Are those going to pair well?
Cambridge CXA81:
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/e...series-2/cxa81
Any piece of advice much appreciated.
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Are those going to pair well?
Cambridge CXA81:
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/e...series-2/cxa81
Any piece of advice much appreciated.
Nothing much to be concerned about with pairing, if you are using solid state amps. Just need to make sure that you have the features you want, at the price you want to spend. Unless you are really far away from these speakers, 12 to 15 feet or more, then this unit you suggested or another stereo receiver should work just fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by machnik
This Yamaha receiver offers very similar features at half the price.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RN6....html?tp=47041
Or you could get an AVR that has all these features together with room EQ (like Audyssey).
https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...-w/heos/1.html
I find Audyssey and especially the Dynamic EQ to be a very nice feature that these stereo recievers don't offer. Dynamic EQ will apply the curves of equal loudness to make things sound more balanced as you change the volume or listen at lower volumes. If you go with a subwoofer, it will increase the gain, so that the subwoofer is still audible at lower volume levels. A really really nice feature.
If you find the need for external amplification, then you could add a stereo amp from either Outlaw or Emotiva to the AVR and still come in at around the same price as the Cambridge unit. Just some different options.
Thanks, N Boros!
The reason I want to go after stereo amp is that music is the only use case for this setup. I read quite a few very positive from Cambridge CXA81 owners about this amp and its ability to improve the soundstage and overall quality. I don’t have a lot experience with different amps and receivers, are those really impact the final outcome? I mean, similar amplifiers with similar power output - are those going to sound really different?
On the music source - I intend to source this HiFi setup with Node 2i streamer. I currently use Amazon Music HD service for listening on my headphones and I was really happy with the quality of the music. The setup I have for the headphones listening is: Amazon Fire HD -> Schiit Jotunheim -> Sennheiser hd6xx connected via custom cable through the balanced output. BTW, great sounding setup,
Thanks for taking your time in educating me!
Matching the amplifier to the speakers can be a real issue with tube amplifiers, but with solid-state amplifiers, it's generally not an issue at all. The only thing is to make sure you have sufficient power for the levels you'll be playing/listening.
I think you're correct to be suspicious about claims that different amps can impact soundstage. There really aren't good technical explanations for how that would be. The most likely explanation is that it's imagined by the listener due to all sorts of complex issues going on in our brains when we listen, especially when we know ahead of time the brand we're going to listen to.
I've owned several Cambridge units in the past and thought they sounded great - just like my AVR does! I even did a level-matched, quick-switch comparison one time, and I couldn't tell them apart at my normal listening levels.
The real differences among amplifiers become apparent when playing at really loud levels, especially with speakers that present a tough load to the amp.
I think any good amp, integrated amp, or receiver will work fine. So find one at a good price that has features you want/need.