You hit the nail on the head. If you have a iPad then the blueos is better software. Cell phone apps work to lesser degree. I like the BS iPad app,
Eventhough I am old school and prefer holding a remote.
I liked the greater selection of free internet stations on the bluesound.
I have the bluesound and really like it. I tried the CA azure and the dac in my oppo 205 was *much* better imo.
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Thanks for your input...... could you elaborate a bit on
"the greater selection of free internet stations on the bluesound." ?? The CXN and the Azur have different processors so I'm not sure that's apples to apples.. regardless I'm sure both are very inferior to the processor in my Sony XA 5400 ES but that's neither here (hear) nor there. I ran across someone selling the CXN greatly discounted who is a dealer so I may make the jump this weekend.
Did you find any interconnects worked better than another on that?
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No experience with bluesound. I have the Cambridge 851n which is similar to the CXN. I listen to internet radio through the Cambridge, and I can also listen to the same internet radio through my Marantz AV8802a. The Cambridge, with its upsampling, always sounds slightly better. I use Nordost Frey 1 interconnects, but what really made a difference was upgrading the power cable to an old Nordost Vishnu.
The Cambridge does have a remote and a phone or iPad app. The app is not very good when using my external hard drive, but for the internet radio it is fine.
If you are a jazz person, let me recommend radio jazz.fm from Poland. Broadcasts at 192k with some very interesting programming. |
radio jazz.fm noted. There was never a possibility this would ever get listened too 4 real with the cables that come in the box. FWIW, my system is Straightwire original Maestro and Virtuoso and this would not stray far from that. Probably any OFC 14 - 18 gauge power cord might cut it.//// Maybe try cryo... not putting $3K in wire on a an $800 streamer... LOL.
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As a further note the machine is on order. Music Direct @ $725. Now on to Power cords and ICs.
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You ordered at just the right time! Now that Cambridge announced the CX Series 2 line, I suspect all the current CX stuff will be going on sale, and the CXN was the first of the bunch. Given that the CXN and CXC are apparently only getting a new paint job, you get a great deal.
Apparently a new app is coming with this release as well, so the CXN will get a functional upgrade soon too.
I'm waiting to see how if the CXC goes on sale so I can get a nice transport upgrade while I'm at it. I've seen those make their way into some fairly high end systems.
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To clarify, my music preference is classical. I have used 3 free internet built in apps; chromecast, whatever the 851 uses, and bluesound's. They all have plenty of stations or enough, although I think the bluesound has more with better graphics for each station. I used only remotes and their respective unit displays for the other 2.
The 851 does display incoming quality from cdp or USB. It would be nice to see a display that show both incoming quality, and outgoing quality that is measured( not predicted), if so-called up- sampling is done, which I detected no improvement from by ear. |
Thanks all.... I've got 60 days to decide to keep or return so I've got a couple things coming.. a hospital grade power cord coming and I've got some old interconnects that are not too bad to try with before I decide to blow real money on either.. I'll dump my > 650 CDs that also have files on my PC to an SDXC card and plug that in the USB on the back and see how they sound through the streamer, as well as internet radio.
Ahhh... new toys. The last two were an ARC LS 17 SE pre which my old ARC LS2 MKII B blew away and a pair of custom Acoustat 2200's which came in after being dropped off the truck in transport and went back unaccepted after a damage check.
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Well.... it's streaming. Power cord that came in the box and some 25 year old Monster interconnects... sounds awful good on wifi-radio. .. that is stone cold out of the box.
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I’m very interested in this streamer too to use with the complimentary CX81 integrated amp in a satellite system. I auditioned the older Azur 851N which was streaming via WiFi from Apple Music loaded on an iPad and it sounded good. |
I have not streamed from a PC yet, or tried listening on files transferred from what iTunes ripped from original CDs, but it sure sounds good on wi-fi radio stations and that's with garbage interconnects.
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OP here with an update. I figured I'd buy the Cambridge and hook it up with whatever power cord came in the box and whatever IC's were in the closet. In this case it was so >25 year old Monster Interlink 700's that I needed to put 2, i meter pairs together with some $1 male RCA to male RCA adapter. Had no idea if it was going to be a keeper so it was purchased with a 60 Satisfaction Guarantee from MD.
Cambridge says there are 20,000 internet radio stations and I have no reason to doubt that.... you can easily fill your 20 designated preferences with amazing CD quality radio.
Wednesday it updated it's software all by itself. Can't tell if the sound changed any since my ears were not dialed in then. Working on that pre NFL this AM. Still on the Monsters that are forever old.... 1991 I think. Have lined up some very high end cables to try next week from a local manufacturer. Hard to imagine it getting much better though.
Definatley a keeper.
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@midareff1.. My first gen Rega DAC died about a month ago. I bought the CXN V2 last week. All I can say is wow! It sounds amazing right out of the box. Way better than my Rega DAC ever sounded. Not sure if it has a break-in period or not? Can't imagine it sounding any better.
The internet radio sounds amazing. Almost sounds as good as the lossless files I'm running from my MAC MINI via USB to the CXN. Glad I made this purchase.. |
So far I've found large differences between stations and I've been listening lots trying to select top stations in the genres I listen too, and play the varieties of music within the genre I like best. I suspect I'm half way there or a bit more at this point. I've done no streaming at all from computer or phone to player..... need to get the Bluetooth receiver ordered.
I replaced the power cord with an Audioquest which helped, and picked up some Straightwire Expressivo ICs which also helped tame some digititis. I've been letting it burn.. probably 200 - 250 hours so far and it sounds a bit more relaxed and natural each day. By natural, I mean the performance is in my room with them singing and playing right in front of me natural. I'm going to let it burn another 10 days or so and then I figure with 500 hours on it I've got what I've got and I want to compare it to my CD/SACD, a Sony XA 5400 ES which Stereophile rated Class A a couple years ago.
I feel the same as you do... no regrets at all.
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The CXN has good to very good sound but if you want to stream from Tidal, Spotify etc the 2 apps, Connect and Streammagic, are useless, particularly if you stream classical music. |
Just getting my feet wet with one of these...currently have thousands of CD's and Vinyl but was impressed with the selection on Tidal so invested in the CXN V2...using Stream Magic V1.1.1...why is it "useless" Classical music....just curious.
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OP here..... put about 600 hours on the unit and it's a different animal now. Changed out the power cord and a lev el 3 set of Straightwire Interconnects and it's REALLY great listening now. Have 20 high resolution stations tagged combined between rock, blues, singer songwriter, country and it fully meets my needs.
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OP,
Are you using Ethernet or WiFi to stream the internet radio into the Cambridge?
Wondering also if you’ve tried both options (Ethernet and WiFi) and could discuss differences?? |
I'm using WiFi. Makes no difference I can hear if wife is on computer talking to family overseas on wifi and TV is using wifi connection simultaneously for Netflix and/or Prime. Modem is in another room without a practical way to use a wired ethernet connection so can't comment on differences. Wifi download speeds runs 175 mbps on present modem (just checked).
FWIW, we live in Miami and listenable stations are in very short supply .. maybe one or two encompassing classic rock and country and a PBS station. The Cambridge easily outperforms a max modified Sansui TU-9900 (done by Radio X). I'm well satisfied with the performance.
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That is great to hear, OP. I'm also considering a CA streamer/dac for my bedroom system and have no realistic way of running Ethernet to that spot. Exactly what I was hoping you'd say, thanks!! |
