Cambridge CXN (V2) next acquisition

afterburnt
afterburnt Posts: 7,892
in Going Digital
Does anyone have one, thoughts? I got a Marantz streamer but did not like it for various reasons and sent it back. It sounded great but it was lacking compared to my Aries Mini.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Tophat has one. He really likes it.
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    I have one
    I like it
    For various reasons and it blew away the Node in my A/B test at the dealer. It should I guess for close to dbl the $$
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  • tophatjohnny
    tophatjohnny Posts: 4,182
    I have the 851N..different animal, while the CXN is more like the SM6, I really like the Cambridge line for what it is I do. The One Connect app works really good and handles my rather large digital library like a champion. Congrats and I'm thinking you will have fun with it. If you decide to go up a notch, the 851N is no slouch when it comes to Network players and it's easy on the pocketbook. Very happy with mine. Let us know as you go along how you like it and what all are you using it for...USB or UPnP?? NAS in the line up?? I think the CXN also displays album artwork (although looking at tiny album covers doesn't do it for me, I guess it's still kinda cool??) :)
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Ah tes, i stand corrected
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    The screen was actually one of the draws for me. Nice to have it as a backup to app control should you want to control it all El Manual
    The DAC in it sounds as good as my PS Audio Stellar Pre. I use it with Tidal, a local usb thumb drive with all kinds of hi-res files on it (DSD, WAV, FLAC etc), Internet radio (320k and up), Chromecast (SoundCloud from the phone) and also as a Sonos connection. It’s very versatile and has a plethora of inputs.

    I have a universal remote (Harmony) so I have not used the remote much but it’s heavy and sturdy. The unit looks sleek in a rack but unfortunately I have to stack in my current setup.
    XLR’s connect it to the PS Audio pre. And I swapped the power cable for a Zu Audio one.

    The app is pretty good. Only crashes every now and then. Has the ability to control most all of the unit sans internal settings. Tidal’s interface is simple but effective. You can also search for internet radio through the app, and of course search for drives in your network or connected locally.

    Pics.


    2ai4pobdbalo.jpeg
    f150yi5o3do6.jpeg
    ap7ru07z3t6e.jpeg

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  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    @joecoulson Have you tried WMA lossless files?
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    No. Have not tried just because I don’t have any. I typically use DSD, WAV or FLAC only for hi res.
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    And I believe our very own @DSkip is about to become a CA dealer.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    My Google-Fu is failing me, is there an easy way to disable/defeat the built in volume control, so that it isn't getting in the way of the signal?
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  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    google fu?
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    afterburnt wrote: »
    google fu?

    Let me google that for you: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Google-fu
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,791
    afterburnt wrote: »
    google fu?
    Clipdat wrote: »
    afterburnt wrote: »
    google fu?

    Let me google that for you: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Google-fu

    that's meta, man....

    ;)

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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Yes. It’s an internal setting. Digital preamp on/off
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    Very nice!
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  • reverb
    reverb Posts: 67
    I have a CXN and like it a lot. It streams from my NAS flawlessly. I also use the digital out from the Denon DCD-1560 into the CXN. The DACs are better in it and as an added bonus, I can use the CXN volume control! When I'm not being lazy, you can bypass the volume control for a cleaner signal.
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    I picked up the CXN v2 yesterday and I am VERY happy with this purchase so far. Yesterday at Skip's we used it with Tidal and compared the internal DAC to an external DAC an plugged it into a few different speakers and amps. The DAC can be bested, but it holds it own for quite a bit, and when you're moving to an external DAC, it transfers the music perfectly without any noise being carried with it.

    At home I've only been using Spotify Connect so far. I'll doing a Tidal trial soon, but I want to make sure I have plenty of time at home with it before I dive into that.

    The biggest surprise to me was how easy the set up was. I don't know why I thought it would be difficult, but it really was a breeze and took minutes. I spent much longer rearranging wires and getting it into the rack than I spent on getting it up and running.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    Assuming you are using the analog outs, let us know how those dual Wolfsons sound after they get some more time on them.
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    displayname wrote: »
    I picked up the CXN v2 yesterday and I am VERY happy with this purchase so far. Yesterday at Skip's we used it with Tidal and compared the internal DAC to an external DAC an plugged it into a few different speakers and amps. The DAC can be bested, but it holds it own for quite a bit, and when you're moving to an external DAC, it transfers the music perfectly without any noise being carried with it.

    At home I've only been using Spotify Connect so far. I'll doing a Tidal trial soon, but I want to make sure I have plenty of time at home with it before I dive into that.

    The biggest surprise to me was how easy the set up was. I don't know why I thought it would be difficult, but it really was a breeze and took minutes. I spent much longer rearranging wires and getting it into the rack than I spent on getting it up and running.

    Nice this might be my next purchase while I am at Apoxana this spring I will be looking at all the vendors offering streamers. Enjoy your new Cambridge.
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    I have been very happy with it now for about half a year. DAC’s are almost as good (really probably as good) as the PS A stellar pre.
    App crashes and no Tidal Masters support are my only gripes. And they are very small gripes compared to the pluses.
    XLR our seemed to be a step above the RCA’s in my particular setup
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    The app will crash when:
    Opening it back up after playing something and then say answering a phone call or switching apps. When coming back to the CA app it will crash.
    It also crashes when opening up for the first time rarely.

    As far as MQA goes, there is built in support for Tidal on this unit, it’s advertised as such. It would make sense to me that a company would offer the services of its built in partner in their entirety, not just hifi streaming. Bluesound and some others do, not sure what CA does not. Regardless of how you feel about the format, and what tech is needed to “unfold” it’s just how I feel about the matter.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    https://techsupport.cambridgeaudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000579989-Does-the-TIDAL-update-support-MQA-playback-
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    Frankly, I consider it a bonus that they aren't natively supporting MQA in the box. MQA is nothing more than a marketing gimmick and form of proprietary DRM, designed with one goal: to line the pockets of already rich executives.

    The more companies that drop MQA or never choose to pay in to it's licensing fees, the better. Hopefully it'll eventually go away completely and we'll never have to talk about it again.
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Apple AirPort Extreme.
    Maybe it’s mine but give it time as you have only had it a day or so. You may or may not have those issues but I have read on other sites people had some crashes too.
    Not a big deal as I have said before. Just not flawless.
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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    I’ll talk about MQA as long as it bothers you.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    I'll let you guys know if I get any app crashes on my Samsung Galaxy S8.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,934
    It could also be individual phone specific. Way too many variables.
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,148
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Assuming you are using the analog outs, let us know how those dual Wolfsons sound after they get some more time on them.
    Yup, using the analog outs in my system. If the DAC opens up further I'll be very pleased, because I'm very happy with it right now for this price point.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,962
    DSkip wrote: »
    joecoulson wrote: »
    Apple AirPort Extreme.
    Maybe it’s mine but give it time as you have only had it a day or so. You may or may not have those issues but I have read on other sites people had some crashes too.
    Not a big deal as I have said before. Just not flawless.

    The issue with most app failures and crashes is network driven, not app driven. This is true with AURALiC, Lumin, and I highly suspect with Cambridge as well.

    To elaborate, these apps are very sensitive to your network - more sensitive than your streaming devices or computers. I had similar issues frequently but have had none since upgrading my network router. This is a common issue and the hardest thing to convince clients of.

    Good point Skip, and totally agree. The more streaming your doing the better your network needs to be. Overlooked by many.
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  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    I got mine today and it works like a charm although having Phil Collins staring at me from the little screen is kinda creeping me out. Good sounding right off the bat, got to spend some time with it. It's playing with itself right now.
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    DSkip wrote: »
    On the 851N you can cycle the screen to show album cover, song information, or both together.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    It's playing with itself right now.

    Let's hope the CXN is the only one doing that right now.

    It is Valentine’s Day. Let em play!!!😬
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