Product of The Year Award 2024 - StereoNET
Open Your Ears to a World of Hi-Res Music
Cambridge Audio's new AXN10 network player will breathe new life into hi-fi your system, opening up a world of hi-res music. You'll find plenty of free services, like internet radio, as well as the well-known premium ones – many offer free trials. Thanks to Cambridge Audio's streaming know-how, you’ll be able to enjoy high-quality music easily from a variety of sources via an easy-to-use app.
The AXN10 is powered by Cambridge Audio's latest StreamMagic Gen 4 module and software. It’s a system the company developed in London for no-compromise, rock-solid, hi-fi music streaming. It’s intuitive to use and is capable of playing music with incredible clarity up to both 768KHz 32bit PCM and DSD512.
Award-Winning Performance
The AXN10 won a StereoNET Product of The Year Award 2024 in the Affordable Streamer category.
"It wasn’t long ago that we were raving about this British company’s CXN v2 streamer, which offers cracking value for those wanting to upgrade their budget network music players. Now Cambridge Audio has come along with two new products to cater for entry-level buyers – the midi-sized MXN 10 and full width AXN 10. Both are basically a CXN v2 that’s shrunk in the wash. The latter’s fancy features like a colour display and volume knob have gone, but the internals remain almost the same. The result is a great sounding starter streamer with the company’s superb StreamMagic app."
"An Abundance of Features"
"The Cambridge MXN10 and AXA10 streamers bring the price of entry into the Stream Magic ecosystem to a more affordable level, but don’t compromise on the most useful features and quality of sound or build," reports audioappraisal.com, March 10, 2023.
"The software is what really makes the Stream Magic devices what they are," the review continues. "It’s the Swiss Army knife of streaming, with most features catered for and a future proof architecture that can remain current for years to come. It has one of the best apps on the market with an interface that blows Volumio and Play-Fi devices out of the water. Rock-solid performance, sonic neutrality and an abundance of features, all in a tiny box. What’s not to love?"
"Now in its 4th generation, the StreamMagic module (a Quad core ARM Cortex-A53 1.8GHz) is constantly updated to support the latest advances in audio formats and streaming service features," notes Audio Xpress magazine. "StreamMagic has also seen 14,300 Android and 18,500 iOS app downloads in 2021."
Superior Streaming, Whatever the Source
The convenience of streamed music was once compromised by its substandard sound quality and limited accessibility. That’s no longer the case, thanks to faster broadband speeds, better CODECs, a wider choice of service, and now because AXN10 brings its acclaimed StreamMagic streaming platform within reach of many more people.
The AXN10 can access both subscription and free hi-res streaming services, including internet radio, Spotify Connect, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz – all integrated for best possible sound quality. With Apple Airplay2 and Chromecast built-in as well, you can access Apple Music and more, including BBC Sounds. And because the AXN10 is Roon Ready, you can collate your digital music listening, regardless of origin, into a single magazine-style service.
Internet radio stations are at your fingertips, too. They are just like traditional radio, but they arrive via the internet rather than the airwaves. You can listen to your favorite broadcast stations, specialist internet-only channels, plus many more from around the globe – all for free. Who knows what discoveries you'll make on that specialist station from Tasmania?
Treat Your Friends and Save Space, Too
If a friend visits, who doesn't use the StreamMagic app (yet), they can play their favorite tracks wirelessly from their mobile with Bluetooth. Also, if they've any Hi-Res FLAC files on a USB drive, you can both listen in full hi-fi quality, just by inserting the drive into the AXN10's USB port.
One of the challenges of being a music fan can be where to store your collection. Another’s the price of some of those re-mastered limited editions that contain a handful of ‘must-have’ tracks. With AXN10 you can get the best of both worlds. You get to hear the music in incredible hi-res quality, and you are freed from worries about where to squeeze in that latest box-set.
Easy to Use
Using the AXN10 couldn't be easier. The StreamMagic app gives intuitive control of connected sources – to set presets, browse albums or curate playlists, all conveniently from your portable device. Alternatively, there's a row of neat buttons on AXN10's sleek fascia that you can program for direct access to internet radio stations and your favorite playlists.
Spin the AXN10 around and you’ll notice the neat, upside-down writing over the terminals. This makes it easy when leaning over to connect it up to your amp. You'll also find a analog RCA phono output, digital coax and optical outputs, a USB input, plus a pair of wi-fi antennas for your network – or a LAN cable input if you prefer.
Designed for Life
Like the rest of AX Series, AXN10 shares Cambridge Audio's house-style of Lunar Grey minimalist aluminum fascia, black steel cabinet, and ‘floating’ base to create a sleek timeless look. In the classic 17" hi-fi width, AXN10 can slot easily and breathe new life into a Cambridge Audio AX system. And thanks to over-the-air updates, the AXN10 will be streaming for many years to come.