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Thread: Amplifier advice please!!! Cambridge cxa60 vs cxa80

  1. #21
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: surrey, uk

    Posts: 82
    I'm richard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard10909 View Post
    Well today I have decided to buy a new cxa80 with 24 months warranty. I'm a bit unsure with some second hands because my old alpha was and it had a little crackle down at low end volumes. Maybe it just needed some switch cleaner. However I must say I've plugged in the cxa80 to my 8200cdq and the sound is alot different. It's much more open and clearer. I can hear little details that the Arcam just never presented. I had an old Cambridge years ago, one of there cheaper products and never liked it, thought it was a bit gutless. This amp however I'm really liking so far. It has plenty of connectivity and nice build quality (apart from the binding posts on the back). I wouldn't say the bass is not as low down as claimed but I haven't got chance to crank it up properly yet, neighbours home��however the mid range and top end is a very noticeable improvement. Maybe now to upgrade my speakers in the future!
    Congrats on your new bundle.

    What Alpha have you got? I have the 7R up in the attic. Still a good budget amp.
    Leema Pulse MKI; Electrocompaniet PC-1; PMC TB2i; Denon TU-260 MKII; Pro-ject Xpression 1 with ClearAudio Classic Wood cartridge

  2. #22
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

    Posts: 4,173
    I'm Jez.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dauntless View Post
    I thought long and hard about responding to this post. It was obviously aimed at me. Well you're right Jez, there's an awful lot of things I know little or nothing about. I base my posts on this forum on things that I have had experience of using over a time period. I only post if I think I have had some experience/usage of the topic in question, otherwise I keep quiet. I must say that it seems a rather curious way to promote yourself and your business interests by attacking the very market that you should be trying to nurture and develop. Running a business is one area that I have experience of and you don't insult your customer base! You say there is nothing new in amps but a few op amps. Well some folk might disagree with you like Bruno at Hypex for instance. He seems to spend his time researching and developing new, affordable well designed products and bringing them to the market. His AS2.100D plate amp is one such product. It is a groundbreaking product and there is nothing like it on the market. Bruno is out there delighting his market and making a good living from it. A win/win situation for him and his customers. I've never been aware of him slagging off his customer base on forums. He's much too busy designing and developing and bringing to the market products for that! With your technical Knowledge you could follow his example.
    Absolutely not aimed at you or at any specific individual but at the world of hi fi in general, which I am increasingly at odds with and find more ridiculous on a daily basis. I too do continuous R & D and in fact have many dozens of new products... which I can't afford to put on the market.
    As to what potential customers may think.... There will be some who appreciate zero bullshit, honesty, a refusal to jump on any fad of a gravy train and technical excellence. The ones who wish to have their sometimes bizarre ideas pandered to, are maybe looking for sycophancy and want affirmation that maybe placing a banana on each speaker improves the sound can please take their business elsewhere!

    If my latest range of products in the form of full function pre amp, line stage and phono stage does not take off, (and I'm not expecting it to as in spite of it being intended to be so good it will be a no-brainer purchase, no doubt the fact that it won't be in hi fi mags or dealers shelves and it doesn't say Naim or Audionote on the front panel will guarantee zero sales...time will tell), then I may well leave hi fi altogether, (do I hear a cheer?) other than for my own use, and go back into industrial electronics R & D, and start to make enough money to have a life once more etc....

    My world of hi fi is the one of Angus McKenzie, Donald Aldous, Gordon J King, Peter Walker and Peter Baxandall etc. One where scientific method, technical competence, the laws of physics and careful measurement were EVERYTHING and, back then, anyone suggesting magic mains cables, fuses, interconnects etc would have been laughed at.

    Then the clever marketing people got involved..... And boy did post-truth start early in hi fi! We now live in a world of hi fi where measuring things properly is frowned on, even being bothered by technical measurements, and therefore competence, is frowned upon and snake oil merchants are held in higher regard then engineers... people will spout technical diarrhoea at the drop of a hat based on something they only half understood in an article in Hi Fi World two year ago... and which was itself only half right... and when told the truth, want to shoot the messenger....

    We live in a hi fi environment today where if someone suggested dipping mains plugs in carrot juice improved the sound, then instead of being rightly ridiculed, many would believe them and actually try it.... some would decide it really works even!

    It's a world I really want nothing to do with TBH... So. no I'm not someone who will say nothing, to avoid "rocking the boat", when the bananas on top of the speakers are postulated, or will refrain from calling you an idiot if you suggest dipping mains plugs in carrot juice!!.... (or would have done/wish to would be more accurate, as it has been made clear to me that suggesting eg "dipping mains plugs in carrot juice improves sound" is fine on this site, welcomed even, but suggesting it's idiotic/impossible would put me in breach of site rules and looking at a ban. Yes you couldn't make it up and the lunatics have taken over the asylum but them's the rules... So next time something like this actually comes up for debate my input will be notable by its absence).

    If honesty, a belief that the truth will out and that science, not mumbo jumbo, is what really matters, makes me so disliked that no one wants to buy anything from me... then so be it. I'm not in this game for the money.... Virtually any other occupation, including stacking supermarket shelves, would make me a better income than I make from hi fi ,and the only way to get a small fortune from hi fi is to start with a large one!

    So why do I do it? Because it's a subject I love and which fascinates me and has never failed to arouse my curiosity since being a kid. Because I'm good at it. Because as a direct seller freed from dealer mark up , I believe I can build equipment with a true claim to being the best in the world at any price point. That's why

    Own opinions only and YMMV etc
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

    Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
    ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
    Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
    Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco

  3. #23
    Join Date: Nov 2013

    Location: newcastle upon tyne

    Posts: 325
    I'm peter.

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    Well I believe in you Jez and stand by your products as being excellent vfm. As they would have said back in the old days
    FTW
    there's no justice just us
    HEGEL H100 integrated amp
    REGA rp6/exact cart
    REGA Apollo r CD
    NEAT ELITE SE loudspeakers
    BERESFORD bushmaster mk2 dac
    Powered by a DEBEN tracer battery
    Mc5000 klotz ms audio cables(cheers Brian).
    REGA couple 2 ics
    JEZ ARKLESS phono stage
    RUSS ANDREWS powermax mains cables
    ISOTEK POLARIS mains block
    ATLAS Speaker cables
    CREEK OBH21 SE head amp
    BRIANS silver hybrid ics

  4. #24
    Join Date: Jan 2017

    Location: Havant

    Posts: 21
    I'm Richard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by plastic penguin View Post
    Congrats on your new bundle.

    What Alpha have you got? I have the 7R up in the attic. Still a good budget amp.


    Is an Alpha 7, not the River. Plenty of power, thought it was fairly warm tbh but not the same detail like the new cxa80

  5. #25
    Join Date: Jan 2017

    Location: Havant

    Posts: 21
    I'm Richard.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    Nice.... has a Cirrus Logic WM8740 chip inside. Big trannie too. Enjoy

    Thanks. Yes indeed, will be good for digital inputs, I'm not sure if the 8200cdq chip is better, which is the ESS Sabre 32 9018

  6. #26
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: cheltenham

    Posts: 746
    I'm matt.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard10909 View Post
    Thanks. Yes indeed, will be good for digital inputs, I'm not sure if the 8200cdq chip is better, which is the ESS Sabre 32 9018
    I've heard a few people say those Sabre chips can sound a bit thin. Some people used to complain that the old Dacmagic (2 x WM8740) was a bit too lively (Mine sounds great but It has Teddy Regs and a PFM flea fitted).

    Let us know what you think, I'm tempted to try a CA CXAxx amp after my experience of the excellent little CA AM1.

  7. #27
    Join Date: Jan 2017

    Location: Havant

    Posts: 21
    I'm Richard.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fatmarley View Post
    I've heard a few people say those Sabre chips can sound a bit thin. Some people used to complain that the old Dacmagic (2 x WM8740) was a bit too lively (Mine sounds great but It has Teddy Regs and a PFM flea fitted).

    Let us know what you think, I'm tempted to try a CA CXAxx amp after my experience of the excellent little CA AM1.

    Tomorrow I'm going to try the balanced xlr and optical input and see what if any difference I hear. Also that way of can hear the difference between the two chips. Il let you know ��

  8. #28
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: cheltenham

    Posts: 746
    I'm matt.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard10909 View Post
    Tomorrow I'm going to try the balanced xlr and optical input and see what if any difference I hear. Also that way of can hear the difference between the two chips. Il let you know ��

  9. #29
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: surrey, uk

    Posts: 82
    I'm richard.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard10909 View Post
    Is an Alpha 7, not the River. Plenty of power, thought it was fairly warm tbh but not the same detail like the new cxa80
    Yes, the Alpha range is generally a little smoother** than other makes and the later DIVA range of Arcs. I also owned the A65+ -- a cracker for the money, and more neutral.

    ** Alpha 10 was a lean, mean machine in its day.
    Leema Pulse MKI; Electrocompaniet PC-1; PMC TB2i; Denon TU-260 MKII; Pro-ject Xpression 1 with ClearAudio Classic Wood cartridge

  10. #30
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Wakefield west yorkshire

    Posts: 1,930
    I'm James.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arkless Electronics View Post
    Absolutely not aimed at you or at any specific individual but at the world of hi fi in general, which I am increasingly at odds with and find more ridiculous on a daily basis. I too do continuous R & D and in fact have many dozens of new products... which I can't afford to put on the market.
    As to what potential customers may think.... There will be some who appreciate zero bullshit, honesty, a refusal to jump on any fad of a gravy train and technical excellence. The ones who wish to have their sometimes bizarre ideas pandered to, are maybe looking for sycophancy and want affirmation that maybe placing a banana on each speaker improves the sound can please take their business elsewhere!

    If my latest range of products in the form of full function pre amp, line stage and phono stage does not take off, (and I'm not expecting it to as in spite of it being intended to be so good it will be a no-brainer purchase, no doubt the fact that it won't be in hi fi mags or dealers shelves and it doesn't say Naim or Audionote on the front panel will guarantee zero sales...time will tell), then I may well leave hi fi altogether, (do I hear a cheer?) other than for my own use, and go back into industrial electronics R & D, and start to make enough money to have a life once more etc....

    My world of hi fi is the one of Angus McKenzie, Donald Aldous, Gordon J King, Peter Walker and Peter Baxandall etc. One where scientific method, technical competence, the laws of physics and careful measurement were EVERYTHING and, back then, anyone suggesting magic mains cables, fuses, interconnects etc would have been laughed at.

    Then the clever marketing people got involved..... And boy did post-truth start early in hi fi! We now live in a world of hi fi where measuring things properly is frowned on, even being bothered by technical measurements, and therefore competence, is frowned upon and snake oil merchants are held in higher regard then engineers... people will spout technical diarrhoea at the drop of a hat based on something they only half understood in an article in Hi Fi World two year ago... and which was itself only half right... and when told the truth, want to shoot the messenger....

    We live in a hi fi environment today where if someone suggested dipping mains plugs in carrot juice improved the sound, then instead of being rightly ridiculed, many would believe them and actually try it.... some would decide it really works even!

    It's a world I really want nothing to do with TBH... So. no I'm not someone who will say nothing, to avoid "rocking the boat", when the bananas on top of the speakers are postulated, or will refrain from calling you an idiot if you suggest dipping mains plugs in carrot juice!!.... (or would have done/wish to would be more accurate, as it has been made clear to me that suggesting eg "dipping mains plugs in carrot juice improves sound" is fine on this site, welcomed even, but suggesting it's idiotic/impossible would put me in breach of site rules and looking at a ban. Yes you couldn't make it up and the lunatics have taken over the asylum but them's the rules... So next time something like this actually comes up for debate my input will be notable by its absence).

    If honesty, a belief that the truth will out and that science, not mumbo jumbo, is what really matters, makes me so disliked that no one wants to buy anything from me... then so be it. I'm not in this game for the money.... Virtually any other occupation, including stacking supermarket shelves, would make me a better income than I make from hi fi ,and the only way to get a small fortune from hi fi is to start with a large one!

    So why do I do it? Because it's a subject I love and which fascinates me and has never failed to arouse my curiosity since being a kid. Because I'm good at it. Because as a direct seller freed from dealer mark up , I believe I can build equipment with a true claim to being the best in the world at any price point. That's why

    Own opinions only and YMMV etc
    These bananas have tightened up the bass no end
    novafidelity x40 music server/pre/dac, Arcam A39, roksan k3 power amp,Monitor Audio Monitor 50, Dali spektor 1, van damme interconnects and speaker cable, roskan k3 CD player

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