today we'll be taking a look at two new stereo receivers from cambridge audio
the axr85 and the axr100 while they have a lot in common there
are some differences and hopefully this video will help you better understand
which one is the best fit for your system ever since our first
listening session with a piece of cambridge audio gear back in 2017
we have been just totally blown away by how much sound they are able to pack
into very reasonably priced gear not only do their products sound great
but there's something about the way they reproduce music
that just makes you happy when you're listening as the name suggests
cambridge audio was started by some tech oriented audio lovers at cambridge
university the year was 1968 a time when england
was putting out some of the best music in the world
and the first cambridge audio integrated amp totally embodied what was becoming
known in the audio circles as classic british sound while many
audio companies were in a space race back then
most british companies focused more on the ultimate sound
than designing to have the best on paper specifications
the result was audio gear that gained a reputation of being very true to the
music with a pure sound that was neither edgy
or over bass-emphasized the first cambridge audio integrated
amplifier was the world's first to use a toroidal power
transformer and just about every product they have made since then
uses this technology now let's take a look at these two new
models to help you determine the best choice for your system
if you want to read the full article on the axr85 and axr100
be sure to click the link in the description that will take you to the
full review on our site now let's get started
i want to make a quick note that all of our shots you'll see in this video will
be of the axr85 but both models look almost identical
except for a few button labels and the addition of digital inputs on
the back of the axr100 but we'll be sure to show you those
differences when we discuss them every single piece of cambridge audio
equipment is designed and engineered at their facility in the uk
cambridge has a very long lasting relationship with an asian manufacturer
where all of their gear has been assembled for over 20 years
ensuring very consistent results the axr85
and axr100 are part of their new series from cambridge audio called the ax
series ax replaces their long-standing highly
regarded topaz series of gear with recent introductions in the models
ranging above the topaz from edge and cx cambridge audio decided it was
time to update their entire entry-level models
with some of the great tech they developed when designing the new cx
and edge lineups when you look at the axr85 and the axr100
they both look pretty much the same with the exception of the digital input
selection buttons on the axr100 both have a super clean look with their
brushed metal front panel with rounded corners and a very easy to
interpret front panel you'll find a curved piece near the
front which helps isolate the unit from any external vibrations
but at the same time makes it look like it's floating on a shelf
everything has a very solid feel from the buttons to the nice volume knob
flipping around to the back of the axr85 or axr100
you'll see something we don't normally find with receivers in this price range
very nice speaker binding posts normally you'll get those cheap push pin
connections for this price level but cambridge audio gives you a
connector that will make for a tight fit for your speaker cable
overall both of these units are exactly what we
have come to expect from cambridge audio they are made
far better than you would think for this price range and designed to make
operation and set up a snap the axr85 or axr100 fit the bill for someone
looking to put together a great sounding two channel stereo system
for a reasonable price both models give you three analog inputs
and a moving magnet phono stage input one of our favorite phono preamps for
the money is the cambridge audio solo and you can tell a lot of its great
sound made it inside the axr85 and axr100
cambridge audio used to sell a separate bluetooth adapter for their amps
but we find it very nice that they've included bluetooth
5.0 with both of these receivers this opens up the world of wireless music
from your smartphone if you wish the front panel gives you
one more analog input in the form of a mini plug and
you'll find a full size headphone jack on the front
finally since they are both stereo receivers both units include
a quite decent am fm tuner if you're assembling an analog only system
the axr85 will give you everything you need
but if your choices for sources might include some digital feeds like a tv
optical out or music streamers digital out the axr100
will give you two toslink and 1 coax optical inputs
these are not afterthought dacks either but high-end wolfson models capable of
handling high-res audio up to 192 kilohertz
in a nice touch the menu button will bring up adjustments for bass
treble and balance you can also access this from a remote control which will
allow you to fine tune things from your listening chair
the axr85 and axr100 both have a subwoofer output while it's
really great to see this on a stereo receiver
we do have a little bit of a gripe about how they implemented it
the crossover point is set to 200hz which is a little high in our opinion
we would have preferred more adjustments like you would find on a home theater
receiver but we see most people using the
subwoofer crossover anyway in that application these units look
pretty similar on the inside with the same
great toroidal power transformer and discrete boards for the preamp
and amp sections the power supply section is on the far
side with this massive and quite heavy toroidal transformer
with a power amp section in the center and the preamp boards all
isolated on the other side we observed nice discrete output devices in the
class a/b output section rather than the chips and
it's pretty impressive to see how well the units are laid out
internally the axr100 of course also adds a separate digital board new
products from cambridge audio have had a history of surprising us when we
listened so we are really anxious to test out these models
first we thought we would try out the axr85 on a pair of pretty decent
speakers so we grabbed a pair of goldenear
triton 7s to see how it could drive these floor standing speakers
which sell for roughly sixteen hundred dollars a pair from the very first notes
we could tell this receiver has much more juice than
you would expect for under four hundred dollars
the first track we played was joni mitchell's big yellow taxi from her 2007
shine album if you know this cut it has some lightly strung guitars playing
against some funky keyboard interludes with joni mitchell singing right in the
center on a great system it has a rhythmic quality that will
really get your toes tapping with everything comes together
you also get a really good sense of dynamic contrast from the guitars
and the keyboards if the amp can properly drive the speakers
needless to say we are grinning ear to ear and tapping our toes to the music
within seconds also the separation and effortless feel
to her voice was just fantastic going further down
the nostalgic highway we pulled out baba o'reilly from who's
next at about one minute in when keith moon
kicks in with the drums you can tell the axr85
could easily reproduce dynamics and hold up even when pushed
pretty hard although at pretty extreme levels we could tell it was running out
of steam where something like the bigger cxa81
would keep going next we gave some vinyl to spin using a
project debut carbon and its ortofon red moving magnet cartridge
the axr85 did very well here too with a very quiet phono preamp that does seem
pretty similar to their solo to our years when we tested the axa35
we did notice it ran out of gas sooner than the axr85 does
which in our mind makes the axr85 an even better value
for just $50 more you get more umph and bluetooth connectivity
and like the axa35 we tested to see what happens when you turn the volume
down really low we have found many
inexpensive amps or receivers do not have the linear
volume controls and you will lose one channel before the other one at
extremely low levels with the axr85 the image was dead
center until things went totally silent a real testament to its volume tracking
for $400 the axr85 just simply defies what you
would expect to hear for the money if you need digital inputs just a
hundred dollars more gets you the axr100 with a slight boost in power
with digital inputs for tv or streamers we think if you are just sticking with
analog and bluetooth the axr85 is going to be very hard to beat many
people just getting into the joys of hearing their music sound good on a
better system will be looking at components in the
price range of the axr85 and axr100 if good sound is at the top
of your list you really do not need to look any
further couple one of these with something like the paradigm atom or
klipsch rp600m and you will have a system that
will make you smile for years to come if you have any questions on either one
of these receivers or any other home audio or home theater
gear be sure to give us a call chat on our website with one of our
audio experts or stop into one of our raleigh or charlotte north carolina
showrooms thanks for watching if you enjoyed this
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we'll see you next time