Cambridge Audio AXR85 85 Watt Stereo Receiver with Bluetooth | Built-in Phono, 3.5mm Input, AM/FM with RDS

The quality of this equipment is better than I’ve ever had. The sound blows me away. Good price, excellent component

This receiver has plenty of power for large 3 way speakers. The front display is clean looking and the controls are straight forward. Bluetooth pairing works without any issues. The remote can integrate a Cambridge CD player and works well.The class AB amplifier sounds warm, vintage like. Dynamic range is great and bass notes hit deep and low; tweeters sound crisp and clear to the ears even during extended listening sessions.I tested the sound using Definitive Technology D17's and an old pair of Infinity Beta 50's. Both sounded amazing with this receiver.Customer service from Cambridge was prompt and thorough .This is a solid choice for a gen x crowd trying to recreate that vintage analog sound they grew up with.

The unit looks expensive. The sound is balanced. The Bluetooth seems solid. The remote is functional but hard to read in low light. Highly recommend.

This replaced my early 90's Adcom amp & pre-amp and is connected to all these other 90's oldies: KEF 102.2 speakers, Thorens TD165 Mkii with Sumiko Bluepoint MM cart, Arcam CD player. So of course, all of that influences how the receiver's doing. At this point, it surpasses most of the Adcom's qualities, with the exception of "oomph"; with my system, it requires cranking-up quite a bit (especially with records, but remember the Sumiko's a MM, not a MC to be fair) to reach full sonic potential, but the Cambridge presents a warmish neutrality and adequate soundstage. I thought it might be light on bass response, but it's more than expected. Midrange good, but a slightly slow in dynamics in fast passages. The highs are definitely there in abundance; there can be a tendency towards some harshness (but again, that old cartridge and those old KEF UniQ tweeters. All-in-all a very good-sounding receiver in my system.The Bluetooth is quite weak and was disappointing. I had to add an inexpensive peripheral Bluetooth receiver to get the desired performance. On the other hand, the FM is quite sensitive and strong. As others note, the remote is pretty basic, almost illegible at times, but adequate. Sure would be nice if there was a USB port, but I can live without it for now. Build quality and overall design/appearance are top-notch. If you want bells and whistles, look elsewhere; this is definitely a British product. Absolutely worth the modest cost to get that quality of sound.

This was a great buy! I’ve been using this receiver now for just under a year with no issues. It was bought to go with my Fluance RT85 TT and Klipsch RP 6000F speakers, the Bluetooth capability was not a selling point for me but I have enjoyed it. This receiver is a steal for the price in my opinion, it easily supports my speakers and took the sound quality to the next level I was looking for making the mid and bass levels mingle like a soft breeze through aspen leaves. I don’t listen to the radio so can’t comment on that but the Bluetooth works well if I keep my phone within about 20ft, beyond that it gets a bit a broken and the music goes in and out. I would highly recommend this purchase.

I thought the AXR85 was a real value for office companion. Impressive presence and soundstage for me using Klipsch 600 bookshelves.Previously mentioned by others, the remote is a disaster. Limited range, pitiful display as dark blue lettering does not contrast well with black background. Resetting volume on powering up is a pain. Wait to hear relays kick in. Way too many buttons and no size differential for most commonly used functions. I am vision challenged but the small display on the AXR doesn't help.Despite operational shortcomings, The sound is clear and crisp.Running the unit for 5 months and it is becoming unreliable. I am assuming it is thermal overload as it shuts down ( after 2-3 hours of continuous play using BT as input) Unit sits alone clear on all sides on tile, volume in the 45db range. Maybe I am spoiled but I have had many units over the years ( Sony Yamaha) and never had such an issue.So I was considering upping my game to separates ( a streamer is a must ) I have pair of ESS AMTs waiting but doubting if CA is worth the investment. Guess I'll find out if service is any good.So called "repair" was handled professionally, but from CA it was a 10 day gap. Received same unit back under repair ( rather than a replacement). IT LASTED 3 HOURS. Same failure. Returned via Customer Service RMA. Slow shipping to NJ. One thing good, replacement ( new) was shipped 2 day UPS but only after defective unit arrived via slow boat.Back in service and still impressed with sound.

I needed a simple stereo receiver for my den, without the myriad knobs, inputs, and settings typical of receivers in this price range. No digital inputs were required for this application. I was also looking for a unit with quality components. This receiver fit these criteria exactly, and its performance has exceeded my expectations. My top three uses so far are PC audio, Bluetooth streaming, and the phono input. Bluetooth performance has been great, but I don't stress the limits of Bluetooth range. The unit's fan, when operating, is inaudible unless you are less than a foot or two feet away. I was worried that the AXR85's subwoofer crossover of 200 Hz was not adjustable, but in practice this has not been an issue. I confirmed with a sound level meter (and my ears) that there was minimal "doubling" of output between the sub and mains at low frequencies. The only recommendation I would have for Cambridge is to re-engineer the remote; its shortcoming have been noted by other reviewers. I'm very happy with this purchase. It was worth doing the "research" before selecting this unit.