New boy takes on Award winner in a thrilling head-to-head
We have been here before. The integrated amplifiers from these two British hi-fi brands have faced off against each other in hotly contested battles in previous years, with Award wins changing hands as a new contender emerges at this price.
In the defending corner, we have the multiple Award-winning Cambridge Audio CXA81. Now in its fourth consecutive year as champ, it still stands tall above hugely talented competitors in terms of performance and features offered for the money.
As the new challenger, Rega’s Elex Mk4 has a tough hill to climb. It is the successor to one of our favourite older amps, the Elex-R, which has been sorely due an upgrade since it lost its mantle to the CXA81. For the Elex Mk4, staunchly analogue-first brand Rega has finally added a DAC (and a headphone port).
Build and design
Rega has gone for a robust, minimal styling that should slot into any hi-fi rack. It’s sturdy, hefty and more streamlined than the Elex-R. The all-black metal casing is of a high standard and doubles up as a heat sink, with just a handful of buttons and subtle red LEDs adorning the front.
The CXA81, on the other hand, looks a tad more modern with its ‘lunar grey’ finish, clean front panel and ‘floating’ chassis design. It is taller and bulkier, but equally well made. We have no complaints when it comes to using either amplifier: everything works smoothly and the units are responsive to commands, whether using the on-unit controls or remote.
WINNER TIE
Features
Internally, Cambridge Audio’s engineers kept the CXA81 amp’s basic analogue circuit unchanged from the previous generation, with 80 watts per channel (into 8 ohms) on offer – more than powerful enough to drive most speakers. Upgrades focus on most of the op-amps in the signal path and the capacitors in the pre and power sections, and the effect on performance from the previous model is marked. A superior ESS Sabre ES9016K2M DAC is used, along with an improved USB input that supports hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. It also supports the higher-quality aptX HD Bluetooth codec, which lets you stream from any compatible device at up to 24-bit/84kHz.
Rega, meanwhile, is only just dipping its toe into digital waters here. The Elex features a DAC (based on the standalone Rega DAC-R model’s circuitry) for the first time. The digital inputs can handle PCM audio files up to 24-bit/192kHz. If you have a large library of mega-hi-res files, you might have to look elsewhere.
Rega hasn’
