CXA80
80W Integrated Amplifier
3.9
(32)

Power, precision and poise. Building on the award winning foundation of the CXA60, the CXA80 adds an extra 20watts of power giving 80watts of pure precision which creates a strikingly vivid soundstage. The addition of balanced inputs and USB connectivity for your computer based music library offers the solution for every source.

“Hugely energetic, with real definition and excitement… everything is imbued with a real sense of quality."

- THEMASTERSWITCH.COM, SEPTEMBER 2018

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  • HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST

    Rated at 80 Watts per channel the CXA80 has power in reserve for even the most demanding speakers. But it’s the way in which this power is delivered that put’s the CXA80 completely out of reach from its competitors. The entire internal layout is designed to minimize left and right interference (crosstalk) and provide astonishing stereo separation so you can virtually place each instrument in your room. It has symmetrical and separate transformer taps for the left and right channels, twin rectifiers and separate PSUs. When combined together these ‘dual mono’ features deliver incredible presence and depth to your music and a wide, enveloping soundstage that’s normally only available in amplifiers costing many times more.

    EFFORTLESS POWER

    Our engineers spent months to create the unique separated circuit board because they knew it would eventually provide the sound they wanted. As for power they were similarly insistent on sticking to what they knew would deliver. They used a class AB amplifier to minimise crossover distortion so music sounds purer and more controlled. An audiophile-grade oversize toroidal transformer provides huge power reserves, a consistent audio signal (no clipping) and a sensational bass performance. Finally, an ALPs film type volume pot was recruited for its accurate volume control and superb low level channel balance so the volume is always perfect across both left and right channels at whatever volume you’re enjoying.

    BRAINS AND BEAUTY

    In use, the CXA80 is a delight. The floating effect of the chassis, the brushed finish, the easy-to-read front panel, they’re all designed to create a hi-fi amplifier that’s as beautiful on the outside as it’s well-engineered on the inside. Whatever the source, the CXA80 enables you to re-discover your favourite music.

    BRING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR DIGITAL MUSIC

    To enjoy more of the music you love, the CXA80 has been designed from the ground up with digital sources in mind. Using a high-specification 24-bit/192kHz WM8740 DAC chip from Wolfson (a very premium digital to analogue converter), the CXA80 offers a powerful upgrade for all your digital sources and simply connecting it to the digital out of the dedicated CXC CD transport also creates a perfect partnership. The result is that any digital music soars to new heights, reveals new depths and can be enjoyed like never before.

    CONNECTIONS

    Designed to work with as wide a range of separates as possible, we engineered the CXA80 with both digital and traditional analogue inputs. Digital support is in the form of S/PDIF co-axial and TOSLINK digital inputs, plus an asynchronous USB Audio input - so you can play your music directly from your PC or Mac.

    Add an optional BT100 Bluetooth dongle and you’ve access to aptX high-quality streaming, opening up a world of possibilities from your paired device. Analogue options include a high quality balanced XLR input, four sets of RCA inputs and a front 3.5mm Aux jack.

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  • Technical Specifications

    POWER OUTPUT 80W RMS into 8 Ohms, 120W RMS into 4 Ohms
    DAC Wolfson WM8740
    FREQUENCY RESPONSE <5Hz– 60kHz +/-1dB
    ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS 1x balanced XLR, 4 x RCA, 1 x 3.5mm MP3 input (front panel)
    DIGITAL AUDIO INPUTS 1 x S/PDIF coaxial, 2 x TOSLINK optical, 1 x USB audio, Bluetooth via BT100 (not supplied)
    COMPATIBILITY TOSLINK optical, S/PDIF coaxial, USB 1.0 and 2.0, BT100 Bluetooth receiver
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  • CXA80 Reviews

    3.9

    3.9
    (32)

    26 Reviews

    Great sound and a fantastic price

    I purchased the CA CXA80 in September 2019 from an independent electronics business in North Carolina. The sound is impeccable!! I’ve tried to find reasons why I might have not purchased the right amp for myself, but I can’t. This is actually my first “high end” piece of stereo equipment and I’m 58. I purchased this model because of online reviews and I did have a budget. One year later I must say I definitely made the right choice. I’m sure there are other brands out there that can compete with it, but I’m satisfied. The soundstage is absolutely beautiful! The build and beauty of this amp is also impeccable! All the inputs plus being able to run 2 pair of speakers at 120W at 4 ohms is fantastic! Due to contrary belief, the remote doesn’t have upside down or backwards arrows. It has an incline and decline for volume control.

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    Response from Cambridge Audio

    Dear Customer

    Thank you for such a positive review and more importantly thanks for your trust in choosing Cambridge Audio.It‚'s always nice to hear that the product has surpassed people‚'s expectations. We hope that they continue to bring you many hours of happiness.Kind Regards

    Cambridge Audio Customer Support

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    Defective out of the box, tried everything

    I bought the unit In August 2020, so excited to finally get this as my brother had rave reviews. It is an expensive unit so it was doubly special to me as a huge music lover. Picked this up from a dealer about 1.5 hours away from me.
    Unfortunately, as soon as i completed all the connections, i realized one of the speaker terminals did not work. Switching speaker wires worked for a couple until the same set of terminals started to malfunction. This time switched speakers and again worked for a few weeks. Then a gradual hum on the same speaker terminal and now no longer works. I have checked the speaker against another cambrige unit - works great, check the wires against the same other unit, also works great.

    So how am i to get this fixed? drive 3 hrs round trip to the dealer? I am really hoping i did not spend thousands of dollars on a lemon.

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    Response from Cambridge Audio

    Dear Customer Kindly accepts our sincere apologies for the inconvenience faced.

    We‚'d like to learn more about your specific situation and makes things right.

    If you wouldn‚'t mind please contact our support agents via our support site so that we can provide the best option available.

    Kind Regards

    Cambridge Audio Customer Support

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    Disappointing Reliability & Poor Electronics

    When my 20+ year old Audiolab 8000A finally bit the dust I decided on Cambridge CXA80 (along with their CXC CD transport) for another couple decades of listening. As many other positive reviews written after weeks or months of their purchase the sound quality didn't disappoint.

    But trouble began about 9 months ago when the amp would mute itself in a random fashion. Since I couldn't reliably replicate the issue I didn't contact their customer service right away. Now it has graduated to having only the left channel active when powered on and the right channel may or may not come on a few minutes later. When both channels are working, changing input source or muting the unit can deactivate the right channel again.

    I was hoping this amplifier would be the bedrock for me to continue to build my stereophile system upon for years to come. I can't even being to describe my disappointment and frustration on the lack of reliability and poor electronics of this device after only 3 years of ownership. Shame, as the architecture and sound are very good when it's working.

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    Not great at all

    An overhyped underperformer. Poor definition in the mid-to-high range lacking openness and vitality. Buy if you like but you’ll likely wish you hadn’t, just as I have.

    Overhyped, overpriced products that never fail to underperform, I bought a CXN V2 to pair with the CXA 80 and got rid of it shortly afterwards. A £20 google chromecast dongle did exactly the same job in terms of music quality. That sums this up perfectly. 

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