Great review, Cody. I think most people get caught up in the, “how much wattage does it have” frame of mind pertaining to “how loud will it play”, when they should really consider speaker efficiency and the amount of current that the amp has, as opposed to “watts”. I have an AES/Cary Audio separate tube amp that only puts out 20 watts per channel. It’s not much, but the amplifier weighs about 30 plus pounds and that is due to the transformers that it has. And THAT is why it will drive (along with efficient speakers) music close to concert levels without breaking up. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Jesus saves! Cheers from Tomball, Texas
You are completely right Jesus is our savior!!!!! 😁👏🏾👏🏾 Merry Christmas to you and your family! May God continue to bless you! I agree some people really get tied up in the numbers and rely more on that rather than enjoying their music/movies. Numbers do tell part of the story (a small part in my opinion) but it’s really about enjoying the content. Thanks for commenting!
How does one go around figuring out how much current a particular amp provides? I've heard of 3W tube amps and people say that's enough for efficient speakers. Is that because of high current?
@majadito1985 You are exactly right about those 3 watt tube amps, however, I must add that those folks are using ultra high efficiency speakers as well and those speakers do not come cheap. Don’t get me wrong, you still need watts to go along with current. In other words, those high current tube amps would do nothing with zero wattage. This is obviously “not technical”, but if you pick up an amplifier that has modest wattage and weighs considerably more than what you would think it does, it most likely has a huge toroidal transformer and large capacitors. These amps are not cheap though. I liken current and wattage to torque and horsepower in an auto engine. People focus on the horsepower, but it’s actually the torque that gets the “work” pulling done. You still need both though. Diesel engines put out loads more torque than gasoline engines do, this is why you see construction equipment with what seems like low horsepower ratings, but 100’s, if not over a 1000’s lbs. of torque. Most people have seen the inexpensive car amps from Walmart that advertise “1000 watts”, but other than playing at ear bleeding levels, they are not worth listening to, because the music sounds so bad. They have no current. Think of current as a much larger pipeline transporting a liquid (wattage) under low pressure. Think of the pressure/liquid as wattage. If the pipeline is constricted, it doesn’t really matter how much liquid (wattage) there is, it will all be very inefficient and restrict the flow. On the other hand, think of the liquid flowing at low pressure, but running through a large pipeline and I think you can start to see the point. Current allows the small wattage to be utilized more efficiently, which is why a low wattage (but expensive amp) can sound so much better than one advertised as “500 wpc”, but weighs 6 lbs. This does not apply to Class D amps. That’s a whole other topic. Pass Labs “First Watt” amps are around $4K to $5K to start in pricing. They only have about 25 wpc, but they are extremely heavy. I’m sure I’ll get raked over the coals from some about my explanation here, but it’s more in “layman’s” terms. I hope it helps. Merry Christmas
I have the AXA 25, find it a great option, especially if price is good (I paid 205 euro). It has plenty of power for my needs. I rarely go above 33% volume when driving my Warfedale Diamond 220s. 25 watts is plenty of power for a smaller room.
Nice take on this quality integrated. I almost up it's bigger brother (AXA35) for my little 2.1 setup, but lucked out and snagged a refurbished CXA61 instead. Going to compare to the new Fosi ZA3 that's also on the way. This class D supposedly has a very neutral, clean sound to it.
I love this video. All of my favorite amps and receivers are silver and from the 70s. This Cambridge has that same vibe. My Marantz 2220b only puts out 20 watts per channel and it drives my inefficient NHT C1 sealed speakers just fine.I use the speaker level ins/outs with a Yamaha sub and it sounds very punchy.
Thanks for your great channel and reviews. How can you compare this to Cambridge 35 and Sony str-dh190 or Yamaha or Marantz from the same class? Kind regards and best wishes
I had both... very different sound. Ayima very bright and clean with more resolution and maybe double the power (around 50watts), the AXA25 is warmer and probably a bit bassier. I sent back the Ayima as I was worried about it overheating and my child touching it (it did run warm and some forums said that there is a fire risk). Probably objectively the Ayima has a better sound and is a better option, but I like the AXA 25 better personally, it has more 'character' like an old-school integrated amplifier.
I have a question it would be great to show how to reuse or repurpose an older surround processor. I recently had a Kenwood AV Surround processor given to me. It is the SS992 model. 3 channel. I would like to use it if possible for a front speaker and 2 rear for a simple no frills home theater setup. I also thought I might add a bluetooth module to it for use with my phone. Any advice or ideas on how to use this great vintage processor?
I have the axa 25 and find the power to be adequate and the amp sounds good. The amp is also very attractive and not very high, fits in places some of the other amps will not. On the negative side the power transformer emanates a buzzing sound, you don’t hear this when you are playing music however you can hear it from a couple of feet away. I complained about this to Cambridge and they sent me a new unit, same problem with new unit. Having two units with the same problem I can only assume this is the norm. I have some inexpensive amps from Onkyo that are silent when there is no source playing. Also you cannot use the usb port to power a DAC and then use rca outputs into one of the line inputs, this creates a ground loop inducing noise. The axa 35 is a much better buy more power, remote, phono input, transformer doesn’t buzz, and you can use the usb port to power a DAC. If you want an amp that is inexpensive you are probably better off buying a Sony or Yamaha for much less money.
Is this a coincidence or what? I have exact same amplifier and the exact same speakers in my bedroom. The 25 watts is enough to drive my KEF's to a comfortably loud volume. BTW...those KEF's sound fantastic.
Great review, Cody.
I think most people get caught up in the, “how much wattage does it have” frame of mind pertaining to “how loud will it play”, when they should really consider speaker efficiency and the amount of current that the amp has, as opposed to “watts”.
I have an AES/Cary Audio separate tube amp that only puts out 20 watts per channel. It’s not much, but the amplifier weighs about 30 plus pounds and that is due to the transformers that it has. And THAT is why it will drive (along with efficient speakers) music close to concert levels without breaking up.
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Jesus saves!
Cheers from Tomball, Texas
You are completely right Jesus is our savior!!!!! 😁👏🏾👏🏾
Merry Christmas to you and your family! May God continue to bless you!
I agree some people really get tied up in the numbers and rely more on that rather than enjoying their music/movies. Numbers do tell part of the story (a small part in my opinion) but it’s really about enjoying the content. Thanks for commenting!
How does one go around figuring out how much current a particular amp provides? I've heard of 3W tube amps and people say that's enough for efficient speakers. Is that because of high current?
@majadito1985
You are exactly right about those 3 watt tube amps, however, I must add that those folks are using ultra high efficiency speakers as well and those speakers do not come cheap.
Don’t get me wrong, you still need watts to go along with current. In other words, those high current tube amps would do nothing with zero wattage.
This is obviously “not technical”, but if you pick up an amplifier that has modest wattage and weighs considerably more than what you would think it does, it most likely has a huge toroidal transformer and large capacitors. These amps are not cheap though.
I liken current and wattage to torque and horsepower in an auto engine. People focus on the horsepower, but it’s actually the torque that gets the “work” pulling done. You still need both though. Diesel engines put out loads more torque than gasoline engines do, this is why you see construction equipment with what seems like low horsepower ratings, but 100’s, if not over a 1000’s lbs. of torque.
Most people have seen the inexpensive car amps from Walmart that advertise “1000 watts”, but other than playing at ear bleeding levels, they are not worth listening to, because the music sounds so bad. They have no current.
Think of current as a much larger pipeline transporting a liquid (wattage) under low pressure. Think of the pressure/liquid as wattage. If the pipeline is constricted, it doesn’t really matter how much liquid (wattage) there is, it will all be very inefficient and restrict the flow.
On the other hand, think of the liquid flowing at low pressure, but running through a large pipeline and I think you can start to see the point.
Current allows the small wattage to be utilized more efficiently, which is why a low wattage (but expensive amp) can sound so much better than one advertised as “500 wpc”, but weighs 6 lbs. This does not apply to Class D amps. That’s a whole other topic.
Pass Labs “First Watt” amps are around $4K to $5K to start in pricing. They only have about 25 wpc, but they are extremely heavy.
I’m sure I’ll get raked over the coals from some about my explanation here, but it’s more in “layman’s” terms.
I hope it helps.
Merry Christmas
@@Shaken_AND_Stirred thanks so much. Merry Christmas to you too!
@Shaken_AND_Stirred Great explanation!!
I have the AXA 25, find it a great option, especially if price is good (I paid 205 euro).
It has plenty of power for my needs. I rarely go above 33% volume when driving my Warfedale Diamond 220s. 25 watts is plenty of power for a smaller room.
Beautifully explained thank you
My pleasure 😊
Nice take on this quality integrated. I almost up it's bigger brother (AXA35) for my little 2.1 setup, but lucked out and snagged a refurbished CXA61 instead. Going to compare to the new Fosi ZA3 that's also on the way. This class D supposedly has a very neutral, clean sound to it.
Good stuff!
I love this video. All of my favorite amps and receivers are silver and from the 70s. This Cambridge has that same vibe. My Marantz 2220b only puts out 20 watts per channel and it drives my inefficient NHT C1 sealed speakers just fine.I use the speaker level ins/outs with a Yamaha sub and it sounds very punchy.
Nice!!!! Silver is a great color, it stands out. 😁
Great. Succinct and importantly not boring. Thank you.
Nice review. A good value piece.
Thanks!
great upload, especially for a pc based system.
It’s a nice amp.
Thanks for your great channel and reviews.
How can you compare this to Cambridge 35 and Sony str-dh190 or Yamaha or Marantz from the same class?
Kind regards and best wishes
Curious to see this $250+ Cambridge Audio AXA25 compared to a sub $80 AIYIMA A07 TPA3255.
I had both... very different sound. Ayima very bright and clean with more resolution and maybe double the power (around 50watts), the AXA25 is warmer and probably a bit bassier. I sent back the Ayima as I was worried about it overheating and my child touching it (it did run warm and some forums said that there is a fire risk).
Probably objectively the Ayima has a better sound and is a better option, but I like the AXA 25 better personally, it has more 'character' like an old-school integrated amplifier.
I have a Yamaha WXC-50 Streamer and Tangent Spectrum X4 Speakers. Would you recommend AXA25 or 35? Please suggest :)
I have a question it would be great to show how to reuse or repurpose an older surround processor. I recently had a Kenwood AV Surround processor given to me. It is the SS992 model. 3 channel. I would like to use it if possible for a front speaker and 2 rear for a simple no frills home theater setup. I also thought I might add a bluetooth module to it for use with my phone. Any advice or ideas on how to use this great vintage processor?
I have this amp and I have to max out the treble and bass controls to get the sound I want. Is that normal?
I have a pair of q150 they fucking rock
They are nice speakers, I like them a lot.
Great review covered more than others I have watched 👍
I have the axa 25 and find the power to be adequate and the amp sounds good. The amp is also very attractive and not very high, fits in places some of the other amps will not. On the negative side the power transformer emanates a buzzing sound, you don’t hear this when you are playing music however you can hear it from a couple of feet away. I complained about this to Cambridge and they sent me a new unit, same problem with new unit. Having two units with the same problem I can only assume this is the norm. I have some inexpensive amps from Onkyo that are silent when there is no source playing. Also you cannot use the usb port to power a DAC and then use rca outputs into one of the line inputs, this creates a ground loop inducing noise. The axa 35 is a much better buy more power, remote, phono input, transformer doesn’t buzz, and you can use the usb port to power a DAC. If you want an amp that is inexpensive you are probably better off buying a Sony or Yamaha for much less money.
Is this a coincidence or what? I have exact same amplifier and the exact same speakers in my bedroom. The 25 watts is enough to drive my KEF's to a comfortably loud volume. BTW...those KEF's sound fantastic.
Nice!!!! The Q150s are excellent especially when you consider the sale price!!!! :)
Can I use Klipsch R-51M with this amp?
I didn't try the model explicitly but I feel confident it will work.