Cambridge EXA100 Integrated Amplifier
Near-high-end amplification with a proper hi-res DAC and an HDMI input for the TV, built from technology that trickles down from Cambridge's flagship Edge amplifiers.
A Serious Step Up, Short of the Serious Money
There's a gap in most hi-fi ranges between a very good amplifier and a genuinely high-end one. The very good amp does the job. The high-end one costs several times more and often needs a separate DAC and a separate TV solution to be complete.
The EXA100 is built to sit in that gap. It borrows amplifier modules and the exact power transistors from Cambridge's flagship Edge M monoblocks, then adds the digital and TV connections a modern system actually uses, so you get most of the way to high-end without the high-end price or a rack of extra boxes.
Why We Chose the EXA100
We chose the Cambridge Audio EXA100 because it punches well above its price and its class. It delivers 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms (155 into 4) of Class A/B power, with a lower noise floor than the CX range below it, so it drives demanding speakers with authority and keeps the background genuinely quiet.
The built-in ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC handles hi-res files up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD256, and there's an HDMI eARC input for the television, a balanced XLR input, optical, coaxial, and USB. It even has a Power Amp Mode, so it can grow into a larger system later. Reviewers have handed it a What Hi-Fi? Best Buy, a StereoNet Applause Award, and a Golden Ear from The Absolute Sound.
What the Specs Won't Tell You
Edge-Level Muscle Without Edge-Level Price
Because the amplifier section is derived from the flagship Edge M, the EXA100 has the power and control to open up big, complex music without strain. Reviewers repeatedly describe a huge, well-organised soundstage, weighty and controlled bass, and the kind of effortless scale you normally hear a lot further up the price ladder.
One Amp for Music and the TV
The HDMI eARC input is the feature its smaller sibling leaves out. It lets the EXA100 run your television through the same amplifier and speakers as your music, so the same system that plays your records at their best also makes films and shows sound properly full and clear, with one volume control.
Room to Grow Into a Full System
Pre-out and subwoofer outputs, two sets of speaker terminals for a second zone, and a Power Amp Mode mean the EXA100 does not box you in. Add a sub, wire a second room, or pair it with the matching EXN100 streamer down the road, and the amplifier keeps up rather than needing to be replaced.
What the Reviewers Found
What Hi-Fi? gave it a Best Buy, praising its clean, spacious, powerful sound, wide soundstage, refined detail, and ample connectivity.
StereoNet awarded it an Applause Award, noting it sits decisively closer to Cambridge's high-end Edge range than to the affordable CX range in performance terms, but not in price.
The Audio Two Verdict
The EXA100 is the amplifier we point people to when the CX range is not quite enough but the Edge range is more than they need. It has real power, a DAC good enough to skip a separate box, and an HDMI input that lets it double as the heart of a music and TV system.
One honest note. It has no built-in phono stage, so a turntable connects through an external phono preamp (the Cambridge Solo or Duo work well). If vinyl is central to how you listen, we'll make sure that side of the system is set up right. An External Phono stage will always sound better as the turntable has the smallest and most sensitive signal in the system. For anyone stepping up from a CX amp or an AV receiver, this is a large and obvious jump in quality.
"One of the best integrated amplifiers in its class, and so it comes highly recommended." StereoNet
Tech You Can Hear
| What You Hear | Why It Happens |
|---|---|
| Big, effortless scale on demanding music | 100W per channel into 8 ohms, 155W into 4, Edge M derived amplification |
| A quiet background that lets detail through | Heavily shielded toroidal transformer and a lower noise floor than the CX range |
| Clean, detailed digital from any source | ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC, up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD256 |
| Films and TV through the same system as your music | HDMI eARC input |
| A cleaner, quieter signal from upgraded sources | Balanced XLR input alongside RCA |
| A system you can expand instead of replace | Pre-out, subwoofer out, two speaker zones, and Power Amp Mode |
Technical Highlights
- 100W per channel into 8 ohms, 155W into 4 ohms, Class A/B (Edge M derived modules and transistors)
- ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC; USB-B up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD256
- HDMI eARC input for television; Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD
- Inputs: 4x RCA line, 1x balanced XLR, 2x optical, 1x coaxial, USB-B, HDMI eARC
- Outputs: pre-out, subwoofer out, 6.3mm headphone, two pairs of speaker terminals (two zones)
- Power Amp Mode for use with an external preamp or the matching EXN100 streamer
- No built-in phono stage (external phono preamp required for turntables)
- Frequency response <3Hz to >40kHz; Luna Grey finish; 115 x 430 x 341mm; 12.8kg
Why Choose Audio Two
Audio Two ships across Canada. That said, an amplifier at this level is worth a conversation before you commit. We can help you match it to the right speakers, sort out the digital and TV connections, and make sure it's the right step up for your room and your sources. Reach out and we'll help you get it right.