In every man's life there's a time where he has to go through the burden of choosing the amplifier for his system. That time came for me a couple of months ago when I had to choose an amplifier to drive my Acoustic Energy speakers. So i went to a couple of hi-fi shops I knew and listened to NAD, Arcam, Cambridge Audio and AMC amplifiers. The NAD and the AMC didn't make the final cut. Both remaining contestants had excelent highs, the bass was very well tempered and precise, even though it won't make you forget Bryston or Conrad- Johnson. But what made me go the Cambridge Audio way was its incredible midrange. It's so nice and sweet, it's just flowing around you like a cool autumn breeze in a maple's leaves. This is an integrated, so it won't pack unlimited power, but never was I thinking of cranking up the volume knob of this 30 watts/channel at more than halfway. In my opinion, this is the greatest amplifier bargain anyone has ever built, especially at 469.00 $ cdn. list. Highest recommendations for the money.
I played the A1 with Acoustic Energy AE100 speakers on sand-filled Atlantis stands. The only source I plugged in was an AMC CD player. It was tested in an acoustically perfect room. It couldn't have been under better circumstances.

quietness, warmth, detail, able to cast a good soundstage with a good recording. not overly powerful (although beefy for 35w/channel) but uses a toroid power supply which is pretty impressive at this price. very well built

too much sibilance (as with all cambridge audio amps) the 's' in the human voice is exaggerated and sounds distorted.

I assume that this is a review for teh a1mk3? (i have the special edition) if not oh well here is the summary:
good starter amp, very quiet and detailed but I did mention the sibilance problem above. this happens when i turn the treble balance past flat (which i find very necessary with this amp) overall pretty unbelievable sonics for the price. way to go cambridge audio! (not soundworks!!!!)

The Cambridge Audio A1 is a real bargain! Of course it won't be the best amp you'll ever hear but at that incredibely low price you just can't have better!!! It's the best deal as long as amplifiers are concerned... bar none! Of course it is lacking deep bass...of course the high are not comparable to a Clssé Audio amp but overall this amp is a must if you want to get a so called "entry level" hi-fi amp! I only wish it would be 50 W instead of 30 since my Rogers LS55 are not a model of efficiency.

micro dymamics, imaging, lush midrange, DEAD QUIET

Macro Dynamics, lack of power. too much hiss when played loud sometimes

This amp is just great for listening to live jazz or even better for listening to large scale orchestra. This amps ability to bring out very small details and pin point imaging is hugely overlooked mostly due to the fact that it is a sub $500 product. Don't let that stop you from listening to it. You will be disappointed if you listen to music with a lot of bass. The amp does ok with mainstream recordings of "blurry bass" but precise and controlled bass will not come from buying this little beauty. Still... pretty recommended if it suits you

Similar Products Used:

NAD