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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. 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. the bass/midrange unit delivers upper midband output strongly, giving a forward sound with swathes of detail” 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.
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. Smartly finished with all fixings covered by trim rings. For those who would rather not see drive units, an acoustically transparent grille is supplied.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. 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 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.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. One of the natural alternative to the Cambridge SX-50 is the SX-60 which is located one step higher in Cambridge Audio's Passive Bookshelf selection.
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 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. With Diana Krall’s Cry Me A River (24/96) all was sweet, this being a clean and easy going audiophile recording, but Johannette Zomer sounded hard of tone with Handel’s Lascia chi’io Pianga, from Love and Madness (DSD64). 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. Speaker Cables with Banana Plugs: If you know the lenght of the cable you need, this is the easier option to connect your speakers with your amp.
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. 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. It was clear from the outset, when spinning our uncompressed review CDs, that the SX-60s were evenly balanced with no obvious stand-outs.Yet they are quite obvious in treble output, with no sign of warmth. One reason being the bass/midrange unit delivers upper midband output strongly, giving a forward sound with swathes of detail.With the Pink Panther theme cymbal taps rang out strongly, positioned solidly and concisely on the sound stage; imaging was excellent. You get to hear it all, but there is a remorseless quality rather than romantic warmth, or laconic ease. Curiously, the ‘speakers were sort-of “too good”: they threw so much out it was challenging at times. Speaker Cables without Connectors: If you are not sure about the lenght or need longer than standard cables with plugs, choose this option. As you might expect from a small, budget cabinet there was a small amount of “box boof” that hovered behind vocals, making for a little boxiness.
Speaker Stands: Stands bring your bookshelf speakers to ideal height (rule of thumb is to have the tweeter level with your ear in your listening position), helps stability and acoustical isolation. Here is a scaled size comparison of these two speakers to give you an idea how their external dimensions compare: 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. So far we’ve been impressed, so it’s time for a bit of competition. We switch over to Wharfedale’s Diamond 121s, and it’s soon clear that the SX-60s are up against exceedingly high standards.
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