Cambridge AXC35 CD Player Review - My First Modern Player In Years
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- I finally gave up on buying those cheap vintage CD players that keep breaking and bought the Cambridge AXC35 instead. Spoiler alert: I like it (and you most likely will too).
Purchase here: amzn.to/3SHPvkA
This video will show you an in depth guide to the AXC35 and compares it with the old Sony Blu-ray player I was previously using for CD playback.
Also visit my blog post for more information on the AXC35 where you can also sign up for my mailing list for gear reviews, music recommendations and more: foreveranalog....
Amazon affiliate link for the Cambridge AXC35: amzn.to/3vQ4TBV
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I had been using blu ray players for years for cd's and the sound was so harsh and headache inducing. I also bought this Cambridge and now I can listen to digital again and actually enjoy it.
Same! I’ve been listening to a lot more of my CDs since the Cambridge arrived!
Bad audio out of blueray players seems standard, they only seem usable as a transport (i.e. use an external DAC). These players have no thought whasoever put into the analogue outputs, they assume any serious user will be using HDMI, which kind of sucks for music.
@@paulstubbs7678 dude, thank you for your comment. I thought I was going crazy and then tried the Blu-ray digital coax and optical outs to a Modi3 DAC. Optical sounded the best for music. All other outs without the DAC were rubbish.
My AXC25 with remote looks identical to your AXC35. Bought it a year ago and very happy with it.
Awesome. I think the main difference in the two models is the 35 offers a digital output to hook up a DAC if you wanted to while the 25 only has RCA outs. I’ve only read that online so please let me know if that’s incorrect. Thanks for watching!
@@ForeverAnalog mine has no digital output. So, that' s the difference. Great player!
@@HansJazz agree I love mine!
@@ForeverAnalog mine is running over a Denon PMA-520AE with 3 way 10 watt DIY open baffles and/or Yamaha RX-V420RDS with a set restored TEQ V5 speakers. Perfect combinations! Before the Cambridge I used an old Samsung DVD/VHS player for CD playback. Fast loading and pretty good sound.
Best video I have seen in a very long time :) so super good and so intriguing! :)
Cambridge is a unreliable cd playback system. It does not read cdrs and also having some playback issues with factory pressed original CDs. But it sounds amazing. Best sounding cd player.
I was in same boat, big cd collection, no player. I was down to this Cambridge or Yamaha CD-S303. But a Yamaha CD-S300 came up on eBay as parts only, volume down in one channel and loader prob. Got it for $50 free ship :). Tested the RCA and sure enough, sound down in right channel. Tried digital connect and it plays perfectly. I knew to do that because of your other video about only buying older players with digital out 🤜🤛. It has a Burr Brown DAC, it sounds amazing with my Elac speakers. The board for RCA outs has obvious leaking capacitor in right channel and I’m certain when I replace that the analog outs will be fine. Thanks for your vids!
Amazing. I love finding a great deal. Congrats and thanks for watching!
Just found this video (and your channel) looking for a new CD player. Just had another vintage one stop working on me, between what my dad had and what I had I now have a pile of about 7 CD players that stopped working and I am told it not worth fixing. Not even sure what I should do with them all, but I do know I am ready to but a new one this time! This review was very helpful, and I think this sounds like a great option for me. Thank you!!
Thanks for watching! And yeah I went through the same thing. Vintage players kept dying! I’ve enjoyed the Cambridge a lot.
@@ForeverAnalog thanks for your reply, sorry I am just seeing it, never got the notification for some reason. Yeah I am leaning towards the setup you have here in the vid, looks to be a good bet for my budget!
I am using this CD player with digital out to my Cambridge CXA81 and it sounds great. I just which the remotes were cross comparable. I found out the hard way after purchasing the CD player that they weren't.
CD's are great - especially for albums that have lots of quiet passages. Ive got back into CD's in 2022 after picking up a Yamaha CD player that plays 5 discs and sounds really good. Feels great some evenings on the sofa flicking through albums vs getting up every 15 minutes for records too.
For sure. I also love CDs for live shows!
Just ordered an AXR100D and now waiting (a month!) for the AXC35 to come into stock (Richer Sounds, London) so I can get one! Nice review. A couple of features you didn't mention: the remote allows numerical track selection (i.e. you don't have to plod through tracks one at a time if you want to start in the middle of a CD) and also the "Remain" button on the remote provides the time remaining on tracks or till the end of the CD -- both quite important for me, and which are not included with the more pricey CXC CD Transport. I believe the CXC does have CD Text though, which might be more important for some.
Yes, great points. Thank you for sharing and I hope the month waiting period flies by fast, lol! Thanks for watching!
@@ForeverAnalog Thanks! 👍
Hi again. I've been enjoying my new AXC35 but have come across an anomaly -- the Remain button info is wrong! I'm getting what seem to be accurate results for the current track but the total CD readings are way out -- sometimes by up to ten minutes. It doesn't seem to affect the first few tracks (or the very last, for some reason), but after you're some way in it all goes wrong! Can I ask if you've noticed that -- or is it just mine?!
Hey, I have the axr100d, just sent the cxc back as it couldn’t read many CDs (this and many other things I didn’t like, the color didn’t match the amp, the remotes are not compatible etc). Question: have you tried both DACs axc35 vs axr100? Which one is better? I’m tempted to only get the axc25 as I’m not convinced the dac is the amp is better?
@@pierreg8562 Good question -- one I'm working on at the moment! After being told by the retailer that the AXR100D is better than that of the AXC35, I originally hooked it up that way (and it sounded great); but for the past few weeks I've been running in the AXC35 DAC to compare (also because I could use the coax input on the receiver elsewhere). I was prompted to do so by a review of the AXC35 at Crutchfield (Daniel from La Porte), claiming that the AXC35's DAC is superior.
I think I can hear what he means by "cleaner"; however what I'm experiencing is a more hollow thinner sound, and distinctly more "edgy" at the top: harsh even. So, first impression is that my retailer was right -- that the AXR100D DAC is better. I'll probably be switching back to the AXR100D DAC this week, so will likely have a more definite take after that.
The AX series components work very well together. I was put off the CXC (despite the retailer trying to sell it to me!) as I had heard about its fussiness with CDs (as you have experienced); also, being able to use one remote with both units is a big plus. Of course, you sometimes only want one component to come on when you press ON, but both units time out after 20 minutes of non-activity so it's not a problem.
Love seeing you still rock a VHS player! LoL
Keep it analog! I actually found some great horror vhs movies at my local thrift on Halloween weekend. It’s a fun way to watch old movies on the cheap lol.
Just noticed the Minor Threat picture in the background...😮👍
The artist is Nathan McKee!
That Bluray player loads slowly because it is just how it is. Pretty much all players from then were really slow, I believe it was a firmware issue.
Vintage == old stuff that will die soon. I know all about vintage. I've got thousands of dollars worth of the crap dead in my garage.
I was never happier when I swore off vintage audio and bought a Cambridge Audio system, Klipsch speakers, and an Audio-Technica turntable.
Everything works, sounds good, and doesn't drop dead right and left.
CA AXR-85 or AXR-100 work great to anchor a system.
I still like both but yeah it’s a pain when it needs to be repaired.
Thanks for the review. I just purchased this with an AXR 85 receiver. Great review. Curious question. I was always told to stack the amp on top because of the heat and circulation needed. Is that true or can it be done either way? It looks very slightly more aesthetically pleasing the way you have it with the transport on top.
I think there is enough room to stack the transport on top. My AXA25 has yet to run to hot so I'm not too worried. Maybe stack on top and just put your hand near the receiver every now and then to feel if there is any heat coming out. I would worry more about stacking items on top of vintage receivers that can tend to run hot due to age. When looking at the stacked gear from the front, it appears they are flush due to the design, but if you look on the side rear, you will notice they left room for air to circulate. Thank you for watching!
@@ForeverAnalog Thanks for the reply. appreciate it
It is never good to stack components.
i have the cambridge axr-100 with the axc-35 cd player and i dont have them stack up i have them separate..
Ideally you should have them on separate shelves , not stacked . It isn't just the heat dissipation , there are other factors like electromagnetic flux, jitter and vibrations which can creep through when you stack. Ideally, keep them side by side or on separate shelves using good isolation feet instead of the standard feet they come with. Good isolation feet are not too expensive and make a world of difference to the overall sound quality. If in case you do have to stack, use the isolation feet anyway. It will help improve the sound quality. Also please get aftermarket IEC power cords for components that allow you to use them. Again they make a huge difference. PS audio makes some great affordable power cords and noise harvesters which will help in the overall quality as well.
You can’t tell the difference when the power button is On or Off… because the little light stays ON, whether the unit is On or Off. So weird. No point in the little light at all.
That being said, I just got mine and realized this. Fantastic CD player! Internal DAC sounds Awesome.
Glad you’re enjoying! Thanks for watching!
I want to see the inside. Is it mostly empty space? :D
I've got that CD player hooked up to my CXA 81 integrated. Neither remote will cross talk to each other. I could have purchased the cx series CD transport and my cxa81's remote for both.
Very interesting and odd!
Great video. I have that same setup and i love it! I have the AXA25 on top because i was concerned about heat. Is that not an issue?
I think on top is smart!
Very good review and comment. I love my albums & CD's too.
Interesting strategy with adding in the external DAC. So, the strategies are:
a. CD Player
b. CD Player + External DAC
c. CD Transport + External DAC
You said a was good, but b was even better.
Did you consider path c? Do you think you can allocate the $$ better with c?
Thank you. I have definitely considered option C but haven't found a transport that's quite in my budget right now. I've been buying a lot of gear for the channel so funds get a little short, but maybe I'll get lucky and find a nice used one that better fits in my budget! I would love to listen for possible improvements.
@@ForeverAnalog Great video, thank you. I really wonder what is the difference between digital output of ACX35 and Cambridge Audio CXC transport. What's the point of owning CXC, while ACX35 can transfer data to the same DAC as well.
@ozzikk4566 good question. Some folks have heard sound differences in transports using the same DAC. I haven’t heard the Cambridge transport so can’t say for sure but I did sell this cd player in favor of the Schiit Urd connected to an Ares II DAC which is of course considerably expensive lol
@@ozzikk4566I also think it makes no sense to buy the cxc if paired with the axr amp, only reason would be if you want to upgrade the amp or dac. But the cxc and axr remotes are not compatible, and in my case, they were not even the same color even though both are lunar grey
So 2 years and $420 later............................................
Would you still make this same recommendation of replacing their broken thrift store DVD player with a brand new Cambridge CD player to a Noob audio hobbyist? After that much time & that much money, what have they been left with?
A really cheap transport with a DAC in need of replacement. Where was the upgrade path? They walked straight into the same problem as before except for the $10 working transport that they paid $410 too much for.
The move then, as now, is to get another thrift store DVD for $10, then buy the Geshelli JNOG2 [J2] DAC for $250 (+20 for usb adapter), Then put the $160 left over towards a decent transport like AudioLabs. Upgrading with a path.
Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Great question, thank you. I've found whatever I recommend all depends on the person buying it. I usually offer multiple ideas like you mention and let them pick and choose what they would like in their system. That's what makes this hobby fun, there isn't one way you have to do anything.
Interesting. I've just boxed mine up to send back. It is so thin, and cold sounding with exaggerated top end I couldn't listen to it for more than a few minute. I tried lots of different CDs. I love the AXC25 amp I bought a couple of weeks ago so I was disappointed. I contacted Cambridge Audio thinking it might have a fault, but they answered saying from my description they don't think it is faulty. I'm wondering if this might just be the modern sound I don't like.
Sorry to hear that. I upgraded to the Schiit URD transport with an Ares II DAC and sold this Cambridge myself. It’s a great starter unit but I think more resolving systems might need something else.
I've some Cambridge audio equipment opened up and its very much obviously "lowest bidder" built.
I have the AXC35 as well. I decided just the other day to try running my Topping E30 DAC instead of the DAC in the Cambridge. However my results were quite the opposite. So I'm still not sure if that means that the Cambridge internal DAC was really that good or if the Topping DAC is really that bad. Lol.
Interesting! I hope to pick another DAC or tow down the road to test out with the Cambridge.
Nice grey! Why didn’t you wanna go the CD transport route ?
Good question! Supposedly Schiit is working on a transport and I want to wait and check it out first. Hopefully it’s more successful than their turntable.
@@ForeverAnalog I read that too ..Jason did mention it was going to be about a grand possibly in an interview he did this year …I ended up getting an audio research transport into the schiit bifrost
Hoping to invest in a bifrost myself soon!
@@ForeverAnalog it’s got some slam!
i have this cambridge cd player axc-35 with also the cambridge axr-100 is a perfect combination.
Which Schiit DAC do you recommend today? Or a different brand? Thanks
Hi. Nice review. Just to make sure, I can use the RCA line-out to my line-in on my Sonos Fives? Right? I am also looking as Brennan B3 due to its ability to go wireless to my Sonos ecosystem. Any other things I should consider? Other models to look at? Cheers.
My experience with Sonos is very limited but a quick search online appears it will accept a 3.5mm input...so I guess you would need a RCA to 3.5mm cable rather than standard RCA cables.
@@ForeverAnalog Thank for confirming. It looks like this player is not in stock anywhere or perhaps no longer available. In the US.
Thanks for the good review. In your opinion, would a new $400 Cambridge sound better than a 15 year old $2000 Arcam?
I’ve yet to hear an Arcam player unfortunately. If the Arcam works fine, I would consider keeping it and putting money into an external DAC for sound improvement. Thanks for watching!
I'm guessing you have something like an FMJ23,33 or 36. Arcam is in a completely different league. I've owned both.
Just bought a very old and heavy (17 lbs at least) Sony CDP-520ESII (there is NO info about the ESII online at all) that has a door that sticks-I have to manually pull it open (looked inside needs belts I'm sure I can't get) but it loads the disc instantly when the door closes. I thought your Cambridge was broken when you closed the door to be honest.
Wow I’ve never heard of that Sony model before!
@@ForeverAnalog i found a repair video on a plain es non II model and mine has beefier components inside at least. The button layout on the front is different too.
Can you share what speakers you are using? I thought of getting a system , same as you.
I rotate speakers often but I think this was Emotiva B1 speakers
Not have usb digital file player. Denon 800 or 900 better, their plays very well cds too.
I have the same one. This is why I will never go back to vinyl.
I have too many records to ditch vinyl 😂 but still love CDs too. Thanks for watching!
I am about to buy a AXC25 Cambridge CD - Player to use with my old but still very good amplifier AUDIOLAB 8000-A and a pair of Monitor Audio loudspeakers. Is that a good choice? I listen mainly to classical music.
I prefer the AXC35 since it has a digital output allowing you to hook up an external DAC later on if you like. But the 25 is still a solid player.
do you recommend this over rotel cd 11 in terms of audio quality?
I’ve yet to hear a Rotel player so I can’t say. Maybe someone else will chime in!
My remote for this CD player activates my Sony blue ray player. Must be on same frequency. I hardly use my blue ray player so I just unplug it. I have a half dozen Sacd's which the blue ray player does play.
By the way I am using the cxa81 integrated amp and thought the two were remote comparable but they are not, you need to upgrade to the $600 CD transport to use the amps remote.
i timed both players loading both took 6 seconds ?
I can't hear a difference between the schiit modi, the dac in my Onkyo 6 disc player and the dac in my Onkyo avr receiver.
Interesting. I’ve enjoyed a larger soundstage and more detail with my Modi but every system is different!
I don't like this combination at all. Not even the amp has a headphone jack.
I get that cd players are for cds lol but there’s no harm into modernizing it and adding a usb port for high res files. Especially if you are paying $400+
Yamaha cd 303 has a usb port. The other cd players they make are $1200 and one is even $6000 lol and both have no usb port. To me that’s just crazy
The Denon DCD 900NE has a usb port of the front of the unit that allows you to connect to a drive with 1,000 songs. I also have a review of that player on my channel.
I think the Emotive ERC-4 has USB.
How would this work with an Onkyo TX 8220 Receiver?
Apologies, are you asking how it would hook up to the receiver or how would it sound through the Onkyo?
@@ForeverAnalog that is correct My friend, appreciated 😃
I think you would be very happy with the sound! I’ve really enjoyed mine with various amplifiers.
@@ForeverAnalog awesome!!! Thanks My friend
is it gapless playback?
yes it does
@@gtodave6768 Does it play gapless when tracks are programmed? A lot of players are ‘gapless’ by default but falter when listening to a programmed section of a disc. Just wondering if the CA is truly a gapless player or just like all the others?
@@Dogan1960no not gapless if tracks are programmed.
I thought about getting this and hooking it up to my LG stereo system cause it has RCA connection the CD player on the LG stereo system doesn't work like it's supposed to so I have my DVD player hooked up to it or my turntable but I have a Sony boom box CD player I sit on my table next to my bed it sounds pretty good if I'm in my room and it loads really fast too the DVD player takes forever to load
Is Coaxial better than toslink? wondering which I should use if I buy a dac?
I have not personally compared the two via audio listening tests, however, much of the documentation regarding the two claim that coaxial is better than toslink. However, I'm not sure the difference is that noticeable overall.
whats a dac ,,yes im average just listen love vinyl but am a child of CD
A DAC is a digital to analog converter. Any digital device that produces audio has a DAC built in - that chip is what turns the 1 and 0s of the digital information to analog form so it can be played by our speakers. Think of a DAC like the stylus on your turntable, without it, can you can't hear the music. And just like a stylus that you can change out with a different model for different sound, you can do the same with an external DAC and a CD player or streamer.