On the inside, the AXA35 is − hey! − a 35W-per-channel device. It’s not the most exciting number you ever saw written down, but in practice it’s more than enough to drive most price-appropriate speakers to quite significant volumes without alarm. Cambridge Audio AXA35 sound quality − Confident and remarkably self-assured performance It should be noted though that abusing the tone controls to get more bass out of a low-powered system is not always a good idea. It’s nothing to do with some snobbish view that “it’s not how hi-fi should be heard” blah blah, but because with a 35W amp excessive use of the tone controls at high volume will cause the amp to clip sooner. Clipping, a flattening of the peaks in the audio waveform, is more often than not the cause of blown speakers, not excessive power. Thus you’re more likely to damage your speakers with this amp if you turn the bass to max and crank up the volume than you will if you leave the tone controls flat. Just like the partnering CD player, the AXA35 feels solid when you lift it. There’s no flex in its casework which is perfectly fitted and neatly presented with the side screws in deep recesses to obscure them from view. The top of the amp is vented with a grid of tiny holes to let the heat escape, though it doesn’t get above mildly warm in operation. some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online)

This care also extends to the DAC or digital-analogue convertor which turns that series of ones and zeros from your CD into the traditional analogue wave form. It’s important to keep everything in the right place and neatly in time so the analogue wave sounds as natural as possible. Cambridge have use a WM8524 chip at the heart of this circuitry which is a great component at this price point. One thing to note: you don’t have to use the internal DAC on the Cambridge AXC35. Unlike the AXC25, you can choose to bypass the internal DAC and send the digital signal from your CD player out to an external unit which can do an even better job. It’s a great feature for those keen to tinker and improve their sound in future. A unit like the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic Plus would be a great upgrade here. It’s true to say that the new casework is better, but examples of poorly damped biscuit-tin casework are more prevalent in boutique British equipment at several times the price of any Cambridge. Poorly built casework and preschool electronics design aside, some of that gear is ugly enough to offend a blind man’s sense of aestheticism.Some amplifiers will have a dedicated phono stage built in, so when you plug your turntable into the specific input, it’s signal is boosted and can be heard just like your other sources. The AXR100 mostly mirrors its brother's spec sheet, building on it with a 100-watt output as well as twin optical and single coaxial inputs. The AXA35 like the AM10 predecessor is essentially a commercial ‘Gainclone’ implementation. The LM3886 output devices can theoretically deliver 68W per channel into a 4Ω load and 38W per channel into an 8Ω load with a symmetrical power supply delivering +/-28V. Cambridge’s specification of 35W into an 8Ω load is therefore a sensible one. The AXA35 will actually deliver the 38W into 8Ω before clipping. The Fyne Audio F300i has a neat and compact presence that makes it ideal for so many different uses. Perfect for stereo sound in a smaller room or as a desktop speaker system, its big-hearted sound defies its dimensions. The highly dynamic sound also makes it ideal as a home cinema satellite speaker. Boasting 35 watts per channel, the AXA35 is 40% more powerful than the smaller AXA25. This not only means it’s better at filling larger rooms but also in delivering a richer, more dynamic sound at lower volumes.

It might be the AXA35’s confident way with timing that’s the single most surprising/impressive aspect of its performance. Vinyl gives a system every chance to show off its facility (or otherwise) for the timing and unity of a recording, and the AXA35’s phono stage lets Felt’s The Splendour of Fear roll along in the most natural manner. Listened to in isolation, the Cambridge pairing gets all the essentials of the music right and makes listening exceptionally enjoyable. Partner them with a cost-effective pair of speakers and you’ll have a very decent set-up. There are connections for a single pair of speakers and a grounded IEC power inlet. Both amps feature an eco-friendly standby mode which consumes only 0.5W of power, and an automatic power-down function that can be disabled by holding the power button for a few seconds. A flashing standby light indicates status of the APD – five flashes for disabled, ten flashes for enabled.As well as being more powerful, the AXA35 also improves internal component quality, giving improved sonic detail and realism with less distortion. The toroidal power transformer and separate pre/power amp circuit boards are features usually only found in much more expensive amplifiers, making the AXA35 something of a giant-slayer. The AXA25 makes do with conventional knobs for volume, input selection and so on, while the pricier (!) AXA35 looks rather more grown-up with a display and a menu system, creating a much less cluttered fascia. The display shows input and volume levels as a default, while pressing the ‘menu’ button beside the volume control will allow access to bass, treble and balance functions. As the model numbers suggest, the AXA35 is more powerful than its junior counterpart, delivering 35Wpc into 8 ohms rather than 25Wpc. While those figures may seem low, they’re more than adequate to drive most speakers likely to be used with amps at this price to serious levels in all but the largest rooms. Keep things sensible, with standmount or even floorstanding models of reasonable sensitivity, and you won’t go far wrong. Having said that, the AXA35 arguably sounds clearer and has a more neutral tonal balance, doing more than enough to justify a five-star rating at this price point. It looks and sounds the part, and if this is just a hint of what the rest of the Cambridge Audio’s AX range has to offer, we’re in for a sonic treat. Inside the AXA25 you’ll find quality components and short signal paths for the best sound quality in its class. Careful circuit design reduces the signal path, giving higher purity sound and less distortion. Other quality engineering components include a high-spec heat sink that is die-cast rather than pressed steel and a damped power supply – reducing the chance of annoying transformer hum and buzz.