EVO ONE
All-in-One Wireless Streaming Speaker
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Rewarding Power
CXA81 Mk II builds on the success of its multi award-winning predecessors. We haven’t looked back since making our first integrated amplifier in 1968, always looking for new ways to improve your listening experience – while recognising that great sound never goes out of fashion.
CXA81 Mk II is effortless, poised and sophisticated – only more so. 80 watts per channel give it complete authority over your music, to reveal every emotion and nuance contained within it.
Raising the Standard
How do we improve on CXA81, an amplifier regarded by many as the standard-bearer at its price point?
Focusing on the all-important signal path, we re-engineered it with premium components end to end, plus an upgraded DAC and a whole load of listening and tuning; all part of a relentless drive to deliver new clarity and depth.
The outcome? Audio performance that goes way beyond expectations.
Your World’s a Stage
What hits you first when you hear familiar music through CXA81 Mk II, is just how detailed everything sounds. You’ll pick up instruments, subtle shifts in tone, and harmonies you’ve previously missed. Close your eyes, and you’ll be able to place every musician in the soundstage.
Once you’ve heard CXA81 Mk II, there’s no turning back.
Effortlessly Musical
At the centre of CXA81 Mk II lies a custom-designed Class AB power amplifier stage with highly optimised components. It takes the musicality of Class A and blends it with the efficiency of Class B. The amp’s short signal path is super-efficient, leaving little opportunity for colouration.
The result is a detailed sound that connects you to the emotional power of your music.
Power!
Thanks to a chunky toroidal transformer, CXA81 Mk II delivers a generous 80 watts of power per channel. Dual taps into the left and right of the amplification board mean that, in effect, each channel has its own power supply – resulting in a vivid soundstage.
Dynamic shifts in music – like loud then quiet passages – are handled with ease.
Digital Love
Designed to bring your digital music to life, CXA81 Mk II features the upgraded ESS ES9018K2M DAC (digital analogue converter) in its dedicated circuitry. This means that digital audio files, up to a heady 24-bit/384kHz or DSD256, are unpacked – with every subtle detail delivered in full.
CXA81 Mk II combines unparalleled accuracy with vivid musicality, doing so beautifully.
Get Connected
CXA81 Mk II has connectivity covered. As well as digital optical, coaxial and USB Audio (from computers), it features stereo RCA inputs, balanced XLR sockets plus wireless hi-res connectivity via Bluetooth aptX HD – perfect for our Alva turntables.
You can even connect a second set of speakers, to hear your music in another room.
Total Control
Designed to work with carefully matched kit of a comparable quality, CXA81 Mk II isn’t festooned with switches and dials – to keep the signal path clear. Its minimal aluminium fascia has a power button, input selectors and a beautifully smooth volume control.
It’s also supplied with a CX Series remote control, which you can use with other products in the series.
Designed for Life
With elegant, minimalistic lines, crafted from aluminium and steel, CXA81 Mk II will endure physically and aesthetically. There should be no reason to change an amplifier for many years, if at all.
Making products that last is just one of the ways that we can minimise our impact on the planet and maximise your listening pleasure.
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Technical Specifications
POWER OUTPUT 80W RMS into 8 Ohms, 120W RMS into 4 Ohms DAC ESS Sabre ES9018K2M FREQUENCY RESPONSE <5Hz– 60kHz +/-1dB ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS 1x balanced XLR, 4 x RCA COMPATIBILITY TOSLINK optical: 16/24bit 32-96kHz PCM only, S/PDIF coaxial: 16/24bit 32-192kHz PCM only, USB: audio profile 1.0/2.0 (default 2.0), up to 24-bit 384kHz PCM, up to DSD256 or DoP256, Bluetooth: 4.2 A2DP/AVRCP supporting up to aptX HD (24bit 48kHz) BLUETOOTH APTX HD RECEIVER BUILT-IN Yes ROON TESTED Yes REMOTE CONTROL Yes MAX POWER CONSUMPTION 750W STANDBY POWER CONSUMPTION <0.5W DIMENSIONS (H X W X D) 115 x 430 x 341mm (4.5 x 16.9 x 13.4”) WEIGHT 8.7kg (19.1lbs) BOX CONTENTS CXA81 Integrated Amplifier, Power Cable, 3 x AAA Batteries, Remote Control, Control Bus Cable, Bluetooth antenna, Quick Start Guide, Safety Guide -
Product Support & Downloads
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2 Reviews
Most Musical Bang for Buck Amp Ever!
Read more Read lessI should have made my decision much earlier!
After 30 years, I decided to invest in a new stereo system. After the first song on the new combination CXN and CXA81 MK II, I was thrilled by the musicians who performed in my living room.
I should have made my decision much earlier!Read more Read less
So I’m a music nerd from way back. I was running McIntosh reference tube amp(s) in the 70s and 80s. After getting my kids grown and finally having a big enough house, the Klipsch LaScalas and the tube reference amp had to come out to play. After another 10 years, the tube amp started eating some very high dollar tubes and I cried uncle. I paired my other Cambridge pieces, CXN streamer, Azur CD, and Cambridge phono pre-amp, with your new CXA81 MKII and I have been smiling like a Cheshire Cat ever since. No more mixing and matching power tubes for my preferred music sources. I have found a very sweet spot for my ears with this amp. It handles everything brilliantly and importantly, is very neutral with very little coloration. I really appreciate the preamp subwoofer output that now allows me to really tune my active subwoofer to the room it’s in. I have found I was really missing some low end dynamic range that you have now supplied. I’m now enjoying everything I’ve got on vinyl, CD, digital, or Spotify. The new DAC in this amp is very, very musical to my old tube ears. And yes, I could have purchased a lot higher dollar reference amp to do the exact same thing in my opinion. But I truly appreciate a great bargain and engineering when I find it. Thank you for a job well done.
PS: I made the mistake of setting my phono preamp too close to the CXA81 MKII in my equipment stack. The nicely sized toroidal coil in this amp is a beast and can generate some pretty awesome buzz if you are too close with mission critical signals.