This is subjective but still worth sharing my thought. Blasted my favourite music all day and.... Not great news for the MXW70, whilst the front fascia and general aesthetics are very nice, it falls short in other ways compared to the Topping PA7 which I now have a new found respect for.
1: The rest of the housing feels cheaper pressed Alu vs the thicker CNC machined (assuming given the quality of it and thickness) housing of the PA7, only the front panel is the standout high quality material on the MXW70. Not a problem as the front panel is what you see the most and touch I guess. The MXW70 does look more "high-end" vs the glossy plastic front fascia on the PA7 though which is also a scratch magnet.
2: The power LED is brighter than I expected. It's bright enough to be distracting in dimmer lighting when gaming or watching something. In standby mode it gets dimmer and is about the same brightness as the PA7 LED when that is in normal active mode. The PA7's LED goes off completely in standby mode.
3: The speaker binding posts on the PA7 look and feel more expensive/robust and lock tighter as well.
4: MXW70 is smaller than I expected, but still much larger than the PA7 in depth.
5: The sound signature between both is noticeably different and immediately obvious regardless of music being played. Midrange vocals on the PA7 have more of a natural timbre and the soundstage is a bit wider in this region of the FR as well. PA7 is more musical/alive if that makes sense which is exactly why I like the PA7, the MXW70 by comparison has that Cambridge Audio house-sound that I am now reminded of when I had a CA integrated amp back in the day and years later tried out a pair of the brand's 3-way floortsanders. both of which I returned some time later for these same reasons compared to my then Tannoy M3 Cherry speakers and NAD C320 Bee amp.
Which one is the most transparent I cannot say, the DAC (Luxsin X9) is in NOS and Bypass mode for DAC filters and sound effects and PEQ so no colouration there.
So at its original price of £500, the PA7 sounds better and is built nicer than the MXW70, and now at its £350 it's an even better bargain.
I will just have to tolerate the massive power brick and route my cabling around this annoyance.
Some pics:
Monoblocks are honestly a thing of the past. A past when stereo separation and power seemed to be a problem - which it really wasn't, unless we're talking about the 70s or something. Since then, there's been plenty examples of great double-mono amplifiers which are essentially the same thing except for double power supplies.
Again, my best brotip I can give: don't bother, it isn't worth your time, money, and worry. Post-industrial age, very affordable amplifier technology delivers a level of performance that is way beyond our very limited human hearing.
Blast some good fucking music instead and enjoy yourself!
Yeah I realise now that it's not worth going monos given how good this already sounds, more power draw, more space used, more cabling, all for what will no doubt be diminishing returns.
www.cambridgeaudio.com
