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Cambridge Audio CXN100
- Stunning Sound Quality - hear every detail from your digital music
- ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE32 Reference DAC - for stunning digital/analogue conversion
- StreamMagic Gen4 module - for full streaming capabilities, incl. MQA
- Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz & Deezer built-in - for the best possible sound
- High-resolution Internet Radio - thanks to MPEG-DASH support
- Roon Ready - consolidated browsing of your digital music collection
- Multiroom Capability - compatible with Google Home, Apple Airplay and Roon multiroom systems
- Flexible Digital Connectivity - with USB audio, Coaxial & TOSLINK or wirelessly with Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2 & Bluetooth
- Big hi-res colour screen - see album artwork from the comfort of your chair
Rewarding Performance
We shouldn’t have favourites but CXN100 is something else. Hi-fi specialists and our listeners alike loved its predecessor CXN V2 – just wait until they hear this.
CXN100 will instantly transform a classic hi-fi stack into a system with a bright future. And because it’s a network device, CXN100’s firmware can be upgraded remotely, via our StreamMagic app, to receive the latest services.
Forever Changes
The first thing you’ll notice is the big hi-res colour screen – all the better for album artwork. We’ve changed the volume control too, to do one thing well with a reassuringly tactile response. Inside, we take things up a level with a new ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE32 DAC and our Gen 4 StreamMagic module. Redesigned, expertly tuned, and simplified circuitry for a purer signal path, complete the picture.
Ready for the Revolution?
The convenience of streamed music was once let-down by its quality. That’s no longer the case – thanks to better CODECS, broadband speeds and products like CXN100. It’s designed to deliver the effortless accessibility of the digital format, but with the uncompromised sonic excellence that comes with over 55 years of designing hi-fi, and well over a decade perfecting our StreamMagic platform.
Whatever you Want
CXN100 has free and subscription hi-res streaming services, like internet radio, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect with MQA, Qobuz, and Deezer on board for the best available sound quality. With Apple Airplay2 and Chromecast built-in, you can access Apple Music, Amazon Music, BBC Sounds and more. CXN100 is also Roon Ready, consolidating your digital music browsing experience in one place.
The Whole Story
CXN100’s circuitry has been totally re-designed to capitalise on the ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE32 Digital Analogue Converter’s 32-bit capabilities. We’ve been able to simplify the audio signal path and tune our carefully chosen components’ performance to make sure that nothing comes between you and the original recording. The result? A warmth, depth and nuance not often associated with digital audio.
StreamMagic
If the DAC is the CXN100’s heart, then our StreamMagic Gen 4 module is its brain. It runs our custom-made streaming platform and app, which we’ve perfected for well-over a decade. It’s responsible for the network player’s slick, seamless and stable listening experience from any digital source. CXN100’s firmware can also be upgraded over-the-air to receive updates and access to new services.
Control. Pure and Simple
A beautifully smooth volume dial and large colour display take the experience of playing music from CXN100 up a level. The StreamMagic app is your remote control, giving you intuitive command of connected sources – curate playlists, program pre-sets or browse albums from the comfort of your listening position. CXN100 also works with the physical remote control supplied with CXC and CXA components.
Remote control available here
Designed for Life
With elegant, minimalistic lines, crafted from aluminium and steel, CXN100 will endure physically and aesthetically for many years to come. Its ability to receive over-air updates should repay your investment too. Making products that last is just one of the ways that we can minimise our impact on the planet and maximise your listening pleasure. After all, great sound shouldn’t cost the Earth.
The Best Just Got Better
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Cambridge Audio CXN100 — polished, future-proof streamer
The CXN100 stakes its claim as a versatile, musical hub for modern systems, centred on an ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE DAC and Cambridge's Gen4 StreamMagic. It delivers an even, detailed sound with a wide, layered soundstage where vocals sit natural and bass is controlled yet powerful. Reviewers including What Hi‑Fi? and SoundStage Solo highlight its clarity, dynamics and imaging, while The Ear and others praise the expanded streaming toolkit (AirPlay 2, Chromecast, TIDAL/Qobuz, Roon Ready, MQA, native DSD up to x512). The chassis, high‑resolution display and StreamMagic app make it straightforward to live with, and its combination of features and performance keeps it a compelling value at this price.
Pros
- Reference-class ESS SABRE ES9028Q2M DAC with broad hi‑res and native DSD support, delivering low distortion and strong dynamic range.
- Expansive, well-layered soundstage and precise imaging that give recordings width and convincing front‑to‑back depth.
- Comprehensive, modern streaming toolbox—Gen4 StreamMagic, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, TIDAL/Qobuz/Deezer, Spotify/TIDAL Connect and Roon Ready—making integration and multiroom use effortless.
- Solid build, a larger high‑resolution colour display and an intuitive StreamMagic app produce a polished, user-friendly everyday experience.
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Cons
- Tends toward a leaner, less warm presentation than the previous CXN V2 on some systems, so pairing with brighter electronics/speakers can sound thin.
- Bluetooth implementation supports only SBC and AAC codecs (no aptX/LDAC), limiting highest-fidelity wireless playback.
- Digital-volume/preamp mode is convenient but not as transparent as using an outboard preamp—users seeking the last ounce of resolution may prefer a separate preamp.
Digital Performance
91/100
Built around the ESS ES9028Q2M, reviews highlight excellent conversion, low distortion and strong dynamics: The Ear cites "superb dynamic range and ultra-low distortion" and precise timing/filtering that yields jitter-free clarity. Multiple reviews stress high-resolution and native DSD handling (up to DSD512) and reliable, bit‑perfect playback via the Gen4 StreamMagic module.
Sound Quality
92/100
Across reviews the CXN100 is described as expansive and spacious with good depth and precise imaging: Future Audiophile and StereoNET both describe a broad, deep soundstage with well-placed, believable images, and What Hi‑Fi calls it "expansive, open." The streamer consistently creates clear front‑to‑back layering and stable imaging.
Build Quality
90/100
Reviewers note elegant, solid construction and an improved, high‑resolution colour display: Future Audiophile and The Ear praise the fit and finish and Cambridge's "renowned exceptional build quality," and What Hi‑Fi and StereoNET call the chassis and finish on par with the CX series. No mechanical or reliability concerns are raised.
Features Connectivity
94/100
Feature set is comprehensive for a streamer: balanced XLR and RCA analogue outputs, coaxial and optical digital I/O, USB Type B, Bluetooth 5.1 (SBC/AAC), AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify/TIDAL/Qobuz/Deezer, MQA, and Roon Ready. Reviews (What Hi‑Fi, Future Audiophile, The Ear) emphasize high-res PCM to 768kHz, native DSD512 support, StreamMagic Gen4 (app), and broad multiroom compatibility, making it highly versatile.
Value for Money
93/100
Multiple reviewers call the CXN100 an excellent value at its price (~$1,099 / £899): Future Audiophile labels it an "excellent example," StereoNET and What Hi‑Fi call it "superb value" and "the one to beat at this level," and The Ear highlights a strong generational step in functionality and value. Reviewers justify the price relative to features and performance.
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