Cambridge Audio’s CXN (V2) is still the champ at this level
We didn’t quite expect such varying results in both sound quality and user experience when embarking upon this three-way music streamer group test. Regular readers of the magazine might find it unsurprising that the Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) retains its lead here, with it just recently winning its sixth What Hi-Fi? Award in a row and being inducted into our Hall of Fame of products worthy of distinction.
But we remain impressed by just how good this music streamer still is, easily able to despatch newer competition with its combination of great feature set, easy to use interface and, most of all, terrific sound quality. It has all the streaming features, connections and specification expected of a streamer of this calibre, and we love hearing just how much depth and nuance it can deliver from any music you play through it. Voices are clear and full of emotion, its rhythmic prowess and dynamic fluidity are spot-on – it’s a hugely engaging, involving and entertaining player. Whether it’s a snappy hip-hop track or a bittersweet love song, the CXN (V2) relays exactly the feel and mood of the song as intended.
We have already lauded the amplifiers and CD player of Arcam’s new Radia range with five-star reviews and fresh 2023 Award wins, which is why we were surprised by the ST5’s performance – both in sound and user experience. It has the same easygoing approach as its talented siblings, with a good handle on dynamics and a sweetly detailed way with voices. But it doesn’t dig up as much subtlety with detail or dynamics as the Cambridge rival and the soundstage lacks depth; it sounds perfectly nice, but we want more than just ‘nice’ at this price (and a few more features wouldn’t go amiss, too).
Our bigger disappointment with the Arcam ST5 lies with how clunky it is to use. There’s a disconnect between using the unit itself and the sparse app, and we experienced a few dropouts during our testing – something we didn’t experience with the other two streamers. Compared with the slick, seamless use of its rivals, using the ST5 was a real letdown. Despite its sonic talents, we don’t think it will be a satisfying or rewarding product to live with at home, as it wasn’t in our test rooms.
Pleasantly surprised
As a counterpoint, it was the newbie Eversolo that pleasantly surprised us with a heavy focus on its seamless, intelligent interface with the DMP-A6.
From a packed set of features that far outstrips its requirements as a streamer t
