Cambridge Audio AXA25-25 Watt Separate Integrated Stereo Amplifier HiFi System Featuring Tone and Balance Control with Front Aux Input - Lunar Grey

Product Information

It should be noted though that abusing the tone controls to get more bass out of a low-powered system is not always a good idea. It’s nothing to do with some snobbish view that “it’s not how hi-fi should be heard” blah blah, but because with a 35W amp excessive use of the tone controls at high volume will cause the amp to clip sooner. Clipping, a flattening of the peaks in the audio waveform, is more often than not the cause of blown speakers, not excessive power. Thus you’re more likely to damage your speakers with this amp if you turn the bass to max and crank up the volume than you will if you leave the tone controls flat. It’s true to say that the new casework is better, but examples of poorly damped biscuit-tin casework are more prevalent in boutique British equipment at several times the price of any Cambridge. Poorly built casework and preschool electronics design aside, some of that gear is ugly enough to offend a blind man’s sense of aestheticism. Just like the partnering CD player, the AXA35 feels solid when you lift it. There’s no flex in its casework which is perfectly fitted and neatly presented with the side screws in deep recesses to obscure them from view. The top of the amp is vented with a grid of tiny holes to let the heat escape, though it doesn’t get above mildly warm in operation. Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply 2 thoughts on “ Cambridge Audio AXA35 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed” Very good, I had a demo of the CXN streamer and CXA60 amp last week in Brum RS and was very impressed.

Cambridge Audio AXA35 Review | Trusted Reviews Cambridge Audio AXA35 Review | Trusted Reviews

By the standards of budget-conscious stereo amplifiers, the Cambridge Audio AXA35 is a remarkably self-assured listen. No matter the sort of material you serve it up, there’s no suggestion it ever feels out of its depth. Cambridge do not give a spec into a 4Ω load, which is unsurprising given that the power supply isn’t built to drive difficult or low impedance loads. Larger reservoir caps, for example, would have given the AXA35 a significant bump in headroom and a bit more grunt. It’s not uncommon to see 4700UF caps as a minimum on the PSU rails of a DIY-built Gainclone. You could up the voltage too – the LM3886 can handle peak input voltages of +/-94V, and comfortably up to +/-40V with ample cooling, which the AXA35 certainly provides. If we ignore the poor customer service and the spotty quality control, when they work, they work exceptionally well. And keep in mind that the spotty quality control is based on Internet rumors. The LM3886 does, however, have inbuilt protection against over and under-voltage, power supply and output short circuits, thermal runaway and instantaneous temperature peaks. They are durable and reliable chips and offer excellent performance comparable to a discrete output stage. Regardless of the amplifier you use you should always consider its limitations in partnering equipment and the environment. I’ve fixed a few AM10s over the years with blown output chips all as a result of driving too heavy a load at too high a volume. If your system is obviously distorting or if you’re running the amp at or near its maximum volume, upgrade to a model with more power. For many, the analogue sound remains as compelling as ever, and our turntables make it as easy as possible to enjoy your record collection.

In This Article

PLATZ GOLDENES OHR "Der AXA25 ist ein Wundertier [...] Wir lieben ihn, Sie werden ihn lieben, sobald Sie den Mut gefasst haben, ihn in Ihr Heim zu lassen." However, I’d be interested to know what you find so terrible about the sound. Obviously, it’s subjective but mine is feeding B&W 800Ds via KW pre/powers and sounds very, very good with 44/16 FLAc from a NAS and gets even better with DSD/DFF files or Tidal Masters. My first Philips CD player top loader from 1992 lasted 20 years, my Roberts slot loader from 2002 about 7 years and my Cambridge tray loader from 2013 about 3 years... Is this a trend? It just serves to tell you that mains power is coming to the amp. You have to work out for yourself whether the amp is actually on or off. At the bottom end, the AXA35 and AXC35 show off another common Cambridge trait. Not only is the bass firm, detailed and blessed with excellent timing, but when things become more dance orientated it laps up a decent beat. Spinning The Divine Comedy’s I’ve Been To A Marvellous Party is an absolute hoot as the Cambridge duo makes a fine job of Neil Hannon’s soft murmurings during the verses, and then hit their stride with the thumping techno beat in the choruses. Give this combo a bangin’ tune and it loves it – pushing it out with confidence and punch.

AXA25 | Cambridge Audio

Amazing service I bought this a couple of days ago in store and I received the best advice and help.My son wanted to upgrade his turntable and he got exactly that. The frequency response is relatively flat. There’s a gentle roll-off below 100Hz and above 10kHz, but it’s only 0.2dB down at 20Hz and 20kHz, the limits of the audio band. In reality this won’t be audible, so any characteristic sound will be due to its limitations in power, component-level tuning and preamplifier noise more than anything else. There are connections for a single pair of speakers and a grounded IEC power inlet. Both amps feature an eco-friendly standby mode which consumes only 0.5W of power, and an automatic power-down function that can be disabled by holding the power button for a few seconds. A flashing standby light indicates status of the APD – five flashes for disabled, ten flashes for enabled.I founded Audio Appraisal a few years ago and continue to regularly update it with fresh content. An avid vinyl collector and coffee addict, I can often be found at a workbench tinkering with a faulty electronic device, tweaking a turntable to extract the last bit of detail from those tiny grooves in the plastic stuff, or relaxing in front of the hi-fi with a good album. A musician, occasional producer and sound engineer, other hobbies include software programming, web development, long walks and occasional DIY.

AXA25 - Integrated Stereo Amplifier | Cambridge Audio UK

I am wondering if anyone has any heads up about two budget-friendly amplifiers for my Pro-Ject turntable: Onkyo A-9110 and Cambridge Audio AXA25. They're both in the same price range (around 250) and have similar specs. I like the barebones/analog kind of approach here (there wouldn't be any margin for bells and whistles at that price point), and what I would like to achieve is to get the best possible sound around that budget. I mainly listen to Jazz and Classical records. One of the key differentiators is the user interface. The AXA25 has old-fashioned analogue knobs for bass, treble, volume and balance. I presume that it is a fully analogue component design, though I don’t have one here so I can’t lift the lid to say for sure. The AXA35 has a digital interface as evidenced by the push-button input selection and digitally-controlled volume, complete with volume level display and tone and balance controls hidden behind a simple menu system. Assuming I’m right about the AXA25’s implementation of good old-fashioned potentiometers, the better AXA35 should be a significant jump in performance without the channel mismatch and noise issues associated with cheaper analogue pots. Another peculiarity is that the USB port fitted to the rear only provides power to a connected USB item – it is not actually an audio input. Also at the rear are a set of good-quality loudspeaker binding posts and Cambridge continues its tradition of labelling all its available connections both upside down – so that you can see the input you’re grappling with on the rear panel when looking over the top of unit – as well as the right way up, which all helps to make interconnect and speaker cable connections a doddle.The preamp appears similar if not identical to the AM10. It is responsible for most of the noise in the amp’s output – 79.8dB signal to noise ratio (A-wtd, ref 0dBW). It’s a bit of a shame Cambridge didn’t spec up the preamp a bit to better match the performance of the output stage. Nevertheless it is well designed with NE5532s unsurprisingly making up the basis of its audio circuitry and input selection and volume control handled by digital logic. Also purely andecdotally, my parents have a Cambridge Audio CD player and DAC that they bought in the 1990s. Both are still going strong and they've never had an issue with either.

Cambridge Audio AXA35/AXC35 | Hi-Fi Choice Cambridge Audio AXA35/AXC35 | Hi-Fi Choice

I set the volume knob to my normal listening level, which pointed to about 'half-past-seven'. So the volume was hardly turned up at all.

After connecting it up to my nice but equally old JVC CD player, and Goodmans plastic covered chipboard 3-way passive Q70 speakers, I turned it all on. Unsure on the differences between the two or which you need for your system? Our blog has the answers for you… The AXA35 is a stereo amplifier that slots into Cambridge Audio’s new AX range of hi-fi components. With a focus on performance and affordability, the AXA35 boasts more features than the step-down AXA25, including a built-in phono stage for turntables. If you own a CD collection you’re going to need something to play it on. Our range of CD players are designed to extract every last detail from your discs.