YOU MIGHT LOVE THIS ! Cambridge Audio EXA100

Cambridge Audio make some of the best value amplifiers on the market. The New EXA100 has trickle down tech from the £4,799 flagship Edge A, but for less than half the price. So, how good is the EXA100?

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Time stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Design & features
3:28 Technical insights
8:02 Sound quality
13:25 Conclusion

[funkychicken]

When I see your channel pop up on my feed… I click… I hit like… I watch… regardless of the product.

[bassandtrebleclef]

Love this type of review where you take the top off so we can all get a look at where the money was - or was not - spent.

[wyup]

I must say I love how well you intonate lately, almost singing like a reassuring pilot addresses their passengers. Joke aside, I don't know anyone who describes the house sound of a brand so well.

[ibrahimmoss]

Thank you. In my opinion, you are the standard bearer when it comes to audio reviewers.

[SandsOfArrakis]

Cambridge Audio user here.

CXA81 amplifier in the living room. With a CXC V2 CD transport directly connected to it using an optical digital cable. My CXN V2 network streamer connects to a FIIO K11 R2R DAC. Which itself connects to the CXA81. I really prefer the more warmer, analog less clinical sound coming from the FIIO. Compared to the average delta-signma based chips.

My apartments living room is small, so my CXA81 is feeding a pair of JBL L52 Classic speakers supported by a JVC subwoofer.

I am very happy with the sound my setup produces. 😀

[cremersalex]

The inside looks better than the outside!

[morespinach]

Lovely review. So clear, trustworthy. And some subtle burns like “that remote won’t win them any design prizes” - haha.

[JCP-Ghy]

Great review Tarun. Good to see the Exposure 2510 holding its own. I appreciate your objectivity, which comes out when you review different products of the same brand. It never feels like you’re partial to any brand - you take each product as it comes 👏🏼

[AdiMaco]

Another excellent review! Cambridge Audio did an excellent job with this amplifier! The internals look like a product from a spaceship. Also, kudos to Cambridge for those Epcos capacitors (Musical Fidelity should take notes with those Jamicon on a 10K pound amplifier!).

[dgdave]

Glad to be here among the first to view this and appreciate!

[KurnazTilki-gc]

I started watching audiophile review lately, and quickly your channel became my favorite.

You have balanced inputs (pun intended) about cheap to very expensive gears, and such a pleasant voice and flow.

❤

[bobb.]

I am an American Audiophile McIntosh/Schiit here….but out of all the gear you have reviewed recently I am most intrigued by The Atoll Line of Products! They truly look impressive.

[michaeldina]

I enjoy your content so much that when I see a new video I press it so fast I don’t even get a chance to read the title.

[jeremiahchamberlin]

Responding to your question about built-in DACs, in my experience the built-ins usually offer a slightly different sound than the external units. They often sound a bit smoother than my Yggdrasil + OG, and sometimes I prefer it, like the Burr-Brown quad setup in my McIntosh SACD player. But then again, with my Sony AV receiver, the built-in DAC is far clearer then the aging ESS chip in my Oppo 105 SACD player; well, I guess that’s comparing two built-ins against each other. Best, by far, is the built-in DAC found in my Auralic Altair, it is so quiet, I had to turn my old McIntosh MQ104 environmental EQ off because I could suddenly hear how much noise it was contributing to the signal, and bass from the Altair is so clear and powerful.
Bottom line: I dare say that unless you’re at the $10, 000 USD level per component, the built-in DACs of components in the $3, 000 to $5, 000 range should suffice for most purposes; if your budget is limiting you to components in the $1, 000 to $2, 000 USD range, then spending $2, 500 or more on an external DAC will yield significant benefits to your system’s sound quality. Your mileage may vary.

[SlapshodWingnut]

Nice review. Getting a real Barry Norman vibe from your videos. Which is no bad thing, as I really liked Film.

[dbert]

another good informative video! i'm 70 yrs old, i've had and i have alot of audio equipment .some vintage some new. i do have a cambridge topaz am 10 i use for a smallish listening room and i love the sound . however i wish that cambridge would dispatch there idiotic front, cheap looking front panel with the stupid tiny push buttons and replace it with something with more retro switches with VU meters.. and a moving magnet phono stage for god sake .i would buy this in one tenth of a moment .. i would. and after all, you know... us audio folks like to look at beautiful glowing lights and touch beautiful knobs..(pun intended).greetings from connecticut ..USA.

[mikecampbell]

Well made and a very handsome unit. Much like yourself! I don't need a phono stage. I recently donated my turntable to a charity store a few months ago. I hadn't used it in nearly 20 years.

[basberends]

I lover your reviews Tarun. To answer your question: I delibertry bought the AudioLab 8300, so without an integrated DAC but with proper phono stage for my Mid Tier Pro Ject record player. Brilliant: the tightest bass possible imo, but not the most deep and broad sound, so I use it bi-amped with a class A amplifier (NOT via the pre amp of the Audiolab: that kills all the fun) for the mid/highs. I use several separate DAC's, but the best until now is the ROSE RT 5000.

[Scopolamine]

With every review that you have made I am getting a much better opinion of the way you voice components. I enjoyed this review very much. Keep them coming

[AmericanAudiophile]

I’m a big fan of Cambridge products. They represent excellent value for the money with tendencies towards warm and rich sounding devices. And I agree that the onboard dacs are pretty good and are classified accordingly.
If you had to start with Cambridge products and end with them, you’d probably be happy.