Cambridge Audio has just announced its latest addition to the MX Series: the MXW70, a compact power amplifier designed to deliver solid performance without taking up too much room. Priced at $599 and launching in summer 2025, it’s built for music lovers who want great sound but don’t have space—or desire—for bulky hi-fi gear.

If you’re already familiar with Cambridge’s half-width MXN10 music streamer or the DacMagic 200M DAC, the MXW70 will feel right at home. It shares the same sleek, minimalist design and can be stacked right alongside those components for a neat and tidy setup. But even on its own, this little amp is versatile enough to work in a range of systems, from a small desktop setup to a more ambitious living room or home theater system.

Despite its slim footprint (just 215mm wide), the MXW70 offers a respectable 70 watts per channel into 8 ohms in stereo mode. That’s more than enough to drive most bookshelf or floorstanding speakers comfortably. But if you’re looking for a bit more power—or building a home theater system—you can switch it into mono mode and get up to 250 watts from a single unit. Stack two of them, and you’ve got the power to drive much bigger speakers.

Under the hood is Hypex NCORE Class D amplifier tech, which is known for being efficient and compact while still delivering clean, detailed sound. Cambridge Audio says they tuned the amp in-house at their London HQ, aiming for a sound that’s accurate and engaging, whether you’re listening to a quiet acoustic track or a loud rock album.

The MXW70 is built to play nicely with a wide variety of systems. It has both RCA and XLR inputs, so you can connect it to standard or more advanced gear depending on what you’re using. Speaker connections are standard banana plug sockets with binding posts, which makes setup quick and straightforward.

If you like your gear to turn on and off automatically, there’s good news: the MXW70 includes a 12V trigger input and pass-through. That means if your connected device powers on, the amp can follow automatically. And if you’re using it with the MXN10 in digital preamp mode, a USB adapter cable allows for coordinated power on/off through the StreamMagic app.

While it’s clearly designed to pair with Cambridge’s other half-width gear, you’re not locked into their ecosystem. The MXW70 is neutral enough in both design and function to fit into just about any system. Whether you’re pairing it with a streamer, a DAC, or even using a few of them to power a surround sound setup, there’s flexibility here to make it work your way.

In fact, you could even use one MXW70 per speaker in a home theater configuration by running them in mono mode. That’s not something most compact amps are designed for, but it’s an interesting option if you want modular control over your system’s amplification.

The look of the MXW70 is simple and clean: all-metal casework finished in Cambridge’s signature Lunar Grey, with no bright lights or unnecessary knobs. It’s meant to blend in, not stand out—especially in setups where space is limited or you want gear that won’t call attention to itself.

Whether you place it on a desk, hide it inside a cabinet, or stack it on a shelf with other components, the MXW70 is meant to fit wherever you need it.

If you’re building out a compact audio system or simply looking for a small amp that doesn’t skimp on power or connectivity, the MXW70 looks like a practical option. It’s designed to work well with Cambridge’s existing lineup, but it’s flexible enough to drop into almost any setup.

For people who care about performance but don’t want their living room dominated by audio gear, this kind of design is starting to make a lot more sense. And with more and more brands offering half-width components, it’s clear the shift toward smarter, smaller hi-fi isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Key Features:

• 2 x 70W power output at 8 Ohms or 2 x 125W at 4 Ohms
• Bridgeable into mono mode for 250W at 8 Ohms
• Hypex NCORE Class D tuned by Cambridge Audio
• RCA and XLR inputs
• 4mm banana plug sockets with binding posts
• Compact casework to match MXN10 and DacMagic 200M
• 12v trigger input and 12v trigger pass-through for auto power on/off

The Cambridge Audio MXW70 will be available starting summer 2025 through the company’s website and select retailers. It’s priced at £499 / €599 / $599. The MXN10 is available now for $499, and the DacMagic 200M is available for $399.