About the Cambridge Audio AXR85
A good-looking receiver to build your system around
A good-looking receiver to build your system around
I've always loved Cambridge Audio receivers — they provide plenty of power and handy analog connections, plus the brushed aluminum front plate projects an understated elegance. The beefy toroidal transformer inside the AXR85 produces 85 watts per channel — plenty to drive a pair of Aeromax 6 towers, or just about any other speakers you like.
Analog connections
This receiver is built with analog music lovers in mind. There's a dedicated phono stage for connecting a turntable with moving magnet cartridge, and three more RCA inputs for your other components. If you want to use your mobile device as a source, a 3.5mm aux input is conveniently located on the front panel. And built-in Bluetooth® makes it easy to stream music wirelessly from a compatible phone, tablet, or laptop.
The AXR85 features a stereo "record out" output on the back panel, and a mono RCA output lets you hook up a powered subwoofer to provide some extra punch. Two sets of binding posts give you the flexibility to set up A and B speaker pairs, and a front-panel selector makes switching between them easy.
Product highlights:
- 85 watts x 2 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.15% THD
- 4-ohm capability allows use with a wide range of speakers
- toroidal transformer ensures clean, dynamic sound
- built-in Bluetooth® for wireless music listening with compatible smartphones, tablets and computers
- 30 AM/FM station presets (US and European tuning)
- front-panel A/B switching for two pairs of speakers
- brushed aluminum front panel
- remote control included
Connections:
- three stereo RCA inputs for connecting components
- dedicated phono stage for turntables with moving magnet cartridges
- front-panel 3.5mm stereo aux input
- two pairs of binding post speaker connectors
- mono RCA output for powered subwoofer
- stereo RCA record out output
- Type-A USB port for firmware updates
- full-size front-panel headphone jack
Dimensions and warranty:
- 16-15/16"W x 4-1/2"H x 14-9/16"D
- weight: 17.8 lbs.
- warranty: 2 years (3 years with registration)
- MFR # C11090
What's in the box:
Cambridge Audio AXR85 owner's manual
- Stereo receiver
- 6' AC power cord
- Remote control (AXR85/AXR100)
- 2 "AAA" batteries
- FM-coax connector
- FM wire antenna
- AM loop antenna
- Quick Start Guide
- Important Safety Instructions
Customer reviews for Cambridge Audio AXR85
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Average review:
4.5 out of 5 starsCustomer photos
This review was collected as part of a promotion
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More details on the Cambridge Audio AXR85
Features & specs
| Performance Specs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stereo RMS Power (watts) | 85 | |
| THD in Stereo | 0.15 % | |
| Frequency Bandwidth (stereo) | 20-20k Hz | |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | |
| Amplifier Class | AB | |
| FM Sensitivity | Not Given | |
| Signal To Noise Ratio | 82dB | |
| Phono Signal to Noise Ratio | --- | |
| DAC Bit Depth | N/A | |
| DAC Sample Rate | N/A | |
| High-res Audio Playback | ||
| From Network | No | |
| From USB Thumb Drive (USB-A) | No | |
| From Computer (USB-B) | No | |
| Bluetooth | ||
| Version Info | Built-in | |
| Receiver Mode | Yes | |
| Transmitter Mode | No | |
| AAC Playback | No | |
| aptX Playback | No | |
| aptX-HD Playback | No | |
| LDAC Playback | No | |
| Streaming Compatibility | ||
| Apple AirPlay | No | |
| Apple AirPlay 2 | No | |
| DTS Play-Fi | No | |
| Chromecast built-in | No | |
| Roon | No | |
| HEOS | No | |
| Total Number of Zones | 1 | |
| Inputs & Outputs | ||
| USB Type-A Ports | 1 charge only) | |
| USB Type-B Ports | No | |
| Ethernet Wired Network Port | No | |
| Phono Input | 1 | |
| HDMI Inputs | 0 | |
| Total Audio Inputs | 5 | |
| Optical Digital Audio Inputs | 0 | |
| Coaxial Digital Audio Inputs | 0 | |
| Headphone Output | 1/4" | |
| Stereo Preamp Output | No | |
| Subwoofer Output | 1 | |
| Recording Output | Yes | |
| Speaker Output Pairs | 2 | |
| Speaker Connectors | Binding Posts | |
| Removable Power Cord | IEC 3-prong | |
| Other Info | ||
| Alexa-compatible | No | |
| Google Assistant-compatible | No | |
| Built-in Radio Tuner | AM/FM | |
| Built-in Wi-Fi | No | |
| On-Screen Display | No | |
| Width (inches) | 16-15/16 | |
| Height (inches) | 4-1/2 | |
| Depth (inches) | 14-9/16 | |
| Weight (pounds) | 17.8 | |
| Parts Warranty | 3 Years | |
| Labor Warranty | 3 Years | |
Product Research
Features
2Ch Amplifier: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 stereo receiver delivers 85 watts x 2 channels into 8-ohms @ 20-20kHz with 0.15% THD.
AM/FM Tuner: The built-in AM/FM tuner provides manual, seek, and preset tuning. You can store up to 15 FM presets and 15 AM presets. The tuner supports RDS for station name song/artist information (no album art). You can select between US (AM: 530-1710kHz / FM: 87.5-108MHz) or European (AM: 522-1629kHz / FM: 87.5-108MHz) tuning. You can select between Stereo or Mono when listening to FM; for low quality stereo FM signals, selecting mono can usually reduce the noise. There is 75-ohm FM connector and a 300-ohm two-wire AM connector on the receiver back-panel. A FM wire antenna and AM loop antenna are included.
Bluetooth Audio Streaming: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 features built-in Bluetooth 5.0 with support for wireless audio streaming (A2DP) and control (AVRCP). You'll be able to wirelessly stream stored music, music apps, and other audio content on your Bluetooth-enabled source device (such as your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or computer) to the AXR85 stereo receiver. You'll also be able to control basic playback functions, such as Play/Pause and Previous/Next Track from the included remote. Advanced music navigation and song/artist information will still be done from your Bluetooth source device. The receiver can pair with up to 8 devices, but only one can be used for playback at a time. The unit will automatically connect with the last paired device when in wireless range (up to 33').
Line-Level RCA Inputs: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 stereo receiver is outfitted with three line-level analog RCA outputs for connection of external audio source devices - such as a CD player, tape-deck, or network streaming device (all sold separately).
Phono Input: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 has a built-in Phono preamplifier (Phono Stage) with a rear-panel phono input and ground terminal. The phono input supports turntables outfitted with Phono Cartridges of the Moving Magnet (MM) or high output Moving Coil (MC) type (between 2-6mV output and 30-50k load impedance). The Ground terminals on both the AXR85 stereo receiver and your turntable should be connected (where possible) with a ground wire for lowest noise/hum pickup.
Note: Low output Moving Coil cartridge types (<1mV and usually 10-1000 ohm load impedance) cannot be directly connected to the phono input and will require an external phono preamplifier (sold separately) compatible with low output Moving Coil cartridges.
Front-Panel Aux Input: The front-panel Aux input consists of a 3.5mm minijack for connection of a portable audio device with an analog line-level or headphone output.
Record Output: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 stereo receiver features a stereo RCA record output for connecting a CD recorder, tape deck or other compatible recording device. The record output provides a constant line level output that does not fluctuate with the volume of the stereo receiver.
Note: The Record output cannot be used as a preamp output or subwoofer output.
Binding Post A/B Speaker Terminals: The Cambridge Audio AXR85 is equipped with a A & B speaker terminals for connecting up to two pair of loudspeakers or bi-wiring a single pair of loudspeakers. These binding post terminals will accept bare wire (up to 12AWG), pin-connectors, and banana plugs (single or dual). Plastic caps need to be removed from the binding post terminals in order to use banana plugs. When connecting a single pair of speakers you can use 4-ohm to 8-ohm compatible speakers. When connecting two pair of loudspeakers or when bi-wiring a single pair of loudspeaker use only 8-ohm compatible speakers.
Note: When used together, the A & B speaker output terminals will always playback the same source content at the same volume level.
Subwoofer Output: The Cambridge Audio stereo receiver is equipped with a mono-RCA subwoofer output for connecting a powered subwoofer. The subwoofer output features a fixed 200Hz low-pass crossover filter.
1/4" Headphone Jack: The front-panel 1/4" headphone jack allows for connection of a set of stereo headphones with an impedance between 32 and 600-ohms. Connecting a set of headphones will automatically mute the stereo receiver's speaker outputs.
USB Charging Port: There is a USB-A (5V/500mA) port located on the back of the AXR85 stereo receiver that can be used to charge your smartphone or tablet, or supply power to a Bluetooth adapter.
Note: This USB port does not support audio playback.
Simple Control: The Cambridge Audio stereo receiver offers front-panel controls for simple, convenient operation. The included IR remote provides wireless operation of the stereo receiver.
- Volume/Mute: A front-panel rotary knob or push-buttons on the remote control the volume level of the receiver's speaker outputs, subwoofer output, and headphone output. It does not affect the level of the Record Output. There is also a Mute function on the remote control.
- Tone & Balance: You'll be able to adjust Bass (100Hz) & Treble (20kHz) from -10 to +10dB, as well as adjust the balance in sound output between the connected left and right speakers.
Front-Panel Display: The front-panel display indicates selected input source, station identification, and menu selections; as well as volume and tone levels.
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Customer Q&A
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This is a GREAT Receiver ! Very warm sound and vocals are very clear as I never heard before !!! My vintage vinyl sounds terrific! Nothing in this price range and much higher price receivers can compare to Cambridge Audio.
Stephen from Sinking Spg, PA