equaliser, allowing the user to tailor the sound of the player – but frankly I wouldn’t bother, given the open, dynamic and well-weighted ‘flat’ response on offer here. Put simply, the Cambridge is more than a match for its price competition, and will even worry some players with rather heftier price-tags. All of which is very much in line with the Cambridge ethos, and very good news for buyers.

It’s not just that the CXN100 SE gets all the basics right, from detail to timing, and from focus to that intangible sense of presence possible with a fine recording on top-notch equipment (which, conversely makes the music seem almost tangible). No, what this player does is get out of the way and draw the listener closer to what’s being played, whether it’s stripped back ‘bloke with a guitar on a porch’ blues or the full force of an orchestra at full chat. Instrumental and vocal textures are rendered persuasively, making everything sound real and natural, and effects and tricks in the production extremely clear.

And that’s as true whether you use it as a straight player with fixed-level outputs or take advantage of that ‘Pre-Amp’ mode to simplify your system down to just the CXN100 SE and a pair of speakers. In fact, provided you use high-quality active speakers there’s a lot to be said for taking a conventional integrated amp out of the listening chain, and letting the clarity of the Cambridge flow straight to the front end.

What’s more, it’s as impressive when using its digital inputs as it is when streaming, the USB-B input allowing even higher-resolution files to be played using a computer or Roon. Listening to some of the superb recordings from Norway’s 2L label at 32bit/352.8kHz is nothing less than spectacular.

And yes, the HDMI eARC input works a treat too. Connected to my big Samsung ‘The Frame’ TV, music, movies and even binged box-sets take on an extra dimension.

So the Cambridge can do analytical listening, albeit without too much of the more tiresome hi-fi ‘show your working’ stuff - but above all it’s all about the music, sweeping the listener along with the quality of the performances and the sheer enjoyment of this listening experience. Which is really as it should be.

Living with the Cambridge CXN100 SE

As you may have gathered, there’s one essential for using the Cambridge player – and that’s a phone or tablet running the StreamMagic app. You’ll need it for streaming online music or playing from your own network music library, and even when you have your favourite tunes on a USB stick you’ll need both a network connection and that app. That’s no hardship, given how well-integrated and easy to use, the app is – a sign of it being developed alongside the StreamMagic platform at the heart of the player. Yes, you can use Roon to control the CXN100 SE if you want, and it will bring an even more involving browsing and music discovery experience, but for most needs the app-driven player will be hugely appealing.

Conclusion

Yes, the changes involved in creating the new SE version of the long-running CXN100, itself based on an earlier CXN player, are hardly massive. But they’re enough to keep this remarkable network audio device on the pace, and the performance still sets the standard at this price. Buy with confidence, fire up your tablet or phone, sit back and enjoy a whole world of great-sounding music.

Listening notes

‍Anna Lapwood Make You Feel My Love
From the Firedove album, and recorded with the chapel choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge (where Lapwood was director of music), this take on Bob Dylan’s romantic track is ethereal, atmospheric and charming – and then the organ powers in to test your system’s bass and add an extra thrill

‍Squeeze The Place We Call Mars
Reviving tracks written half a century ago, and here channelling David Bowie, Tilbrook and Difford have come up with the fascinating Trixies album - and this dense track, unravelled well by the CXN100 SE, combines space oddities with typical South London references to excellent effect

‍Minnesota Orchestra/Eiji Oue Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances
With the wonderfully open and dramatic sound that’s a Reference Recordings hallmark, this 24bit/176.4kHz release gives the Cambridge player every chance to shine – and it rises to the challenge with real clarity and speed, and attention-grabbing dynamics

The CXN100 SE offers two system-building paths: use it as just a player, and the obvious companion is the excellent Cambridge Audio CXA81 MKII integrated amp driving the speakers of your choice. With this combination you’ll also get control integration using the company’s Control Bus system, and the amp is more than good enough to drive just about any speakers you choose.

The alternative is to create a very simple system using the Cambridge player as a hub/preamp straight into a power amp or a pair of active speakers. Cambridge’s own MXW70 power amp would be a compact solution, delivering 70W per channel - but the devil in you might buy two of them and use their bridging feature to create a pair of 250W mono power amps. Alternatively, look for a pair of active speakers, with their own amps built-in, starting with the likes of the Harbeth NLE-1 or PMC’s Active Twenty5 range.