Cambridge Audio Edge W Power amplifier

Features

Edge Series: Over three years in the making and utilizing a team of nine engineers, the Edge Series is the embodiment of Cambridge Audio's signature Great British Sound and pinnacle of 50 years of Hi-Fi expertise. When creating the Edge Series, Cambridge Audio chose components based on their sonic merits (not price, not specs, not measured performance). This "listen first, measure later" philosophy means blind-auditioning all price and performance levels and only going with those that sound the most dynamic, give the greatest presence, offer a revealing clarity; and are most musical. The Edge Series is designed and assembled in the UK.

Class XA Power Amplifier: Cambridge Audio's unique Class XA amplifier topology brings Class sound quality, but with improved efficiency and less heat. Cambridge Audio added a bias voltage to a traditional Class AB design to shift the crossover point to a position where distortion is inaudible to the human ear. This unique configuration also produces less heat and makes the whole system much more effective. The Edge W is made to be played loud. So when you do turn it up, expect nothing but a dynamic and punchy sound that captures all the musicality of your songs. For all its power, the Edge W is also remarkably detailed. The sound is finely balanced, with a musical depth and clarity that comes through with every note.

• Continuous Power Output: 100 watts x 2 channels (8-ohms); 200 watts x 2 channels (4-ohms)
• THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): <0.02% 20Hz-20kHz at rated power (8-ohms); <0.002% 1kHz at rated power (8-ohms)
• Frequency Response: 3Hz to 80Hz (+/-1dB)
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >93 dB (1W into 8-ohm); >113dB (full power)
• Crosstalk: <-100dB @ 1kHz

Opposing Twin Toroidal Transformer: Cambridge Audio pioneered the use of toroidal transformers in amplifiers, which led to improved performance. In the Edge W power amplifier, Cambridge audio takes it one step further, using opposing twin toroidal transformers. This cancels out electromagnetic interference while offers outstanding power and maintain consistent tonality, no matter how loud its played.

Short Signal Path: To remove the barriers between you and your music, Cambridge Audio worked hard to minimize the number of components in the signal path. With just fourteen hand-picked components, the Edge W power amplifier has one of the cleanest signal paths available. As a result, the Edge W power amplifier delivers a more faithful reproduction of the original recording; an impressively detailed three-dimensional sound, with striking staging and focus. It truly delivers Cambridge Audio's breath-taking, unadulterated British sound (nothing added and nothing taken away).

Balanced & Unbalanced Connectivity: The Cambridge Audio Edge W power amplifier is equipped with balanced XLR & unbalanced RCA stereo analog inputs and loop outputs. Balanced XLR is a higher-quality input that can reject noise and interference.

• XLR & RCA Stereo Inputs:The Cambridge Audio Edge W power amplifier is outfitted with both balanced and unbalanced analog audio inputs to connect a stereo preamplifier (such as the Edge NQ preamplifier network player, sold separately). There is one set of balanced XLR stereo inputs and one set of unbalanced RCA stereo inputs.
• XLR & RCA Loop Outputs: The Edge W power amplifier is outfitted with both balanced and unbalanced loop outputs to connect and daisy-chain another power amplifier. There is one set of balanced XLR stereo outputs and one set of unbalanced RCA stereo outputs that coincide with the amplifier's respective balanced XLR and RCA stereo inputs.

Binding Post Speaker Output Terminals: The Edge W power amplifier is equipped with a set of heavy-duty, gold-plated, binding post speaker output terminals for the connection of a pair of 8-ohm or 4-ohm loudspeakers. The binding post terminals will accept bare wire (up to 10AWG), pin-connectors, spade-lugs, and banana plugs (single only). High quality 24K gold-plating on the speaker terminals provide excellent signal transfer and resistant to corrosion.

Protection Circuitry: The Edge W includes Amplifier Protection Circuitry to detect faults with Over Temperature, DC and Over Current. If any of these faults are detected the LED standby button will turn red.

• Over Temperature: Over temperature is caused by a combination of high listening levels and low impedance speakers. The Edge W includes temperature detection which constantly monitors the heat generated by the output transistors. If the monitored temperature reaches a high level, the amplifier will automatically switch into a fault mode to protect itself from damage. If the loudspeaker impedance is low, the temperature of the amplifier may rise faster as the amplifier is working harder. If the amplifier is mounted in a cabinet or the ventilation slots are obstructed the over temperature detection may activate/reactivate after a short listening time. Let the unit cool down for 15 minutes before pressing the Standby button to resume normal operation. If the unit has not fully cooled down then the temperature may reach the limit soon after the amplifier is powered up.
• DC: The Edge W also offers loudspeaker protection, if the output of the amplifier goes to a high constant voltage (DC) because of some internal fault. This is a rare fault, although detecting it will protect your loudspeakers from damage. Due to the necessary sensitivity of the DC protection circuit, extremely hard clipping of the amplifier may cause DC protection to be triggered. If this fault occurs, please contact Crutchfield or Cambridge Audio support.
• Over Current: In addition, the Edge W offers V/I (voltage/current) protection by constantly monitoring the output transistors to keep them working inside their Safe Operating Area (SOA). The SOA is a set of limits given by the output transistor manufacturer to ensure reliability. The V/I protection has been incorporated within the amplifier circuitry to provide a fast response to temporary overload conditions. When the V/I protection is triggered the unit will continue to operate but distortion may be heard as the unit protects the output transistors. If distortion is still present after reducing the volume level, check the speaker connections and impedance ratings.

Trigger In/Link Out: The Edge W power amplifier features a 12V Trigger Input (3.5mm) that allows power on/off synchronization with your stereo preamplifier that features a 12V Trigger Output. The amplifier's 12V Link Out (3.5mm) lets you "daisy-chain" the incoming trigger voltage to another power amplifier in your system for synchronized power on/off of the system.

Auto Standby: The Cambridge Audio Edge W power amplifier will automatically go into Standby mode after 20 minutes of no audio signal. This function can be enabled or disabled from the rear-panel.

5 Year Warranty With Registration: The EDGE series comes with a standard 2 year warranty, which can be extended to 5 years if you register the product with Cambridge Audio. You can register your product by clicking here.