● Verified system · 4 components

Quiet loft

by@editorialVERIFIED· posted 2 weeks ago

Cambridge Audio CXA81 Mk II · Spendor A2.2 · Rega Planar 2 · Rega Fono MM MK5

89synergy
28 endorsements
weighted avg · 4 categories

● 02 · Room

A 5.5 × 3.8 m room with the listener at 2.8 m.

Listening position derived from speaker placement and room dimensions. The triangle is drawn from spec sheets — not a marketing diagram.

5.5 m wide · 3.8 m deeplistening · 2.8 m

Top-down · to scale · derived from spec sheets

● 03 · Synergy breakdown

Why 89?

A weighted aggregate of four category scores. Reasoning is editorial — physics-grounded engine in development.

89overall synergy · weighted avg · 4 categories
Amplification90

Cambridge Audio CXA81 Mk II's 80W into 8Ω, 120W into 4Ω is more than enough for the Spendor A2.2's 4Ω-friendly load. Class A/B with documented stable behaviour into the Spendor's mid-impedance dip.

Source92

Rega Planar 2 + Rega Fono MM MK5 — pairing that's well-documented across audiophile forums for clean MM cartridge output. External phono stage outperforms the CXA81's built-in line input by avoiding the integrated's internal noise floor on tiny cartridge signals.

Room match85

5.5 × 3.8 m suits the Spendor A2.2's small floorstanding profile. Their British-room design philosophy expects rooms in this size range. Listening distance of 2.8 m keeps the listener in the integrated direct/reflected field the speaker was tuned for.

Tonal balance91

Spendor A2.2 is a documented neutral-warm voicing. CXA81 Mk II's measured-flat preamp section preserves the speaker's character. Vinyl source adds expected mild euphonic colour without dominating the presentation.

Synergy preview · physics-grounded engine in development. Numerical scores are editorial for the alpha release.

● 05 · Adjacent systems

Systems sharing one or more components.

A signal chain, not a recommendation engine. These builds touch the same physics in different rooms.

Signal chain · this build appears in 2 curated systems →
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