Can this six-time Award-winning streamer stay at the top of the pile?
View online review whf.cm/CXNV2
To improve on something that’s already pretty good, there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater or heavy-handedly redesign it from the ground up. Sometimes all you need is a light touch. That’s what Cambridge Audio did with the second iteration of its CXN streamer which launched back in 2018 as an update to the Award-winner we first reviewed all the way back in 2015.
Now, alongside Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, you can also stream music via Google’s Chromecast on the Cambridge Audio CXN (V2). With new features being continually added but still delivering a terrific performance for this mid-range price, it’s no wonder that this CXN (V2) network streamer remains a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award-winner since its launch.
Vibrancy and enthusiasm
We were pleased to report that the Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) kept all of the great sonic characteristics of the original. That same vibrancy and enthusiasm that greeted us in 2015 didn’t change much for the new model – and pitching this CXN against the rivals in this Group Test in 2023, we remain just as impressed by those qualities.
We play Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nicks’ soulful, sweet singing is full bodied and beautifully conveyed. The way she shifts between notes is smooth, and the occasional words clipped to keep her rhythm are snappy and insightful. Even the odd vocalisation – the hums and aahs – are detailed and full of melancholy musings.
Most half-decent streamers could reproduce the basics of this song, but it takes something more talented to dig into the emotional core of this track and deliver it – and that’s what this Cambridge player does.
With something more bouncy and upbeat, such as Warren Zevon’s Werewolves Of London, the CXN (V2) delivers both a punchy bass and a tinkling treble simultaneously. A good streamer, tackling those few opening bars, needs to balance both the deep drums and the piano – which the CXN (V2) does impressively. The bottom end is weighty, but lithe enough to give you a good kick, while the piano is light and airy without being overly bright.
The timing is tight and gets your foot tapping almost immediately. We described the original’s sound as ‘wonderfully entertaining’, and it’s nice to hear that Cambridge Audio has retained that quality in the V2.
Cohesive whole
We play
