CAMBRIDGE AUDIO call their CXN (V2) a 'network streamer'.

Essentially, it's a DAC + Streamer.

- Dual Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs
- ROON ready
- USB input
- Digital inputs - S/PDIF Coax and TOSLINK Optical
- Analogue outputs - Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA
- Digital audio outputs - S/PDIF Coax and TOSLINK Optical
- Compatibility - UPnP, USB audio 1.0 and 2.0, S/PDIF Toslink and Coaxial, Airplay 2, Chromecast built-in , Internet radio, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Qobuz, Bluetooth aptX (Bluetooth receiver not supplied)
- Audio formats - ALAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, DSD (x64), WMA, MP3, AAC, HE AAC, AAC+, OGG Vorbis
- Ethernet
- WiFi
- Remote control
- Price - £725 - US$1099 - NZ$1999

AUDIO APPRAISAL appreciates that the V2 retains the 'award-winning' sound of the original CXN:

" it’s refined and detailed, though upbeat and exciting to listen to. It offers impressive insight into a recording though with a lively, foot-tapping quality that seems to be a trait of the CX range as a whole.... The CXN V2 hasn’t lost the top end sparkle of the original CXN, so those wishing to avoid a bright system will want to take care in choosing partnering equipment. "


DARKO likes that the CXN V2 supports Chromecast, Spotify Connect & is Roon-ready & says:

" it’s Cambridge Audio’s attention to detail – the CXN (V2)’s menu system and its effortless hardware controls, its web interface, its remote wand – that round out this unit’s feature set to lay the bedrock for a user experience that’s effectively flawless "

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DARKO follows up with 5 More Thoughts on the CAMBRIDGE CXN (V2):

1) The CXN (V2)’s analogue outputs can be set to operate in fixed or variable modes. But DARKO does not recommend using the variable output mode & dispensing with a traditional preamp because in his experience - " the sound comes on as fast and quicksilvery but it lacks body ".

2) Briefly comparing with the Bluesound Node 2i (half the price at €549), the latter has only a single TOSLINK input, so is more a 'network streamer' than a 'streaming DAC'. Via single-ended analogue outputs (the Node 2i doesn’t do balanced), " the CXN (V2) exposes us to a little more inner detail but a substantially more expansive soundstage ".

3) Comparing with an AURALiC’s Altair G1 (€2199), via analogue outputs, " the CXN (V2) matches the AURALiC on soundstage width and height but not on depth ".

4) A Raspberry Pi with the ALLO DigiOne Player via BNC output, is " smoother and cleaner-sounding than CXN (V2)’s own coaxial ".

5) Cambridge's 32bit/384kHz ATF2 upsampling filter - " calculates (through interpolation) new samples to sit between the originals but this does not constitute new audio information — so why bother? " There are two reasons....

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CAMBRIDGE AUDIO have been in existence for 50 years (since 1968), although now under different ownership.

We've a Cambridge P40 integrated amplifier, still reliably doing duty as a HT stereo amp:

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