Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.

Cambridge Audio’s product offerings are diverse and extensive, encompassing nearly every type of audio product, including home-theater components, speakers (from in-ceiling speakers and subwoofers to an all-in-one, wireless streaming speaker), turntables, phono preamps, and headphones. When looking at the company’s integrated amplifiers, one finds a surprising disparity in both price and specified performance between the Edge- and CX-series amps. With the recent release of the EXA100 integrated amplifier, Cambridge Audio has bridged this gap, providing a high-quality, high-power integrated amplifier at a moderate price.

The EX line, which also includes the EXN100 streaming preamplifier I reviewed earlier this year on Simplifi, is considered the spiritual successor to the popular Azur 851 line, with the EXA100 superseding the highly regarded 851A integrated amplifier. Priced at US$2399, CA$3299, £1999, €2199, the EXA100 benefits from amplifier technology trickled down from the flagship Edge M monaural amplifier and represents Cambridge’s most ambitious non-Edge amplifier.

Design

The EXA100 looks thoroughly modern with its black chassis and 9.5mm milled-aluminum faceplate, which is finished attractively in what Cambridge calls Lunar Grey and complemented by a large black center insert. Ten small source-selection buttons populate this section, positioned on either side of a central A/B speaker-selection button, along with corresponding illuminated status icons. The EXA100 offers no display. On the right, the large knurled volume knob feels appropriately heavy. The knob position (and volume level) is indicated by a silver dot set into the surface of the dial. On the left is an illuminated Standby/On button and a 6.35mm (¼″) headphone jack. Embossed discreetly on the faceplate in silver lettering are the Cambridge logo and model name.

The EXA100 looks quite handsome for a mid-priced integrated amplifier and distinguishes itself from the competition with its robust construction. Picking up the unit, I was struck by how solid and heavy it felt—at 28.2 pounds, it is heavier than any other integrated amplifier I am aware of at this price point. Measuring 16.9″W × 4.52″H × 13.4″D, the EXA100 is also a little taller than most competing amps, giving it a chunkier appearance. Visible through the two large ventilation grates in its top panel are a huge toroidal transformer and a bank of large heat sinks on either side. The class-AB EXA100 is rated at 100Wpc RMS into 8 ohms (<1%THD+N), 155Wpc RMS into 4 ohms, and should be able to easily drive any mainstream loudspeaker. Ideally, a pair of loudspeakers of commensurate price and quality should be used.

Along with strong amplification, the EXA100 includes a high-quality DAC section, built around an ESS Technology ES9018K2M chip. Volume control is implemented in the analog domain through an Alps potentiometer. The preamplification section is completely bypassed when the EXA100 is in power-amp mode and used with a separate preamplifier.

On the left side of the back panel are two sets of binding posts. Above are trigger-in/IR-in and trigger-out jacks, an RS-232C port, and RCA input and output for connecting to other Cambridge Control Bus–enabled components. Leftmost on the back panel is a standard IEC power inlet. On the right side of the panel are four sets of RCA analog inputs, including one that is switchable to power-amp mode, and a single set of balanced XLR inputs. A set of RCA preamplifier outputs is available for connecting to a power amplifier. A mono subwoofer output, low-pass filtered at approximately 2.3kHz, is also available. Digital inputs include two optical S/PDIF (TosLink) jacks, one coaxial S/PDIF (RCA) jack, a USB-B port with a ground/lift switch (to disconnect from earth if a hum is heard), and an HDMI eARC port. A short, removable Bluetooth antenna is provided.

The digital inputs take advantage of the premium ESS DAC, which allows for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/96kHz for the TosLink input, 24/192 for coaxial, and up to 24/384 and DSD256 for USB when using Audio Class 2. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection supports the SBC, aptX, and aptX HD codecs.

The remote control is plastic but has a satisfying weight and feels solid. Most buttons, and the associated labels or icons, are quite small and can be difficult to identify. Thankfully, the volume buttons are larger and of a different shape and are easily found in their central position of the remote. The volume control is quite sensitive, however, and even a brief actuation of the motorized volume knob results in a large change to the volume level.

Considering its heft and high construction quality, I would not have been surprised if the EXA100 cost much more. It carries only a two-year warranty, but this is not unusual at this price point.

Setup

The EXA100 was simple to set up. Because it lacks Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity, I did not use Roon for the most part, opting instead to stream from Tidal to a Google Chromecast Audio device using a MacBook Air. The Chromecast Audio device was connected to one of the amp’s optical S/PDIF inputs by a generic TosLink cable. Chromecast Audio is limited to a maximum resolution of 24/96, but this was not a problem as most of what I streamed from Tidal did not exceed this resolution. I connected the speaker outputs to a pair of Paradigm Monitor SE 8000Fs, which I reviewed in August 2022, using Analysis Plus Chocolate Oval 12/2 speaker cables. Just for kicks, I later connected the EXA100 to my MartinLogan Masterpiece ESL 9 hybrid electrostatic loudspeakers (which I reviewed back in 2017) and to an Oppo UDP‑205 4K Ultra HD BD player (also reviewed in 2017) using Chocolate Oval-In XLR interconnects. I connected my Beelink Mini PC as a Roon server using an AudioQuest Carbon USB interconnect.

Configuring the EXA100 is somewhat involved: to enter setup mode, you long-press the speaker-selection A/B button while in standby and then use the source-selection buttons to toggle the respective functionality. (You’ll need to consult the manual to find out which button controls each function.) Six parameters are available for configuration plus a factory reset: auto power down, clipping function, USB mode, TV mode, TV power control, and firmware update mode, which switches the USB port from functioning as a computer audio input to receiving firmware updates. I left all parameters in their factory default settings.

Performance

With its rated output of 100Wpc into 8 ohms and beefy power supply, the EXA100 had no trouble driving the relatively sensitive Paradigm Monitor SE 8000Fs. It does take a bit of power to control the three 8″ woofers in each Paradigm tower and keep things from becoming boomy in my corner of the room. When I watched a scene from season two of HBO’s The Last of Us, the attack on Jackson, Wyoming, the bass was deep and well defined, especially with explosions and the thundering footsteps of the marauding infected hordes, and individual voices and Foley effects were imaged clearly amid the chaos. But what impressed me most was the EXA100’s ability to create realistic soundscapes during more serene passages.

When Ellie picks up an acoustic guitar in an abandoned music store and runs her hand over the strings before tuning it, the EXA100 conveyed the tranquility of the scene beautifully, contrasting the dreamy whisper of the wind and chirping birds in the background with the forward twang of the guitar, making it all the more realistic. In the following episode, as Ellie enters a large, empty auditorium, the echo of the creaking doors closing behind her was convincingly distant, and the sound of her footsteps was compellingly present, drifting off softly into the silent dark space, hinting at its scale.

Streaming Prism’s “Armageddon” from Best of Prism (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Renaissance Records / Tidal), I was astonished by the realism of the military radio chatter, as it moved from dead center to hard right and then to hard left, and the orchestral horn that followed, which filled the space behind the speakers. As the song transitioned to punchy guitar riffs and jazzier horn blasts, the amp cranked out this rock classic with fist-pumping enthusiasm. The acoustic guitar and classical strings in the ballad “Night to Remember” posed less of a challenge for the EXA100 than the complex and diverse mix of “Armageddon.” The vocals remained crisp and distinct, and the instrumentation remained smooth.

Unlike Prism’s mostly sprawling pop-rock sound, the small-venue live recording of Peter Gabriel’s In the Big Room (Live) (24/96 FLAC, Real World Productions / Tidal) was intimately engaging. “Mercy Street” opens a cappella with Gabriel’s raspy, instantly recognizable voice in perfect harmony with his backing singers. The percussion was reproduced with subtle spatial cues that conveyed a sense of the players’ proximity to the audience and one another. Gabriel’s voice was imaged front and center, the other vocals closely around him. Accompanying instruments stretched farther to the sides and to the rear. Tony Levin’s somber bass guitar was agile and refined, with a methodical, even pace. The presentation was relaxed and cozy, even on cuts like “Shock the Monkey”; but on “Secret World” the EXA100 expanded the soundstage and delivered a fantastic rendering of the processed sound of distorted electronic pipes in this large, lively arrangement. The bass was more pronounced on this track, with fast attack and increased sustain, and control of the large floor-standing Paradigms was excellent despite their less-than-ideal corner placement.

When I moved the EXA100 into my reference system with the MartinLogan Masterpiece ESL 9 electrostatic hybrids, in my larger listening room, it sounded even more accomplished. Whether it was the Beelink Mini PC feeding it, through its USB-B input, or the Oppo UDP‑205, through its XLR analog inputs, the EXA100 scaled up its performance to the performance level of these and the other high-quality components in this system.

Billy Idol’s vocals on “Dancing with Myself (RAC Remix)” from Vital Idol: Revitalized (16/44.1 FLAC, Capitol Records / Tidal) leaped out from the speakers and into my room with startling realism. The grungy, nasty “Rebel Yell (The Crystal Method Remix)” was insanely visceral, with relentless pounding rhythms interspersing Steve Stevens’s screaming guitar riffs. The less intricate, but extremely dynamic “White Wedding (CRAY Remix)” tested the EXA100’s ability to control the ESL 9s. The simple synth chords intertwining with Stevens’s ripping guitar were clean and clear, and when the funky primal drumbeat and deep electronic bass kicked in, they were articulate and tight. The EXA100 handled this raucous track brilliantly.

Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms has been released on multiple formats, including a Super Deluxe Edition Blu-ray with multiple stereo and multichannel mixes for the album’s 40th anniversary (Universal Music 00602475711346). I played it through the XLR outputs of the Oppo UDP‑205, and it sounded excellent. But the streamed version (24/44.1 FLAC, Universal Music Catalog / Tidal) sounded smoother and more resolving, thanks to the EXA100’s high-performing 32-bit internal DAC. This was easier to discern in “Brothers in Arms” than in more up-tempo and dynamic tracks like “Walk of Life.” The quieter vocals were noticeably set farther back in the soundstage, which was deeper and more clearly defined.

The headphone output of the EXA100 was also very good, delivering plenty of detail and a smooth, effortless sound to my HiFiMan HE400 planar-magnetic ’phones. It reminded me of the THX AAA headphone output of the Bluesound Node Icon streaming preamplifier I recently reviewed. I can’t say with certainty whether the headphone output of the EXA100 was as good as that of the Node Icon, which is no longer in my system, but it was excellent. On Lana Del Rey’s “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman like Me to Have – but I Have It” from Norman Fucking Rockwell (16/44.1 FLAC, Polydor Records / Tidal), Del Rey’s vocals were imaged palpably, holographically, in front of me, much like with the Icon. Compared to the headphone output of my Oppo UDP‑205, the EXA100’s revealed finer detail in Del Rey’s voice and produced less sibilance.

Comparison

When streaming from Tidal via Roon through the ethernet input of my longtime reference integrated amplifier, Hegel Music Systems’ H120 (US$3600), which I reviewed in 2020, I noticed that it sounded more balanced and was slightly more laid-back than the Cambridge. The radio chatter and guitar riffs in “Armageddon” were not as prominent. Vocals, in particular, had greater immediacy with the Cambridge, and its overall presentation was richer than that of the Hegel, with a fuller bass. Both amps created a large sphere of sound that completely enveloped the speakers. The Hegel’s was slightly smaller, but the scale of each element in the mix, both individually and in relation to the other elements, seemed more natural. All the same, the Cambridge EXA100 was extremely pleasing to listen to and costs significantly less.

Conclusion

The Cambridge Audio EXA100 integrated amplifier offers exceptional amplification quality and an accomplished DAC section for an attractive price. I was deeply impressed by its level of performance and build quality. Although the EXA100 lacks some of the functionality and connection flexibility found on many streaming integrated amplifiers, it can be paired with the EXN100 streamer, its EX-series sibling, which does provide those features. If you don’t require them, the EXA100 is one of the best values available in an integrated amplifier with DAC.

. . . Roger Kanno
rogerk@soundstagenetwork.com

Associated Equipment

• Speakers: Paradigm Monitor SE 8000F, MartinLogan Masterpiece Classic ESL 9
• Heaphones: HiFiMan HE400se
• Integrated amplifier: Hegel Music Systems H120
• Digital sources: Beelink Mini PC running Windows 11, Roon, and Tidal; Google Chromecast Audio; Oppo UDP‑205 4K Ultra HD BD player; Apple M1 MacBook Air; Samsung Galaxy S21
• Speaker cables: Analysis Plus Chocolate Oval 12/2
• XLR interconnects: Analysis Plus Chocolate Oval-In
• USB link: AudioQuest Carbon
• Power cords: Essential Sound Products MusicCord-Pro ES
• Power conditioners: Blue Circle Audio PLC Thingee FX-2 with X0e low-frequency filter module, Zero Surge 1MOD15WI

Cambridge Audio EXA100 integrated amplifier–DAC
Price: US$2399, CA$3299, £1999, €2199
Warranty: Two years, parts and labor

Cambridge Audio Headquarters
Gallery Court
Hankey Place
London
SE1 4BB
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7940 2200

Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com