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Digital sources: dCS Bartók streaming DAC, Oppo UDP-203 universal disc player.
Preamplifier: Benchmark LA-4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Integrated amplifier: McIntosh MA6500.
Loudspeakers: Amphion Krypton3X, Amphion One18.—Tom Fine

I performed a full set of measurements on the Cambridge EXN100 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, repeating some of the testing with the magazine's higher-performance APx555 analyzer. I used network data streamed with Roon, USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro, and optical S/PDIF data—the TosLink input accepted data sampled at rates up to 192kHz. I adjusted the processor's settings with the StreamMagic V3.0.0 app, installed on my iPad mini. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Processor as "EXN100" from "Cambridge Audio," with the serial number string "…

Note the complete absence of the usual technical information about the design or construction of the coaxial driver or about the crossover frequency and slope. Missing, too, are…

Before leaving the nuts-and-bolts section of this review, let's deal with the subwoofer output. There is only one, it is on the primary speaker, and it supplies a L/R mix. Even when the sub is switched on, the CX700s play full range, and when one performs the "Auto" or "Measured" calibration, the sub is not included. This means that the CX700s do not benefit from increased output/headroom by sending low frequencies to the sub, and that the sub does not benefit from excellent EQ features. The Technics manual says "For details, refer to the operating instructions of the connected device,"…

Description: Compact, powered, wireless two-way loudspeaker system in a bass-reflex enclosure. Drive units: One coaxial driver with 5.9" (150mm) cone woofer and 0.75" (19mm) ring-radiator tweeter. Wireless streaming features: AirPlay, Google Cast, Roon Ready, Bluetooth, UPnP. Streaming services support: Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Amazon Music HD, Qobuz, Deezer, Internet Radio, podcasts. Inputs: (footnote 1) Ethernet up to 24/384 PCM and up to DSD256; TosLink up to 24/96; HDMI (ARC) up to 24/48; (footnote 2) USB-C up to 24/192; PCM up to DSD128. Supported…

Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v33 and Roon 2. Merging Devices Hapi II, exaSound S88, and Okto dac8 Pro D/A processors. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2.
Loudspeakers: KEF Blade Two Meta with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet, KEF LS60W, KEF KC92 subwoofer, PS Audio FR5.
Cables: Digital interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake. Analog interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake, Benchmark Studio&Stage XLR–XLR. Speaker cables: Blue…

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Technics SC-CX700's quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone, which has a small, ¼" diameter capsule, for the nearfield responses. I adjusted the SC-CX700's settings with the Technics Audio Center app, installed on my iPad mini. I mainly used the analog Aux input for the testing, which has an input impedance of 25k ohms, but I repeated some measurements with the optical TosLink…

A handful of other rooms were published individually in the days following the show; you’ll find links to those at the bottom of this report.

All prices listed in CA$ unless otherwise noted.

Altitudo …

Something was in the air across the globe in 1976. The stirrings of punk weren't occurring just in the UK and the US; they were happening in Australia, too. Take The Saints. The Brisbane band's debut single, "(I'm) Stranded," was an instant bonafide punk classic. It cannot be accused of bandwagon jumping: It came out before any of the Brit bands had released anything. It became an obligatory purchase for UK punks. Following…

For one of the wildest and most unpredictable rides you may ever take, skip the Ferris wheel and racetrack and take John Zorn's eight string quartets for a spin. Beginning with Cat O'Nine Tails (1988) and ending with Zorn's last quartet (so far at least), The Unseen: music for the temple (2017), the JACK Quartet's John Zorn: The Complete String Quartets promises to simultaneously pull you in and…