SX-50 Matt Black
Description
Cambridge Audio designed the SX50 with a simple principle: not every room needs large floor-standing speakers to get a true high-fidelity sound. These compact bookshelf speakers are designed for those places where space is limited - a desk, a TV stand or a small bookshelf - but the desire to hear music as the artist intended remains unchanged. It's the brand's "Great British Sound" philosophy: to strip away the clutter and let the recording be heard as it is.
The SX50 is based on a two-way acoustic circuit with a 135 mm (5.25") woofer made of impregnated paper cellulose material and a 25 mm (1") silk dome tweeter. Paper has been a favorite material of hi-fi engineers for decades due to its successful balance of stiffness and weight - this provides precise, controlled work at low and mid frequencies. The silk tweeter, in turn, is responsible for a soft, fatigue-free delivery of the upper register even with prolonged listening at close range. A carefully tuned crossover ensures phase linearity of the transition between bands - thanks to which the stereo image remains clear and voluminous, not blurred.
The development of a hi-fi speaker always begins with the cabinet, and the SX50 is no exception. The rigid MDF cabinet is designed using computer-aided design (CAD) to minimize self-resonance and standing waves—every driver movement is directed exactly where it should be: toward the listener, not into the wall. A rear-firing port enhances and deepens the low-frequency response, allowing the compact cabinet to sound fuller than you might expect from its size—the speaker extends down to 50 Hz in the lower register.
The SX50 is rated for an amplifier power of 10 to 100 watts at an impedance of 8 ohms, so it will suit almost any stereo amplifier or AV receiver—from modest entry-level to more serious systems. A sensitivity of 87 dB means that the speakers will open up equally well with both moderate and powerful amplification. Reliable speaker terminals with banana and bare wire support guarantee stable contact, and the included grilles protect the speakers from accidental touches without sacrificing aesthetics - when removed, they reveal the company's clean and modern design.
