cambridge audio

A jumbo AirPlay speaker with a less sizable sound

When a Bluetooth or AirPlay speaker crosses the $500 mark, you expect to be impressed. Yes, it has to sound good, and yes, it has to look good, but it also has deliver just a little something extra to make you throw out reason and spend more than you probably should on a wireless speaker.

The Cambridge Audio Minx Air 200 ($600) is an undeniably nice speaker, but it doesn't quite feel worthy of the asking price. Its strongest suit is its refined design, with a clean look that blends into most decor without drawing attention to itself. The … Read more

Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100 looks prettier than it sounds

When an audiophile-centric company like Cambridge Audio makes a go at the wireless-speaker market, it can be tough to tell whether it's just hoping to make a quick buck or has a worthwhile new take on the category. The Minx Air 100 ($450) falls into the latter category, with a tasteful, reserved design that immediately distinguishes it from the more eccentric speakers on the market. It supports both Bluetooth and AirPlay, plus it can stream Internet radio directly, making it possible to stream tunes even when you don't have a mobile device on you.

What's disappointing is … Read more

With AV receivers is sound quality more important than features?

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about AV receiver feature glut. Today's receiver manufacturers put an inordinate amount of time and money into designing feature-laden receivers, and feature glut might be part of the reason why today's receivers don't sound as good as receivers did in the 1980s. I get it, today's consumers rarely compare one receiver's sound with another receiver, but they can count HDMI connections, so that's where the money goes.

It's not that Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony, and Yamaha aren't trying to make great-sounding receivers, … Read more

Turntable goes for a spin back in time

The design of turntables long ago was elevated to an art form, an appropriate station for a piece of equipment that's often viewed as the domain of eccentrics as much as audiophiles. We continue to see variations upon variations, whether they be made with 24-karat gold, brushed steel, or even stone. And the more esoteric they are, the higher prices seem to go--as much as $150,000 in some cases.

So it was refreshing to see a model headed in the opposite direction, taking a minimalist approach. Cambridge Audio's zen-like TT50 has no MP3 technologies or USB connections--&… Read more