Cambridge CXN100 Network Player
The upgrade that finally lets your amp and speakers show what they can do.
When the source is the weak link
You've spent on a good amp and a pair of speakers you love, and then you feed them music off a phone over Bluetooth or a laptop that was never built for it. The system sounds fine, but you can tell there's more in there. The gear is ready. The source isn't.
Why we chose the CXN100
We chose the CXN100 because it fixes the source without asking you to spend flagship money. It runs Cambridge's Gen 4 StreamMagic platform through a refined ESS Sabre DAC (the ES9028Q2M), the same brains as the pricier EXN100, and feeds your amp through balanced XLR or RCA. Spotify, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, AirPlay 2, Roon, internet radio, and your own files all come in through one player, controlled from one app. It's a proper hi-fi source, built to do one job well.
What the specs won't tell you
A real source, not a phone jack. The ESS Sabre DAC and rebuilt analogue stage pull detail and space out of the same files your phone was flattening. Voices sit more clearly between the speakers, quiet passages open up, and the system stops sounding like it's streaming and starts sounding like it's playing music.
One app for everything you already pay for. StreamMagic Gen 4 gathers your services and your library into a single app, and it stays fast and responsive whether you're on the app or the buttons on the unit. No juggling five apps that never agree.
Built to feed the good stuff. Balanced XLR and RCA outputs, plus a digital preamp mode, mean the CXN100 drops cleanly into a proper two-channel system, or straight into a power amp if that's your setup. It's designed to get out of the way and let your amp and speakers do the talking.
What the reviewers heard
What Hi-Fi? (March 2024) gave the CXN100 five stars and called it the one to beat at this price, praising its clean, precise, articulate sound and expansive, open soundstage, while noting it's lovely to use day to day. Their one caution: it trades a touch of the older model's warmth for that added clarity.
The Audio Two verdict
This is the streamer we hand to someone who already has an amp and speakers they like and just needs a source worthy of them. It shares the EXN100's DAC and platform, so most of what you hear is the same, you're giving up the HDMI TV input and the in-box remote, not the sound. For a pure two-channel hi-fi system, this is the value pick, and it leaves room in the budget for better speakers or a better amp.
"What strikes us immediately is just how clear and articulate the new model is." — What Hi-Fi?
Tech you can hear
| What You Hear | Why It Happens |
| More detail and space than a phone or laptop | Refined ESS ES9028Q2M Sabre DAC with rebuilt analogue stage |
| Full resolution from hi-res files | PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD512, plus MQA |
| Everything in one responsive app | StreamMagic Gen 4 platform |
| A clean feed to any amp | Balanced XLR and RCA outputs |
| Drops into a preamp-free setup | Digital preamp mode |
| Rock-steady streaming | Wired Ethernet or dual-band WiFi |
Technical highlights
- ESS ES9028Q2M SABRE32 DAC, StreamMagic Gen 4 platform
- Hi-res support: PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD512, plus MQA
- Streaming: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz, Deezer, Amazon Music, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Roon Ready, internet radio
- Inputs: USB Type A (media), asynchronous USB Type B, optical, coaxial, Bluetooth aptX HD
- Outputs: balanced XLR and RCA, plus optical and coaxial digital out; digital preamp mode
- Network: Ethernet and dual-band WiFi
- 4.76" hi-res colour display; 85 x 430 x 305mm, 3.55kg (no remote included)
Why choose Audio Two
Audio Two ships across Canada. If you don't have access to a proper high-end dealer in your city, this is your way in, real expertise from people who've heard the system, matched the electronics, and can guide you through a decision this size.