Does the Cambridge CXN100 sound the same as the MXN10


Don't know if the guts are the same between the one with the video screen and the one that doesn't have a video screen.

128x128russ69

@russ69 OP, you could choose the more revealing system of the two and swap the MXN10 and CXN100 for comparison.

Could you also let me know if you experience any dropouts or pauses with either streamer, especially during high-resolution playback like 24/192? My MXN10 occasionally has this issue, while two other brands of streamers I use do not.

@lanx0003 Good idea. It's takes two people to change my stack, want to come over and help?

I've have no problems with WI-FI or streamer dropouts with either machine, streaming with Qobuz, or bluetooth streaming through my phone with Pandora to my bluetooth speaker. 

@russ69 I would be more than happy to lend a helping hand if I were close by. It’s hard to imagine such complexity without seeing it firsthand.

I prefer variety when two devices offer equal sound quality (SQ), so I decided to try the highly praised Wiim Ultra. After putting in a good number of hours with it, I was disappointed—not only with its internal DAC but also with its performance as a streamer compared to the MXN10. The Ultra’s internal DAC sounds dull, and while pairing it with a capable external DAC improves the sound significantly, the notes still feel noticeably softer compared to the MXN10. The clarity, crispness and dynamics from MXN10 are in another league.

Ultimately, I decided to purchase another MXN10 (in a different color) for my second system, replacing the iFi Zen Stream. In my setup, the MXN10 > iFi ZS > Wiim Ultra. The gap between the MXN10 and the iFi ZS is relatively narrower than the gap between the iFi ZS and the Ultra, though.