A young driver is typically someone aged 17-25. So, even if you passed your driving test at 17, and you’ve been driving for 5 years, you’d still fall under this category. There are connections for a single pair of speakers and a grounded IEC power inlet. Both amps feature an eco-friendly standby mode which consumes only 0.5W of power, and an automatic power-down function that can be disabled by holding the power button for a few seconds. A flashing standby light indicates status of the APD – five flashes for disabled, ten flashes for enabled. These tips should help you bring down your insurance price as much as possible. We know that it can be frustrating that you have to pay more because of your age. However, by driving safely and building up your NCD, you should hopefully start to see your price come down over time. Time to get on the road By the standards of a long-in-the-tooth concept like an affordable stereo amplifier, the AXA35 is quite a good looker: the smoky grey finish is pretty sophisticated (to my eyes at least − no one ever accused me of being a slave to fashion). It’s not all that bulky and is visually quite arresting thanks to the minimalist selection of fascia controls and equally minimalist display.

On the inside, the AXA35 is − hey! − a 35W-per-channel device. It’s not the most exciting number you ever saw written down, but in practice it’s more than enough to drive most price-appropriate speakers to quite significant volumes without alarm. Cambridge Audio AXA35 sound quality − Confident and remarkably self-assured performance Just like the partnering CD player, the AXA35 feels solid when you lift it. There’s no flex in its casework which is perfectly fitted and neatly presented with the side screws in deep recesses to obscure them from view. The top of the amp is vented with a grid of tiny holes to let the heat escape, though it doesn’t get above mildly warm in operation.The LM3886 does, however, have inbuilt protection against over and under-voltage, power supply and output short circuits, thermal runaway and instantaneous temperature peaks. They are durable and reliable chips and offer excellent performance comparable to a discrete output stage. Regardless of the amplifier you use you should always consider its limitations in partnering equipment and the environment. I’ve fixed a few AM10s over the years with blown output chips all as a result of driving too heavy a load at too high a volume. If your system is obviously distorting or if you’re running the amp at or near its maximum volume, upgrade to a model with more power. Some amplifiers will have a dedicated phono stage built in, so when you plug your turntable into the specific input, it’s signal is boosted and can be heard just like your other sources. Yet another top class budget standmount from Q Acoustics. It delivers a fabulous sound for the money." 'What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision magazine'. 5-star review. The AXA35 has plenty of power to fill a mid-sized room providing you’re using efficient speakers. Most budget amps of the ‘70s and ‘80s were this way, and they survived many a party. The A1, the amplifier that revived the Cambridge brand after the Audio Partnership takeover, was only 25 watts per channel and it can make a lot of noise with the right speakers.

The rest of this review focuses on the AXA35 exclusively as I don’t have an aXA25 for comparison. The AXA35 has plenty of useful facilities for a budget amplifier in the contexts of an aptly specified hi-fi system. When compared against a 2004 era Cambridge A5, years of inflation and cost prioritisation mean the omission of a preamplifier output and the second pair of speaker outputs for bi-wiring, not that bi-wiring offers any real-world advantage. There’s no true tape monitor in the newer amps either, nor an option to bypass the tone controls. You do get a remote though, which the A5 didn’t have. Passing your driving test is a rite of passage for many teenagers. With it comes a newly found freedom to go where you want, when you want.It might be the AXA35’s confident way with timing that’s the single most surprising/impressive aspect of its performance. Vinyl gives a system every chance to show off its facility (or otherwise) for the timing and unity of a recording, and the AXA35’s phono stage lets Felt’s The Splendour of Fear roll along in the most natural manner.

With revised cabinet bracing, the distinctive Q Acoustics cabinets have been made even better. With reduced cabinet resonance, the sound becomes less coloured and truer to how it sounded in the studio/concert venue. Uprated audiophile grade crossover components improve the transparency of sound still further. As well as being more powerful, the AXA35 also improves internal component quality, giving improved sonic detail and realism with less distortion. The toroidal power transformer and separate pre/power amp circuit boards are features usually only found in much more expensive amplifiers, making the AXA35 something of a giant-slayer. The AXA35 like the AM10 predecessor is essentially a commercial ‘Gainclone’ implementation. The LM3886 output devices can theoretically deliver 68W per channel into a 4Ω load and 38W per channel into an 8Ω load with a symmetrical power supply delivering +/-28V. Cambridge’s specification of 35W into an 8Ω load is therefore a sensible one. The AXA35 will actually deliver the 38W into 8Ω before clipping. Skilfully engineered, the Cambridge Audio AXC25 puts the emphasis firmly on sound quality. Features such as separate power and output circuit boards and a centrally mounted CD transport help reduce distortion and maximise the potential of the high quality Wolfson DAC (Digital to Analogue Convertor). Features are basic but the sound is certainly a step above its rivals.

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So just what is an amplifier? It’s a device that takes the low voltage signals from your source equipment, like a CD player, and turns it into a signal with enough gain to be used to power a pair of speakers. This process is called amplification, hence the name “amplifier”. The cabinet isn't just compact, it's also very solid. This combination gives the Diamonds an extremely accurate sound quality as the cabinet doesn't flex or vibrate. Equally impressive are the drive units. A soft dome tweeter gives the clarity and smoothness of sound you'd expect from a more expensive speaker, while the woofer cone uses a carbon fibre type weave to offer extremely taut and responsive bass. That means you have the choice of comprehensive insurance or third-party, fire and theft car insurance. The main difference between the two is that comprehensive car insurance will cover your car for damage, even if it’s your fault. You also won’t be able to choose a voluntary excess level with third-party, fire and theft. Having a higher voluntary excess can help you reduce your car insurance price, so it’s worth keeping that in mind. However, you’re best off looking at what each type of cover gives you so you can work out what would work best for you. How to keep your insurance price down With a front port, these bass reflex speakers are punchier than you might expect and in no way could they ever be described as tinny. Over all, they may be small but the sound is grown-up, with excellent staging, realism and surprisingly powerful.

If you’ve recently passed your driving test, congratulations. We’re sure you’re already eyeing up your first car. But before you’re ready to hit the road, you’ll need to think about car insurance, it is a legal requirement after all. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) At the heart of the 3020 are new drive units. Starting at the top, the new Ring Dome tweeter provides a more accurate response, for precise reproduction of even the most subtle aspects of music. The tweeter unit is decoupled from the rest of the cabinet, meaning that it isn't affected by vibration from the bass unit. The new Aramid fibre/paper woofer cone is light, rigid, and helps give the 3010s their punchy, agile sound quality. The frequency response is relatively flat. There’s a gentle roll-off below 100Hz and above 10kHz, but it’s only 0.2dB down at 20Hz and 20kHz, the limits of the audio band. In reality this won’t be audible, so any characteristic sound will be due to its limitations in power, component-level tuning and preamplifier noise more than anything else. It’s true to say that the new casework is better, but examples of poorly damped biscuit-tin casework are more prevalent in boutique British equipment at several times the price of any Cambridge. Poorly built casework and preschool electronics design aside, some of that gear is ugly enough to offend a blind man’s sense of aestheticism.

Having said that, the AXA35 arguably sounds clearer and has a more neutral tonal balance, doing more than enough to justify a five-star rating at this price point. It looks and sounds the part, and if this is just a hint of what the rest of the Cambridge Audio’s AX range has to offer, we’re in for a sonic treat. You can drive a 4Ω load with the AXA35, and you’ll get just shy of 60W per channel before clipping starts to occur. Expect about 50W into a 4Ω load at more reasonable distortion levels. I didn’t test this extensively as blowing up the review sample is generally frowned upon, accidentally or otherwise. The output signal from a turntable is very quiet, and needs additional amplification before it’s able to be put into an amplifier. This boost is handled by what’s called a phono stage.