CX
A61/81
9
Connections
When designing our amplifiers we include features that allow you to
connect your system in various ways. The inclusion of features such as
Pre-Out and Speaker B connections mean that you can flexibly configure
your system depending on your requirements.
Important Note: When using a banana plug, make sure the speaker
terminals are completely tightened before inserting the plug.
BASIC CONNECTIONS
The diagram below shows the basic connection of your amplifier to a CD
player using the D3 coaxial digital input source and a pair of loudspeakers.
In
Out
In
Out
Mains Voltage Selector Switch:
100-120V/220-240V AC~50/60Hz
S/P DIF
Co-axial
Toslink
Optical
Digital Outputs
Digital Outputs
IR In
Control Bus
IR In
Control Bus
Power AC
S/P DIF
Co-axial
Digital Outputs
Digital Outputs
SPEAKER B CONNECTIONS
The Speaker B connections on the back of the amplifier allow for a second
set of speakers to be used (i.e. speakers located in another room). The
Speaker A/B button on the front panel scrolls through the selection of
speaker A only, speaker B only, and speaker A and B together.
PREAMP OUT CONNECTIONS
The Preamp Out sockets are for connecting to the input sockets of a
power amplifier or active subwoofer. The diagram below shows how to
connect the amplifier to an active subwoofer via the Line In inputs on the
subwoofer.
Line
In
BALANCED AUDIO CONNECTIONS (CXA81 ONLY)
The diagram below shows how to connect the CXA81 to the CXN Network
player using the Balanced Audio inputs via three pin XLR connectors.
The CXA81 can also be connected to non-Cambridge Audio sources with
balanced outputs.
D1
Toslink Optical
D2
S/P DIF Co-axial
Ethernet
Toslink Optical
S/P DIF Co-axial
Ground/Lift
Switch
Right
Left
Lift
Gnd
Digital Outputs
USB Audio In
Digital Inputs
USB
Ethernet
Digital Outputs
USB Audio In
Digital Inputs
USB
In
Out
Control Bus
Balanced Audio Output
Balanced Audio Output
Line Output
Line Output
IR In
For local media
Wi-Fi Dongle
IR In
Power AC
Right
Left
Balanced Audio Output
Balanced Audio Output
Line Output
Balanced connections in an audio system are designed to reject electrical
noise, from power wiring etc, and also the effects of noise currents
flowing through ground connections. The basic principle of balanced
interconnection is to get the signal you want by subtraction, using a three-
wire connection. One signal wire (the hot or in-phase) carries the normal
signal, while other (the cold or phase-inverted) carries an inverted version.
The balanced input senses the difference between the two lines to give the
wanted signal. Any noise voltages that appear identically on both lines
(these are called common-mode signals) are cancelled by the subtraction.
The CXA81 is designed to work at its highest performance when a balanced
interconnect is used.
Note:
To select the balanced input on the CXA81, press the A1 button twice
on the front panel or on the remote control so that the A1 light on the front
panel display lights up Orange. Repeatedly pressing the A1 button will
toggle between balanced and unbalanced inputs.
USB AUDIO CONNECTION
The CXA USB input enables the playback of audio files or streamed
programme from Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X personal
computers (and some Linux builds). When connected via USB the personal
computer will identify the CXA as an audio device. Specifying the CXA in
the computer’s audio control panel will enable it to play audio data either
stored locally on the computer or streamed to the computer via a network
or the internet.
Always turn the volume to minimum, switch to another
input or turn the CXA off before plugging/unplugging
cables to the USB input or whilst booting up/shutting
down your PC/Mac.
Note:
Always use a high quality USB connection cable certified as USB
Hi- Speed. USB cable connections longer than 3m may result in
inconsistent audio performance.
