Cambridge SX-50 comes with 8 Self-adhesive feet which you can use to secure your loudspeaker on the surface that you are putting on.

If it really must be a floorstander, the SX-80 (main image) promises the power and presence of one but at a very competitive price-point. The SX-80s are a two-way, rear-ported design with two 16.5cm treated paper cone mid/bass drivers and a 25mm silk dome tweeter. The driver fixings are concealed behind neat trims with a slightly rubberised texture that is also present on the rear terminal plate. I was pleased to note that the polarity markings above the single pair of terminals are raised which is a blessing to those of us with non-functioning eyes. They’re well balanced, too. The top end is prominent without being too bright, and the midrange is direct. The bass is rich, but it’s tight and never less than agile. There’s also a good level of integration. Elsewhere, there’s a good grip on rhythm, a decent amount of detail and a good sense of scale. They might look like ordinary boxy speakers but there is some upmarket tech behind the grills. The 6.5 inch mid bass cone is of a ‘treated’ paper. Exactly what the treatment Is isn’t made clear, though by how it feels I’d hazard a guess at an Epoxy applied with a brush or automated sprayer to create the raised circular ridges that increase strength across the cone surface, minimising breakup under high excursion. The tweeter is a soft silk dome, again with a mysterious ‘treatment’, and a foam damper behind to minimise reflection. Cambridge Audio's SX-120 subwoofer (above) features a 70W RMS amplifier that boasts clean and immediate power for the custom 8-inch (20cm) long throw driver. It features individual volume, crossover frequency and phase adjustment for precise set up in your specific room, as well as auto on/off detection that helps conserve power when the subwoofer is not in use.Speaker Cables without Connectors: If you are not sure about the lenght or need longer than standard cables with plugs, choose this option.

Here is a scaled size comparison of these two speakers to give you an idea how their external dimensions compare: SX-50 comes with grilles. The purpose of the grille is to protect the delicate driver elements from external impacts while still allowing the sound to pass as clearly as possible. Smartly finished with all fixings covered by trim rings. For those who would rather not see drive units, an acoustically transparent grille is supplied. Although I was more impressed than entertained, at the end of the day they offer great sound at the price – full of high- end traits – and are well worth auditioning. These two-way speakers (a comprehensive update on the SX-50 we reviewed in 2014) are rear-ported, have a 25mm silk dome tweeter and a 13.5cm treated paper cone mid/bass driver.The frequency response of this loudspeaker shows it has been engineered to be tonally accurate. The 1 in (25mm) silk dome tweeter is especially smooth, suggesting treble free from spikiness or spit. Crossover occurs at 3kHz our impedance trace shows, Cambridge positioning the tweeter as close as possible to the woofer to minimise phase error between the two. Cambridge SX-50 has a Bass Reflex type cabinet and a MDF/Woodgrain vinyl finish. Bass Reflex type loudspeakers (aka Ported, Vented or Reflex Port) have enclosures that uses a port, hole or vent cut into the cabinet. Ported designs are generally more efficient than the Sealed designs. We’d be careful about speaker placement though. Despite front-firing reflex ports, the SX-60s really don’t like walls – leave at least 30cm of space behind them or else that bass will become overpowering. Cambridge Audio says that the SX-120 is ideally suited to complement other models in the SX speaker range, adding the bass extension to your music and movies. Acoustic Panels and Treatments: Your room is as important as your stereo equipment so acoustic treatments goes a long way in improving the overall performance.

the bass/midrange unit delivers upper midband output strongly, giving a forward sound with swathes of detail” The crossover has been carefully designed to maintain linear phase throughout the frequency range, quoted as 41Hz – 22kHz, though no reference for linearity is actually given. The speakers are 89dB sensitive with a nominal impedance of 8Ω and a recommended 20-100W RMS amplifier power. The bass/midrange unit peaks slightly at 100Hz and rolls down slowly to 60Hz, below which the port (red trace) adds in output down to a low 30Hz. This would suggest deep bass but small ports deliver limited bass power so this is an add-on as it were, as in any loudspeaker. The impedance curve shows bass is very well damped so they should sound well controlled at low frequencies. Unlikely to sound bass heavy though.

They can get fatiguing with bright recordings, and they’re not the most refined listen. They’re more fun than they are realistic. The boxes do resonate sometimes, and you can hear it in certain notes, particularly those of cellos and the double bass. The SX-70 centre speaker has been designed to match the SX range both acoustically and aesthetically. Two 10cm mid/bass drivers flank the 25mm silk dome tweeter.