Stalwart British high-fidelity manufacturer Cambridge Audio has launched a new flagship line of components under the Edge series moniker to help celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. I’ve only had a few brief flings in a hotel room with their gear at trade shows over the last couple years, but they always stood out for their value/performance ratio in my mind. This new Edge series seems to signal that Cambridge has set the bar high for themselves, and I’m very interested in their approach to designing, and building these new products as sonic merit – not measurements – seems to have been the ultimate determination for what made it into production.
The line features the Edge A, integrated amplifier, the Edge NQ, preamplifier/network player, and the Edge W, power amplifier. I’m looking forward to spending more time with these components, and hearing them firsthand at AXPONA in Chicago next month.
–Rafe Arnott
PRESS RELEASE BELOW
The UK’s leading hi-fi company celebrates their 50th anniversary with the introduction of Edge, a pioneering hi-fi system that introduces a new standard for sound and design from the company.
The new series builds on Cambridge Audio’s driving principles of creating products that bring the “Great British Sound” – a pure, unfiltered audio experience – into the home, offering the company’s most accomplished system to date.
- Every component has been selected for its sonic merit through blind auditions – not price, specs, nor measurement.
- Cambridge Audio pushed engineering boundaries to keep the signal path short across the series. Only 14 components feature in the signal path of the Edge W power amplifier with capacitors removed altogether.
- Edge is a completely new design that has taken over three years for the dedicated, nine- person, in-house engineering team to complete.
Five decades of engineering expertise has inspired the development of Edge, which features some of Cambridge Audio’s most innovative audio engineering to date:
- Short signal paths across the series. Edge W has just 14 components in the signal path.
- Unique Class XA amplification technology shifts the crossover point out of audible range, offering the sound quality of Class A but with more efficient performance.
- An opposing symmetry twin toroidal transformer design cancels out stray electromagnetic interference.
- Cambridge’s proprietary streaming platform, StreamMagic, has been updated to offer improved compatibility, meaning customers will be able to stream audio from a host of sources, including AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Chromecast built-in, which allows streaming from a wealth of apps, including TIDAL. Additionally, Edge supports Bluetooth aptX HD.
These technologies come together to produce the best example of the pure, unfiltered “British Sound” for which Cambridge Audio is renowned.
The new series is named after Professor Gordon Edge, one of Cambridge Audio’s founders. He was an entrepreneurial force of the Cambridge technology cluster and inventor of the company’s first product, the P40 integrated amplifier.
The Edge series will be available in June and will consist of three units: Edge A, the integrated amplifier; Edge NQ, the preamplifier and network player; and Edge W, the power amplifier. Edge will be available in select authorized retailers in the US.
“Edge has been a project of passion for Cambridge Audio. With our 50th anniversary approaching, we saw an opportunity to push the boundaries of our abilities to create something truly unique, something truly inspirational. We removed all limitations during development of Edge – anything goes so long as it’s in pursuit of the best system we’ve ever made. The results speak for themselves. Edge is sublime.” Stuart George, Managing Director, Cambridge Audio.
Edge A, our integrated amplifier, offers incredibly detailed sound with the effortless power to match. Its sound is wonderfully balanced with clarity audible with every note. Listening to Edge A feels like the band is playing right in front of you. Expected MSRP: $5,000 USD.
100W RMS into 8 Ohms; 200W RMS into 4 Ohms
<0.002% 1kHz at rated power (8 Ohms); <0.02% 20Hz – 20kHz at rated power (8 Ohms)
<3Hz – >80kHz +/-1dB
>103 dB
< -100dB
Input A1-A2 (unbalanced) 380mV RMS
Input A3 (balanced) 47k Ohm; Input A1-A2 (unbalanced) 47k Ohm
Balanced, Coax S/PDIF, TOSLINK, USB Audio, Unbalanced, Bluetooth, Audio Return Channel (ARC)
Speakers, Preamplifier, Headphones (impedance of between 12 and 600 ohms are recommended)
USB Audio Class 2.0 supporting up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM, or up to DSD256
4.1 (Smart/BLE enabled) A2DP/AVRCP supporting formats up to aptX HD
16/24 bits, 32-96kHz
16/24 bits, 32-192kHz
1000W
<0.5W
150 x 460 x 405mm (5.9 x 18.1 x 15.9″)
24.4kg (53.7lbs)
Edge A Integrated Amplifier; 1.5M Power Lead; Edge Remote Control; 3 x AAA Batteries; Bluetooth Antenna; Edge Link Cable; Edge A User Manual
Edge NQ offers new levels of versatility for a pre- amplifier and network player. StreamMagic, the streaming module that powers NQ, has been improved, allowing Edge to play music from virtually any source. Also, Edge NQ’s printed circuit board and meticulous engineering reduces interference to ensure a clean sound. Expected MSRP: $4,000 USD.
THD <0.0008%, 20Hz – 20kHz, 24-bit, 1Vrms output
<0.0008%, 20Hz – 20kHz, 1Vrms output
20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.1dB
>103 dB
< -100dB
6Vrms single ended or 6Vrms + 6Vrms balanced
USB Audio Class 2.0 supporting up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM, or up to DSD256
1 x USB 2.0 current limited to 1A, FAT32 / NTFS / HFS / HFS+
4.1 (Smart/BLE enabled) A2DP/AVRCP supporting SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD
16/24-bit 32-96kHz
16/24-bit 32-192kHz
IEEE 802.11 b/g or n (2.4GHz), Encryption WEP, WPA, WPA2
IEEE 802.3, 10 Base-T or 100 Base-T
100W
<0.5W
120 x 460 x 405mm (4.7 x 18.1 x 15.9”)
Hi-res wireless connectivity that’s compatible with hundreds of Android and iOS apps. Chromecast built-in is a trademark of Google LLC.
Edge NQ Pre-amplifier and Network Player; 1.5M Power Lead; Edge Remote Control; 3 x AAA Batteries; Bluetooth Antenna; Wi-Fi Dongle; Edge Link Cable; Edge NQ User Manual
Edge W is the best power amplifier Cambridge Audio has ever made. With just 14 components in the signal path (where other similar products may have 30-40), Edge W delivers breath-taking, pure, unfiltered British Sound with incredible power: nothing added, nothing taken away. Expected MSRP: $3,000 USD.
100W RMS into 8 Ohms; 200W RMS into 4 Ohms
<0.002% 1kHz at rated power (8 Ohms); <0.02% 20Hz – 20kHz at rated power (8 Ohms)
<3Hz – >80kHz +/-1dB
>93 dB
< -100dB
>113 dB
Input A1-A2 (unbalanced) 1.09V RMS
Input A3 (balanced) 47k Ohm; Input A1-A2 (unbalanced) 47k Ohm
Balanced, Unbalanced
Speakers, Loop out
1000W
<0.5W
150 x 460 x 405mm (5.9 x 18.1 x 15.9″)
23.6kg (51.9lbs)
Edge W Power Amplifier; 1.5M Power Lead; Edge Link Cable; Edge W User Manual
Congratulations to Cambridge on this technical and aesthetic triumph!
That said, it will be an interesting business case to see how well a relative value brand can scale upward into the luxury segment of a market. Historically, the odds are against it, regardless of performance or value. Successful expansions into new market segments usually involve approachable products sprung from established higher end offerings. At the same time, a company can successfully move far up the price ladder when they they are already above a certain point. The question is, where is that point in any given market? Cambridge have very likely conducted a disciplined analysis to find out. It’s a tricky problem and a risky proposition.
Nice commercial. They do make good gear though.